Here in Paraguay I live in the small country town of Piribebuy. It is approximately 90km from Asuncion, the capital.
It is a very nice life in the countryside, but from time to time I do like to travel into the capital for a short holiday.
I enjoy spending a few days taking in city life. It is though always nice to arrive back home afterwards.
Recently I spent a long weekend in Asuncion. What I did in the city was reflective of how I normally pass the time in the city. It also would be a good starting point for anyone thinking of visiting Asuncion for a few days.
My trip started early on a Friday morning. From my home there is a bus each day to each of the nearby towns, Piribebuy and Paraguari. They both pass my house at about 7am. So a trip into the capital is always a long day.
On this occasion I caught the Paraguari bus. Paraguari sits on Ruta 1, making it the shorter and quicker of the two options.
Once in Paraguari I was then on a bus heading towards Asuncion by just after 8am.
From there the bus took my directly to Asuncion Bus Terminal which I reached about 10.30. At a cost of $1.50.
Then just one more bus to my final destination. A city bus ($0.45). Fares on city buses are paid by card, so anyone wishing to use one would need to purchase a card before catching a bus.
My first stop for the day, after 4 hours of travelling, was the Shopping Del Sol Mall which is near the upmarket Villa Morra district.
There I had arranged to meet up with someone to share some of my insights about living in Paraguay. Something I am always happy to do.
We had a good talk over a coffee before I headed of onwards on my travels and for lunch. That done I then checked into my hotel.
As I was on holiday I had chosen a smart hotel in Villa Morra near to the shopping centres. I had selected one called Five ( https://www.rochester-hotel.com/hotel-five-paraguay-asuncion/ ). Nice rooms, rooftop pool and bar and a restaurant. No reason not to treat myself to a bit of comfort and luxury while I was in the city.
The rest of Friday was then spent relaxing either in the hotel or over the road at Shopping Mariscal before heading out to a bar in a micro brewery (Sacramento Brewing Co https://www.sacramento.com.py/ ) for a night of craft beers and live music.
Saturday was then a day spent exploring Asuncion Old Town, the historical district. It was a bus ride of 6 km and I arrived in ther old town late morning.
On a Saturday afternoon there is often something going on in the old town, so it is a good time to visit.
My first stop however before finding out what that was was the old train station on Plaza Uruguaya. Trains no longer run in Paraguay and the station is now an interresting little museum. A small enterance fee ($1.50).
Inside several of the station rooms contain relics from the age of steam in Paraguay. All is labled only in Spanish, but everything is clearly laid out with each roomed themed (inside a carriage, station machinery etc).
Then inside the station itself, and under a fine Victorian roof, are a couple of old carriages and the first train to be bought to Paraguay.
Very much worth a visit.
After a good look around there I headed over to Calle Palma. That is the principal road through the centre of the old town. Before the advent of the shopping centres the city’s main retail area.
The street is always closed to traffic on a Saturday for events. At the very least there will be outdoor drinking and dining and often there is a festival of some kind being held.
This particular Saturday there was a festival celebrating Paraguayan music and dance. On a stage set up in the street artists were giving performances all afternoon.
Artists had come from across Paraguay and also from overseas bringing their music and dance. At the time that I was there Bolivian musicians and dancers were making their way down the street.
After taking in the culture I headed next down to Asuncion Bay. A walk along the modern Costanera and down to the beach. There although only a couple of blocks away from the centre of the old town things are always quieter and more peaceful.
For the the rest of the afternoon I did the normal tourist sightseeing around the old town. Visiting palaces, churches and government buildings.
A rewarding day out not returning to the hotel until early morning.
The following day then was Sunday. On Sunday much of Asuncion is closed for business so it is a good day to spend walking around the air conditioned shopping centres as there are very much open.
Within walking distance of where I was staying was first Shopping Del Sol ( https://www.delsol.com.py/ ) and then Paseo la Galeria ( https://paseolagaleria.com.py/ )
Both are modern shopping centres with Paseo la Galerias being quite upmarket. They are popular with locals and foreigners alike.
I had a little shopping to do. That I mostly did in Shopping Del Sol as I find it has a better spread of stores. Also had a good lunch in the food court.
The food courts always have a wide range of dining options in a less formal setting than that of a restaurant. That particular day I found some Japanesse.
A good and successful trip.
That evening I then rounded my trip off with a cold beer on the hotel terrace watching the world go by.
Holiday over it was then time to head back home. This time the bus route in reverse exept that this time I headed down Ruta 2 so as to reach Piribebuy.
It was late morning before I checked out of the hotel so rather then heading directly back to Piribebuy I stopped off in Caacupe.
That way I was able to have lunch on the way back.
After lunch from one Caacupe it was just one final bus for the last 30 minutes over to Piribebuy and from there a taxi to return my to my house.
The sights and sounds of Asuncion are always worth seeing and I would recommend them to anyone who was visiting Paraguay.
If my schedule allows I may even be able to show to you around myself.
Recent Comments