Visiting Asuncion Paraguay

When most people plan a trip to South America they usually plan on visiting Colombia or Argentina or Brazil but as I was planning this trip it felt wrong to leave out Paraguay an often overlooked country.  I decided I had to visit Asuncion Paraguay to get a little taster of the country.

Paraguay’s history has been wrought with controversy. Founded in the 16th century by the Spaniards it was once one of the richest countries in South America but today it is the poorest country.

After Paraguay declared its independance from Spain in 1811 it has been ruled by dictatorship much of which has been corrupt. But there is still a lot of history from the Three Alliance War and understanding the riches of the country.

Paraguay has a visa on arrival program and it was $140 USD for Kiwis. Once you pay it at the airport you are set. Make sure you actually get a stamp though as I was one of the last people to get a visa and then there was no one there to give me a stamp in my passport.

So I arrived at Asuncion Airport and headed to my hotel for the next two nights, the Arthaus Boutique Hotel.  This was a really nice, clean hotel near the Del Sol Shopping Centre that had free wifi and a pool.

The other great thing about the hotel is that it is very close to the Museo del Barro – Museum of Mud.  I spent a morning there trying to dig deeper into the history of Paraguay.  It is a small museum that doesn’t even have a sign but well worth a visit.  It is a museum of history, culture,  and tradition.


After a visit to the museum I headed back to my hotel for a lovely soak in the new pool.  It was a very refreshing dip in the middle of the day with the heat in Asuncion Paraguay.


There is a lot to visit in Asuncion from museums to shopping centres to the Government House.  Honestly though I enjoyed my hotel so much that I decided to use it as a little oasis to plan some more of my trip.  That’s what happens when you go on such a long trip I guess.


Many thanks to the Arthaus Hotel for my stay while in Asuncion Paraguay.

 

Nicole

Nicole LaBarge is a travel expert who has been traveling internationally for over 25 years and she has visited over 115 countries all while working a 9-5. She has lived in England, Scotland, Japan and New Zealand. Check out her detailed destination guides and travel product guides.

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