Asuncion - The capital city

Surely, Asuncion occupies a special position in the long list of capital cities of the world. With only 1.200.000 inhabitants (including the suburb towns) it must be included amongst the small and indistinguishable capital cities. But it also figures amongst the most restless, full of contrasts and one of the greenest cities in the world. Asuncion is the pulsating nucleus of South America...

The center part of the city is made up by numerous commercial establishments, small newsstands, salesmen, money exchangers, stacks of goods disseminated on sidewalks and, at rush hour, by an indescribable traffic disorder. The best way to appreciate this colourful and turbulent typical South American landscape is from one of the numerous small coffee shops on the sidewalk. There, you will be confronted by shoeshine boys, swift as hares, Maka women adorned with feathers who offer, bargaining with the tourists, handbags weaved by hand, salesmen offering imitation watches of well-known brands, noisy newspaper vendors, rickety buses and taxis and, everywhere, people moving about in a hurry. All this must be experienced...

Approximately 20 % of the Paraguayan population live in Asuncion and its suburbs. Here, is where the commercial activity is concentrated. The head offices of the large banks have their offices, and is the site of the various government buildings. Here, is where everything that is needed for daily use, may be found.

It is a pleasure to go on a shopping spree in Asuncion and, in the majority of the cases, it turns out to be an extraordinarily cheap recreation. As an example, a kilogram of beef filet costs approximately (US$ 3, a carton of cigarettes US$ 11, a litre bottle of scotch whisky costs US$ 12. Shoes, textiles, small charming keepsakes - and anyone who looks around with attention, will always discover some bargains.

However, Asuncion is also the city of the most surprising contrasts. Here, it is possible to find the most modern shopping centres, such as the architectonically charming "Shopping del Sol", but, on the other hand, the enormous "Mercado Cuatro" (Pet-tirossi market), with thousands of small stands, galleries and traders in its overcrowded narrow streets, is also part of the city.