14/04/2023 to 15/04/2023 - Asuncion / Paraguay

We had a relaxed day, packed our backpacks again and in the evening we continued to Paraguay by bus. The bus left with a delay of one hour, but the border crossings were the fastest we have ever experienced. Since only the two of us had to enter and exit the bus, we each had the passport stamp in 3 minutes. At 1 o'clock in the morning, after 6 hours of bus ride, we arrived in the capital of Paraguay. We went to our accommodation and went straight to sleep.

The next morning we went to the city center of Asuncion. The city's full name is La Muy Noble y Leal Ciudad de Nuestra Senora Santa Maria de la Asuncion, which is actually only for the Assumption of Mary. We were there at the right time because in the heart of the city, on the Plaza de los Héroes, there were many men in uniform. At 10:15 a.m., a parade with a band and changing of the guard started at the Panteón de los Héroes. This is the symbol and national monument of Paraguay. The construction began in 1863, completed in 1936, and since then the remains of the Paraguayan war heroes have been kept here. We continued walking through the city. However, the city is rather deserted today. Almost all shops were closed, the Metropolitan Cathedral of Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion was closed, the huge Plaza Constitucion park was fenced off and closed, and the Estación Ferrocarril, the former train station with a museum, was also closed. So we couldn't see much. We took some photos at the Palacio de los López, the government headquarters, and we also found some interesting murals that were worth a photo. Of course, we couldn't miss the huge lettering "Asuncion" on the promenade. We walked along the shore of the Paraguay River and in the afternoon, we had a coffee in a good, but deserted cafe.

We already started to the airport at 4 o'clock in the morning. We drove for about half an hour through the noisy and crowded streets of the city. Apparently, life here takes place at night and not during the day.