Paraguay. Part I. AsunciónMap
January Paraguay is a poor South American country where no normal tourist would ever go because there’s absolutely nothing to do here. To this day, the airport still doesn’t have TV screens to display flight schedules. Airport employees manually insert slips with the numbers of arriving flights at baggage claim. ![]() AsunciónMapThe capital. ![]() Like in other Latin American nations, baskets on a stick for trash bags are very common here. ![]() Almost all the utility poles in the country are made of concrete and vaguely resemble thin elongated chocolate squares. Metal utility poles are dying out. ![]() The traffic lights aren’t particularly remarkable in any way. ![]() The trash cans, on the other hand, are a bit more fun. ![]() The phone booths are just like the ones in Brazil. It seems as though Paraguay produces absolutely nothing of its own except for electricity, most of which goes to Brazil for prices so low it’s practically highway robbery. ![]() Street signs, like in Uruguay, like in Argentina, like in Brazil, exist on one corner of the intersection only. The arrows indicate traffic direction. ![]() This bus is called a “new model” here. It’s a Mercedes, incidentally. ![]() Pedestrians. The mother is also holding the daughter by the elbow—a motif we’ve already encountered in Buenos Aires. ![]() Asunción creates a strange impression. ![]() The combination of early-20th century architecture, a dozen high-rises, and a general state of complete shambles places the city in a heretofore unencountered category of poor capitals. ![]() Occasionally, you come across a building that has survived through sheer miracle. An Art Nouveau photography studio—a rare specimen indeed. ![]() Directly behind the city’s main square—where, among other things, the presidential palace is located—begins a neighborhood of ill repute. On the left side of the photo is the former parliament building (now a museum), and on the right is a cramped, chaotic Shanghai which continues all the way down to the river. ![]() The slums stretch along the river for many kilometers, and visitors are advised to stay out unless they’re prepared to part with their wallet and their pants. Police venture inside only fully armed and in large groups. ![]() Garbage is carted out on horses, like in neighboring countries. ![]() There used to be a functioning railroad here. Today, the rails are partially covered with asphalt, and a few train cars remain parked at the platform of the boarded-up station. ![]() Taxis can be found at taxi stands. They don’t cruise randomly around the city. ![]() The shops are the epitome of dismal. ![]() The cafés are the epitome of dismal. ![]() The supermarkets are the epitome of dismal. ![]() A napkin with a completed game of Hangman, discovered by the pastry display in a local greasy spoon. ![]() It’s time to venture into the center of the country, into the grasslands. ![]() Right outside Asunción is an Indian reservation. For me, the words “Indian reservation” had always conjured up romanticized images of people in feather headdresses sitting around a fire and smoking a peace pipe. In reality, the reservation is a disgusting dump where everyone lives in sheds and throws trash right on the ground. ![]() Something about it reminded me of the painting Moscow Courtyard. |
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Paraguay. I. Asunción
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