Finding Asuncion

Today I drove from Puerto Iguazu, Argentina to Asuncion, Paraguay. As usual I left a little later than I had hoped. After paying my bill and getting gas I drove out of town a little before 10 am. The border with Brazil is very close to the town center so I was there in no time. The Argentine side was very well organized. In fact if I had been paying attention I would have never had to leave the car. The first such border stop I have experienced. A lot of people travel between the Argentine and Brazilian sides of the falls so I think it is especially streamlined.

The Brazilian offices were a little more confusing. After immigration I was given conflicting directions to customs. I finally found what looked like customs but no one there seemed able to help me with my car. I think the place was just for big trucks. Finally a helpful customs agent took me to another office and introduced me to the jefe (boss). When I explained that I was only driving through to Paraguay (about 5 miles) he said there was no need to process any paperwork and waived me on. That’s the first time I’ve entered a country with the car without having paperwork specifically for the car.

I had also asked if I had to drive through the center of Foz do Iguazu. I was assured I would pass around the city. That was false. I drove smack through the center of Foz do Iguazu which is substantially bigger than Puerto del Iguazu. The signage turned out to be terrific and I found the border with Paraguay with only one turn around. The Brazilian/Paraguayan border was a little more complicated. I didn’t leave the car for the Brazilian part, just handed them my passport. I then drove across another very high bridge and entered another good sized city, Ciudad del Este in Paraguay.

The immigration officer looked at my passport and thumbed through it quite a bit. Then he asked for my visa. I didn’t know a visa is needed to enter Paraguay. I still don’t know if a visa is required. For some reason Paraguay is sorely lacking in guide books. From the US through Argentina I’ve been looking for a guide book on Paraguay and have found none. So when I told him I didn’t know I needed one he informed me I’d have to go back into Foz do Iguazu, find the Paraguayan consulate, get a visa and return. That could be a three day process including a $100 fee. After a little negotiation the process at the border turned out to be quicker. I ended up with a 10 day transit stamp in my passport and I paid about $30, all I had left in pesos.

On the way out of Ciudad del Este the main road becomes a toll highway. The sign noting that tolls must be paid in local currency reminded me that I didn’t have any guaranies. So I turned around and headed back into the city. I stopped and asked a taxi driver to direct me to the closest ATM. After attempting to give me directions he suggested he just drive me. So I parked the car and took off in the taxi. The taxi driver coasted down the hill a little before popping the clutch to start the car. Watching his starting procedure and finding no interior door latch to get out (the outside latch worked fine) I realized Paraguay is a lot different than Argentina.

The first bank we stopped at had a line of 25 people waiting for the ATM. After about five minutes I realized the person at the machine hadn’t changed. After about 10 minutes I asked the guard what the problem was. He told me that the machine was out of order. I have no idea why everyone was still waiting in line, but I wasn’t going to continue. So back to the taxi and on to the next machine, which had no line and spit out the money in short order. On the way back to my car I asked the taxi driver to help me find a map of Asuncion and/or a guide book. I ended up with just a funky map of the country. This was after the nice woman tried to sell me a wall map complete with a wood pole to roll it up. Everywhere I asked for a map of Asuncion I was told I wouldn’t need one because it’s easy to find your way around.

The terrain on the way to Asuncion was similar to what I’d driven through in the north of Argentina. I was surprised with how densely populated it is, mostly agricultural. I saw large grain elevators with big international names on them like Cargill. For the first time I saw expansive fields of wheat. The roadside stands had bananas (the small ones all clumped together), melons and squashes. I hit some really strong rain storms and fortunately they ended before I entered the city.
My last stop before entering Asuncion I asked again for a map and got the same response – should have no problem. I had the address of an hotel that was recommended via the internet. I knew it was in the center and near Plaza Uruguay. So I just followed the main road and the signs to the center.

When the numbers on the road got down near zero I stopped and asked at a gas station. Those directions got me to the hotel which was just what I was looking for. The Palmas del Sol is German owned, has a small pool, wifi in the rooms and is centrally located. The only problem was it was full. So they recommended a place not too far away, the Hotel Amalfi, and tomorrow I move to the Palmas del Sol.

The climate here reminds me a lot of Nicaragua. The air is thick, warm, heavy and wet. Even though I drove into town around 3:30 pm it was a constant dusk because there was a low dark cloud parked over the city. On the horizon it was clear so all the light came from the horizon. Just as I arrived and parked at the Palmas del Sol the cloud let loose and flooded the city with a short deluge. I realized quickly that the city doesn’t have a storm drain system (another instant flash back to Nicaragua) so the roads quickly became rivers. After the rains subsided I walked around a little and noticed certain corners of intersections have one foot high concrete walls around them. In a dry atmosphere it would appear these are attempts to block pedestrian crossings, but I think they are to block rushing water from entering unfortunate storefronts situated on the low corner of an intersection.

I’m still searching for a guide book. I already tried the bookstore in the mall six blocks away with no luck. Tomorrow I’ll try the bigger bookstores on the main shopping streets. I’ll also look for a city tour to get a feel of the city. Since I only have a 10 day tourist permit in my passport I don’t know if I’ll be driving the width of the country going west to Bolivia or back to Argentina.