Paraguay - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 692

Villa Mora and the Museo del Barro
Like many other Latin American
countries, Paraguay's elite have left the
crumbling splendour of the historic
centre for flashy modernity at arm's
length from their past. Most buses going
away from the centre up España will
go through the neighbourhood of
Villa Mora and its beating heart; the mall
Shopping del Sol (see p.698), as well as
Paseo Carmelitas, which has restaurants
and bars and is popular in the evening.
If you're not a shopaholic, the best
reason to make the trip here is to visit
arguably Paraguay's best museum,
the Museo del Barro (Grabadores del
Cabichui 2716; free; Wed & Thurs
3.30-8pm, Fri & Sat 9am-noon &
3.30-8pm; T 021 607 996,
W museodelbarro.org; bus #28, #30 or
#56 from any corner of Oliva, which
becomes Cerro Corá). Dedicated to
Paraguay's indigenous, folk and urban/
contemporary visual arts, it is housed in
an interesting modern building with a
good shop selling folk art. Don't miss the
eighteenth-century ñandutí (spiderweb
lace specific to Paraguay). The museum is
a couple of blocks east after Shopping del
Sol. Av España splits in two; take the left
fork - Aviadores del Chaco - two blocks
further, and turn right down Cañada.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By plane Aeropuerto Internacional Silvio Pettirossi
( T 021 645 600, T 021 645 605) is 15km northeast of
the city along Av España and its continuation Aviadores
del Chaco. Taxis from the airport are extremely expensive
(Gs100,000 to central Asunción); if you arrive by day,
walk to the avenue outside the airport and take a taxi
there (approx. Gs60,000 to city centre), or even better, get
the bus (#30; approx 30min-1hr depending on tra c;
Gs2300), which takes you directly into the centre.

By bus The two-tiered intercity bus terminal ( T 021 551
740, T 021 551 741, W www.mca.gov.py/webtermi.html),
at the junction of Fernando de la Mora and República de
Argentina, is in the southeast of the city. A taxi from the
terminal to the centre will cost around Gs40,000. Several
international bus companies depart from here.
International destinations Buenos Aires (several daily;
21hr); Córdoba (2-5 weekly; 20hr); Rio de Janeiro (weekly;
26hr); Santa Cruz, Bolivia (daily; 20hr); Santiago (2 weekly;
30hr).
Domestic destinations Ciudad del Este (hourly; 4-5hr);
Concepción (hourly; 7hr); Encarnación (hourly; 6hr); Filadelfia
(2-3 daily; 8hr); San Bernardino (every 1-2hr; 2hr); San
Cosme y San Damian (daily; 6hr); San Ignacio (5 daily; 4hr).
By boat There are expensive cruise boats (such as Crucero
Paraguay; W cruceroparaguay.info) that have all the mod
cons, leave infrequently and often require large group
bookings. The Cacique II ( T 021 492 829), however, is for
locals and goes from Asunción to Concepción once a week
at 7pm on a Tuesday from the Puerto Botánico (near the
botanic gardens), in theory: it's best to go down to the port
in advance and enquire in person.

8

INFORMATION AND TOURS
Tourist information The Turista Róga (Palma 468, at 14
de Mayo; daily 7am-7pm; T 021 494 110, W paraguay
.travel), run by SENATUR, is packed with maps, information
and high-quality handicrafts. Staff are extremely helpful,
speak English, and there are computers with internet
access to use free of charge. SENATUR also run a booth at
the airport (daily 10am-6pm; T 021 645 600).
Tour operators DTP, Gral. Brúguez 353, at 25 de Mayo
( T 021 221 816, W dtp.com.py); and Mavani, Palma, at 14
de Mayo Galeria Palma, Local 39 ( T 021 493 580, T 021
446 654, W mavani.com.py). Both offer some of the best
tours all over the country as well as Asunción and Lago
Ypacaraí tours, and both also have o ces in Ciudad del
Este; DTP is also in Encarnación. Pyporé ( W pypore.com.py)
offer extensive tours of towns around Asunción.

GETTING AROUND
The city centre is compact and easily walkable, as is Mercado
4. You'll want to take a bus to the Villa Mora area.

APPRECIATING MERCADO 4
Asunción's Mercado Cuatro (4) is one of those sprawling Latin American markets where you
can buy anything and everything (not to mention delicious and dirt-cheap street food). There
are seemingly endless passageways in and out of this part-covered, part-street market and it's
easy to get lost in the bustle. In 2012, a film based entirely in the market, 7 Cajas (Maneglia &
Schémboli), or “7 Boxes” as it's known in English, brought the world's attention to Paraguay's
great market. As with any market, keep your wits about you and belongings close (or leave
them in the hostel). The market is a twenty-minute uphill trudge from the centre via Pettirossi,
or hop on any bus going southwest with “Mercado” in the window.