A couple days out of Asuncion
This seems to be a gimmick in cities that don't have widely recognized landmarks... just throw up a sign and people will take pictures in front of it. It's gotta be the best tourism dollars they can spend.
Gran Hotel del Paraguay, a sprawling and sleepy place with shaded courtyards filled with fruit trees between the rows of rooms. The place dates back to the colonial period and is really an attraction in and of itself.
Palacio de los López... This is as close as they let you get to the place.
So you can't walk on the grounds of Palacio de los López, but we basically flew over it. There were lots of police, military and secret service types around. Martha approached one of the guys in suits and he took our names and told us where and how we could fly the drone. Pretty sure they radioed it in because military guards were looking right at us when we flew. Get the thing to a decent altitude and it looks like you're right over the place.
Botanical Gardens and Zoo of Asuncion.... admission cost pennies. It was interesting simply to see how a zoo is maintained and run with far less resources. There's not a whole lot of things to do in Asuncion, but this place was an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.
Soooo.... the monkeys found a way to get out by pushing on some paneling around a tree that goes through the roof of their enclosure. When they saw a group of people they scattered back inside the enclosure. Very clever.
A museum at the beginning of the Botanical Gardens actually had a pretty large collection of specimens, including a mummy at the entrance.
Urban art in Asuncion..... the place is really unmatched in scale. Lots of original and really striking imagery as you walk the city center.
Loma San Geronimo.... so this is a very interesting and quirky neighborhood. It's not on a lot of the walking tour itineraries, but it should be.
