Alberdi, Paraguay - Polarsteps

Alberdi, Paraguay, population: a bit less than 10,000. Alberdi sits at the edge of the Paraguay River and across from Formosa, Argentina. I was in Formosa and from there to the Asunción area there are two routes: north via bus or across the river to a tiny pueblo called Alberdi then another bus north. I chose the more interesting route - the ferry to Alberdi. The Paraguay River wraps around the city on three of its sides. Now they have a substantial levy around the city but in the past, they endured floods which resulted in many residents leaving the town. The region of Paraguay near Alberdi appears to be more water than land. There are a few farms but for the most part, it is all mangroves, estuaries, and wetlands. Alberdi, being so small, has no supermarket and one coop bank with one cash machine. Other than that, there are four hotels and one hostel, many shops, and a couple of sit-down restaurants. The economy is based on trade with people visiting from Formosa, mostly merchants who cross the river and buy goods at much lower prices. There is a very small amount of agriculture and livestock in the area. I walked most of the streets in the town in the couple of hours that I was waiting for the bus. The town's name comes from the Argentine writer of liberal ideology Juan Bautista Alberdi. Its original name was Villa Franca Nueva but was later changed to honor the writer. So, my impressions: It's not an ugly little town, but there's nothing particularly beautiful, it's a normal, very small town. I've seen other towns much worse. There are lots of shops where you can buy just about anything at very low prices. And there is bus service from Alberdi to Asunción three times a day.