Asunción, Paraguay - Polarsteps

Nuestra Señora Santa María de la Asunción, Paraguay, (Asunción), population: about a half million people. In the metropolitan area are more than 3 million. The city was founded in August 1537, so it is one of the oldest cities in South America. It is considered to be the third safest city in South America, after Buenos Aires and Santiago. Though, and this is interesting, I have been warned several times by people who live in Paraguay that I should avoid Buenos Aires because of the crime. It is also considered to be one of the cheapest capital cities in the world to live in. Asunción has many museums, a riverside beach, and a soccer stadium that seats a bit more than 46,000 people. The big problem for me here is the language. Yes, it's Spanish, but no, it isn't pure Spanish. More than half the population speak both Spanish and Guaraní and the people typically mix the two. So, my impressions: I am not impressed with anything here. The city center has some old buildings, maybe from the turn of the 20th century, some from the 19th century, but few are in good condition. Many of the city center streets have too much litter, the sidewalks are crumbling, and there are too many homeless people just about everywhere. There is a nice riverside boardwalk and park that appeared to be quite popular with cyclists and runners. I found a few roads in suburban neighborhoods that had some really nice homes, but mostly, there is nothing much here of any real interest.