It was cold last week_.  The temperature got down to 34 degrees Fahrenheit and the apartment got cold for a few days.  It appears that that was winter’s last hurrah.  We were in the upper 70’s today with a low of 60 and the skies are clear.

     I went for a walk to the main downtown mall with my coworker and we enjoyed a leisurely day.  It was a 7km (4.5 mile) walk round trip and quite enjoyable. They had massages in the mall where you kept your shirt on while getting a ten minute massage.  It was well worth the $4.50 that it cost.  

     We were cautioned to stay away from the river when we first arrived. The government built a “River Walk” in that area and moved the people out of the shanties. Well, we came to the edge of where there were moved and I was glad to get out of the area.  It was the middle of the day and we were safe, but, I didn’t like being in the area.  There were shanty houses built in and around an arroyo.  People have to live somewhere and they were there.  I don’t know what they do during the rains, but they seem to know what they’re doing.

     In my taxi rides, I noticed stop signs with arrows pointing straight, to the right, or to the left. The taxi drive seemed to ignore them and I asked, “Why?”. His response was that they didn’t mean anything.  Well, I asked a trusted taxi driver and he told me that people just don’t like to stop.  Stop signs do not mean anything here.  If you want to go, you go.  Then I started noticing speed bumps before stop signs.  At least they had to slow down.

     Here are some more photos of Asuncion streets:  

 _{The photos were taken on a Sunday afternoon, so, there aren't many people and cars in the streets. Like many cities, the sidewalks are the responsibility of the property owner.  Some are decent and most are not.  You do need to watch your step.  The streets are in fairly decent shape.  There are not many potholes.  More to come.....}