Paraguay

Asunción surprised me in a way I hadn't expected. Coming from Kathmandu, I thought I knew what a crowded, layered capital felt like — but this one had a different weight to it. The heat sat heavy the moment I stepped out, the kind that makes the whole city feel slightly slowed down, and the streets around the old centro had this mix of grand colonial stone and peeling paint that I found genuinely interesting. Nothing felt polished for tourists. It felt like a city that was just living its life.

I spent most of my time on foot around Plaza de la Constitución and the waterfront. The Palacio de los López — that pink presidential palace — was right there behind the big ASUnción sign, and I stood in that open plaza for longer than I planned, just taking in how strange and calm it felt for a capital. The Panteón de los Héroes was the one that really got me though. Outside, it's this domed neoclassical mass that looks almost too formal for the surrounding streets. Inside, the geometry of the arches, the tiled floors, the dim coloured light coming through the dome — it was one of the quietest places I've been in a long time.

Food-wise, I ate at an outdoor restaurant where the trees came right over the table and the afternoon light filtered through green. The plates were heavy — proper Paraguayan portions — and the whole thing, a glass of local wine included, cost less than I'd spend on lunch back home. That's the thing about Paraguay: it doesn't shout about anything. It just sits there, doing its own thing, and if you slow down enough, it's a really good place to be.