It was good to have another integrated border, just one place to go to process you out of Argentina and into Paraguay. The Argentinean side didn’t know how to process the carnet, but the Paraguayan did. One lady seemed to be employed just to sign the passport stamps. She sat on a stood watching TV while her male counterparts typed in Passport details, filled in forms and waiter for her to countersign. Old Indians tried to sell wares, some looked good – but now was not the time when dripping in sweat queuing outside to get a Passport and Carnet stamped. These Indians, we found out later, are very small in number. Only a few thousand. They are not related to the indigenous Guarani Indians of Paraguay but are closely related to the Incas and are probably the remnants of the Incas who tried to extend their empire to these regions.

The border crossing all went surprisingly quickly and easily. If it hadn’t been for the heat it would have been interesting to look about more. The money changers, that we were wary of at first, were actually very helpful. They pointed where to go and what to do, hoping that in exchange they would get some deals. Each car exchanged a few Argentinean Pesos for the Guaranie.

The other side of the border was a surprise. It looked wealthier and nicer than the Argentinean. Reasonable looking shops and cafés, car dealerships, smartly dressed people. The roads were more uneven, but people were just as friendly and smiling. We headed into Asuncion in the heat of the day. The old Westie with her un-pressurised water cooling system got hotter and hotter. We had booked ahead into a mid range hotel, the hotel Cecilia in old down town, and headed there. Chris with his compass watch and map got us most of the way there and finally for the last bit we followed an old man on a moped. Once more we were, tired, exhausted, hot and dusty. Looks like a nice hotel too, with air conditioning..

Hey but we are here. Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay. We need a city tour! The cars were parked on the forecourt of the hotel. No secure parking, but under the eye of the hotel staff. We needed to cool down, and then food and drink, in that order. I typed up some web notes while Alan, Ivor and Chris splashed in the rooftop pool on the 6th floor. When we looked at the water later it was opaque and had quite an oil slick on the top. Whether that was them or not, we will never know! At 8pm we met up to organise food and drink.

The hotel its self was amazing. Second floor led along to a huge restaurant, empty of course. Native hardwood panelling everywhere. Parquet flooring. Art deco fittings. Highly collectable antique clocks. Waiters in uniform, with nothing to do. We ordered some beers, they were poured for us and served in ice buckets. Nibbles were brought. French cheeses  (at least they tasted like French cheeses) and meats. Amazing. We decided to stay there for supper. A Spanish couple arrived, they were doing a cruise and drive round South Amerca and had spent the day stomping round the streets of Asuncion, perfectly safe with camera and camcorder in hand. The food was first class, the service equally so. It was a little expensive compared to what we are used to, £65 for the meal for 5, wine & beer – but very reasonable when you consider the quality. The waiters were proud of their hotel and tried to tell us the woods used in the panelling and where they came from. The room was a good one and only £35. Highly recommended for a bit of faded luxury in Asuncion.