Asuncion: Mother of Cities

Twenty three hours in a plane, fifteen of them nonstop from Nairobi to Sao Paulo Brazil took me to Paraguayan soil at Aeropuerto Internacional Silvio Pettirrossi in Asuncion, a distance of 33,632 kilometres.

What started roughly two days earlier on Monday night, shortly before 11.45pm when Emirates Flight EK0722 took off at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport ended minutes to 1.00 am local time (7.00am Kenya time) on Wednesday morning.

I had never made a longer journey in my life.

The landing aboard Brazilian TAM Linhas Aereas Airbus A320 Flight JJ8361 after a brief stopover at Ciudad Del Est, a Paraguayan town that sits amid meandering tributaries of the Amazon and lush farmlands, was the beginning of an eventful sojourn.

It was punctuated by communication difficulties, in a land where English is virtually unknown even at international airports.

Anything written or spoken is in Spanish, and a word such as aqua meaning water was familiar, but the (Spanish) pronunciation awa, threw me off balance.

Welcome is bienvenida of which I had no clue and thank you is gracias. That one sounded familiar vis-à-vis the English word, gracious.

Fortunately, important messages are  translated. For instance, a well stenciled signage reading visan en arribo means visas on arrival.

Majority of the people on hand to assist us spoke only Spanish or a smattering of English, prompting us to resort to signs to explain ourselves.

When colleagues from Nigeria could not trace their luggage, passing the simple message that it would arrive on the next TAM flight was such drama, what with the raucous Nigerians creating a Naija movie-like scene with their distinct accent.

HALCYON SPRING CLIMATE

We had been cleared for visas by the Ministrie de Relaciones Exteriores (Ministry of External Affairs) through a notice on the internet that we were advised to print and present on arrival.

However, issuing real visas proved a lengthy and tiring hurdle for fatigued travelers hankering for a rest. I noticed that “white” people including Arabs, Chinese, Indians were subjected to less stress.

We were about 10 black Africans, yet we were the last to leave the airport for our hotels. I could only conclude that the fear of Ebola virus had something to do with it because our body temperatures were measured.

Frustration at the airport aside, Paraguay was enjoyable, from a halcyon spring climate suitable for our light attire to the foods that included the scrumptious Paraguayan grilled meat or asado that is a must eat there.

There was plenty of fish that I relished, including the tasty tilapia, known as ngege where I come from. 

Ugali as we know it at home is readily substituted with mbeju, a starch cake with manioc flour. Rice is aplenty for those whom mbeju is too outlandish for their taste.

Fans of fast foods can be at home with hamburgers, known locally as panchos.

Paraguay’s subtropical and tropical climate makes it a land of fruits as evidenced by the many varieties available. The sight of mango and other trees sagging with ripe, mouth-watering fruits along the drab streets of Asuncion — pronounced asun’sjon — grabbed my curiosity. I kept wondering if such scenes were possible back home in the streets of Nairobi, Kisumu or Mombasa.

Besides mangoes, oranges, grapes, bananas, pineapples (sources say they originated here), water melons, peaches, plums, papayas, guavas and others abound.

For those who detest crowds so common in Nairobi, Asuncion is the place to be as the city, that covers -117 square kilometres, has a population of only 600,000. Absent is the familiar Nairobi noise from mischievous passenger service vehicle touts, street preachers and incorrigible hawkers. Traffic is particularly thin even at peak hours, with bulge-nosed commuter buses that look like contraptions from a gone era, plying the city streets.

COLONIAL EXPEDITIONS

A keen observer cannot fail to notice that football is an important phenomenon in Paraguay and Asuncion is the seat of the Confederacion Sudamerican De Futbol (Confederation of South American Football).

The six star Bourbon Conmebol Convention Hotel that us, participants of the 2014 Sixth Global Peace Convention, is owned by the confederation.

Like Nairobi, Asuncion is closely linked to a river, albeit the Mother of Cities in South America does not draw its name from Paraguay River where it sprung on a bay as a Spanish fort in 1537.

Asuncion derives its name from the flagship vessel of the Spanish expedition, Nuestra Senora Santa Maria de la Asuncion (Our Holy Mary of Ascension). Asuncion refers to the assumed ascension into heaven of Mary, Mother of Jesus.

It was from Asuncion that colonial expeditions departed to found other cities, including South America’s largest metropolis, Sao Paulo, Argentina’s Buenos Aires, Uruguay’s Montevideo, Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro and others.

Apart from the massive Paraguay River where it sits, Asuncion’s attractions include National Pantheon of the Heroes created in honour of the heroes of Paraguay who fought in past wars.

There is also the Casa de la Independencia Museum inaugurated in 1965 as a showcase to history dating back to independence in 1811, the Estadio Defensores del Chaco, a stadium that was opened in 1917 and the 136-metre high Icono Tower among others.