ElQueso, only if you have a brief moment (you already helped a lot so that's appreciated), are the buses to Paraguay more or less a set time per day & night, 1 or 2 times each, or do they vary? Can you typically just show up before the right time, same day and go?
There are tens of bus lines that go to Paraguay at many different hours. Some are better than others. Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion is my wife's favorite, she also likes Crucero del Norte. There are various seating classes available. If you go by bus, get the Executive Semi-Cama or Full Cama. Anything of lesser quality will be uncomfortable and on different, older buses. Go through Clorinda - I can't remember the name of the city the other common route crosses, but it's through Entre Rios and crosses somewhere near Encarnacion. I think those are mostly older buses, but also a much longer trip to get to Asuncion. 24 hours that way as opposed to 18-20 hours through Clorinda.
I took the bus exactly one time, there on Nuestra Senora, back on Crucero.. It was not bad, really - except the trip back, the bus was so damned cold I actually caught a cold! The seating was a bit bigger than business class on a good airline, the seats fairly comfortable. There were movies and food service. A few stops where you would have time to stretch your legs a few minutes. But it was TWENTY HOURS! Ouch. I just don't like to sit still that long. It drives me crazy. I did an airline trip that long, once, when I went to India from Houston with a stop in Paris. Yuck. Yuck.
On a side note, I usually drive now, myself. I like to have a car in Paraguay and renting is relatively expensive, particularly when looking at the kilometer limits and I usually have to drive to the family's place outside of Concepcion, 350 kilometers from Asuncion. I make the trip from here to Asuncion usually in about 13-14 hours, driving straight through. I can handle that kind of time because I'm driving. And it's a helluva lot cheaper than paying for plane or bus tickets for myself, my wife, my sister-in-law and her cousin and a rental car, even with the price of gas and maintenance...
An hour and fifty minutes to Asuncion via plane. Unless you just want the experience (and I can understand that, once), I wouldn't do it by bus. you don't really see a lot. After you get past Rosario, it all looks pretty much the same with a couple of repeating variations, although the flora does change the more north you get.
At the end of last year, the last time I know of that someone bought bus tickets to Asuncion, it was $900 pesos round trip. The blue rate and official rate were pretty close at the time, and the USD cost was about $211 at the official rate of roughly 4.25 (working from memory). We sent our sister-in-law back to visit family around the same time for a $230 USD round trip, non stop flight on TAM (bought about a month in advance).
And do you know of any budget hotels, sub-US$20? May just have to wait and see while there.
I personally don't, but I can find out from my wife if you really want. When she first started traveling back to legalize things and conduct various business in Asuncion, she would stay in hotels that were about that cheap, or even a bit cheaper perhaps. I always tried to tell her to stay in a decent hotel, but she was so used to being poor that she couldn't imagine paying even $35 a night!! She used to call me up the next day and complain - tired, sleepy, with hundreds of itches, having been kept awake all night by the fleas constantly biting her. Every one of them she had that problem. I'd stay away.
However, there is a good hotel called the Asuncion Palace. It's run by two sisters, very nice ladies. Last time I stayed there, about a year ago, they were remodeling the top floor, with plans to do the others (three floors total, something like 25 rooms). I stayed in a normal-sized remodeled room, and my buddy who was with me stayed in a remodeled suite. Nicely done remodeling, tiled floors with a couple of rugs (which I love! I hate carpets - I'm allergic to dust and sneeze all the time). nice beds, good TVs, etc. Good-sized rooms. Just out of the center, still well in downtown. At the time, the regular room was $35 USD a night, the suite something like $42. Book ahead, because it's a popular hotel.
There are a few more like that, I can't remember their names right off-hand. That's the best one, the others are of various qualities. But they are very easy to find online, just do a little searching at the 3-star level.
My favorite hotel is downtown, right in the center, near some good shopping. It's called Las Margaritas, a 4-star hotel. It was just built about 5-6 years ago if I remember correctly. Modern, good restaurant, good, efficient, friendly staff. Pool on the roof with a grill and a workout room. A suite is around $90 USD, a regular room about $70 if I remember correctly. I was just there in July for winter vacation and stayed a couple of days coming and going.
Sorry, just one more. How's Asuncion for shipping small items out? We know BA is very expensive. Have a couple things so maybe might wait until if in Paraguay.
I'm not sure, really. The only thing I ever sent from Paraguay internationally was a FedEx package with a manual in it. It cost $65 USD to send to Peru. That same package was being returned, having cost $110 USD to send from Peru to Asuncion originally. Not sure what the cost of something like that would be to, say, the States or Europe.
But seriously, just so I have as backups just in case a couple others are booked out. Can't really reserve right now as too much is up in the air.
