Those details I should have known earlier

The month before coming to Paraguay I had many people ask me about the basics of the country: population, elevation, temperature, etc... I didn't really have any answers for them, partially because I hadn't done much research on the country itself (though I can tell you all about the adolescent pregnancy rate in PY), and partially because Paraguay isn't necessarily a tourist destination, which means there is not a whole lot of travel literature out there about the country. So here's what I've learned and know this far:

Population: 6.5 million, of which almost 2 million live in and near Asuncion

Elevation/Climate: I'm still not really sure about the elevation, but for some reason I thought it was going to be dry, which it isn't. Even though we're here in winter, it still feels a bit tropical with lots of fruit trees and greenery.

Temperature: Because we're in the Southern hemisphere, it's technically the winter here right now. The past week that I've been here it's actually been between 75 and 85 degrees the whole time, but it's supposed to get colder this week, down to the 60s which doesn't seem that bad until you realize none of the houses are well insulated or have heating. In the summers, temperatures can reach over 100 for days on end, so the houses are designed keep cool in the summers and keep just a little bit of the cold out in the winters. I brought wool socks and a sleeping bag.

To do: Well, everyone has told me there's not a lot to do in Paraguay except see the Iguazu Falls, which I have already seen. The day after I arrived Vanessa and I went to the presidential palace and downtown area where we also saw the legislative palace and walked through a short little market for tourists. We felt a bit like tourists, but this outing was the extent of my tourism here thus far. There are a couple other small towns that we might visit in the future that are also somewhat touristy. It's actually kind of refreshing to be somewhere that isn't teeming with Americans and Europeans snapping pictures.

So that's still about all I know. Where we are staying in Asuncion is actually a somewhat suburban neighborhood, so we are not in the heart of the city, where I imagine we might see more. I imagine we will find some other things to do and see while we are here as time goes on.