Down on Asuncion

Asuncion may be a nice place to visit (“No End to the Innocence in Magical Asuncion,” Sept. 22), but you wouldn’t want to get stuck there. I speak from experience--two years’ worth. It is glorious to step off the plane and smell the frangipani trees, see the bromeliads and Spanish moss in the trees, feel the heavy humid air that makes the vegetation so luxurious, and hear the calls of tropical birds. But after one week or two, you begin to notice other things. That is, if your room at the Gran Hotel del Paraguay has a working air conditioner and sufficient hot water coming out of the shower head. If not, the glow will dissipate much sooner. Spanish helps for haggling over prices, but if you don’t speak Guarani, you’ll never get a bargain.

MRS. RANDI L. SANDERS

Winnemucca, Nev.