20 Parque de la Salud

Back in Asuncion I am trying to establish healthy habits for my travels. Looking through the map of city I saw the Parque de la Salud not far away from me. The Park is maintained by the institute of social security (IPS) and is free to enter. They only ask for documentation(passport or ID) when entering and exiting the park. It is a lovely ~1,5Km circuit designed for fitness, walking and running. It even includes some elevation changes. The park is very much designed to look like a forest. I loved the signs on the native trees giving you the common name as well as the scientific one.

I’d rather not try to pronounce that

Apart from the signs on the trees the institute also provides health education in form of small signs next to the path(“Don’t put too much salt on your food!”).

It wasn’t too crowded but also not empty. Mostly walkers. Lots of groups of middle-aged women walking fast and talking even faster. I wasn’t the only runner either. Everyone was very considerate and friendly.

I didn’t break any records today. I ran for one lap and walked for two. The humidity really got to me by the end of the third. I was happy that I managed to do some pull-ups in between laps. The crumbling metal bars were shaking and wouldn’t be too sure that they would hold anyone with more than my 77 Kilos. Apart from the rusty equipment I really enjoyed the park. I loved the serene early morning atmosphere with rays of light shining through the lush green canopy.