https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mallsoft
There are still many huge malls, but generally speaking the vast majority of them have closed, are empty, or are being rebranded into something else.
> the USA is the place that i would expect to have the most malls
It's just that a lot of the malls have been augmented or replaced by strip malls. They have the same kinds of stores and they are still close enough to each other that it's convenient. Many have security, though it's more for the property than it is for the employees or guests, and there are large ones all over the place. You can go to Target and get a $14 can opener that you were hoping to pay $5 for but they made sure not to carry any cheap can openers, and notice there's a cell phone store nearby and go and get locked into a contract where you pay more than double. Don't forget to get some boring, expensive, and unhealthy food on the way out.
Since online shopping took over, why would Americans travel long distances by car to go to the mall?
That being said, the two malls I used to haunt in my home city where I grew up are either shut down or conspicuously empty of both foot traffic and shops.
The railway had closed down only a few years before I visited but, at that time, there was little hope of it reopening. I've no idea what's happened since.
IIRC Paraguay's economy is based in some part on smuggling stuff into other countries, duty free. Whisky in particular.
The long term dictator, Stroessner, is credibly accused of having abducted and raped vast numbers of underage girls. https://www.americasquarterly.org/fulltextarticle/how-paragu...
I'm compelled to live there as well, but the factor of living far from anything interesting is quite important in my book, but definitely is better than Brazil (which for me doesn't have any future). I would prefer to move to richer countries but it's been harder and harder these days
That would be a problem, no offense. I get the sentiments, but Brazil is not a basket case by any measure. I'm in upstate São Paulo and have traveled to Paraguay many times, and have Guarany speaking [brazilian] friends with properties there. The ruling elite there is authoritarian in a way that is hard to convey. You just got to see for yourself.
Anyways, it's not a place for inquisitive and authority averse minds.
The contrast was stark. We crossed the border and changed buses. Instead of a truck converted into a bus, with rain leaking through the roof, we had a decent Marcopolo with AC. Instead of a dirt road, there was pavement.
We arrived in Asunción late at night and grabbed a hotel not too far from the bus station. The woman at the front desk treated us like crap. So rude. We were exhausted and honestly didn’t care much, but man, I still remember that lady’s butt face. But then we handed over our burgundy passports.
Her face changed; from what seemed like barely contained rage to instant guilt. “I’m so, so, so sorry, I thought you were Argentinean. I didn’t know.” She showed us the rooms and even had someone help us with our bags.
Seems like the War of the Triple Alliance is still a source of hurt.
We didn’t stay long in Asunción; we took the bus to Iguazú the next morning. The little we saw, we liked. It seemed to be moving in a better direction than La Paz, Bolivia. And while still a bit underdeveloped, it felt like a nice, welcoming city. Unless, of course, you happened to be Argentinean.
Granted, whenever I had any sort of conversation with someone from Paraguay I had trouble to differentiate their language from someone from the Argentine northeast unless they started using some Guarani words (and that is still not that useful given it is also spoken in the Corrientes province)
I don't remember reading about that. Please explain.
Asunción downtown is "incoherent" as the OP said, but one of the factors is that most historic buildings in it are concentrated in the hands of a very few landlords. The buildings, since they are historic, cannot be demolished, and property taxes for downtown are quite high. So, the landlords leave them to rot, building new things after the buildings fall down due to neglect, taking advantage of the fait accompli.
That remark about "con factura or sin factura?" (invoice or no invoice) is not longer a thing. Most businesses now give you a legal invoice as a matter of course.
Anyway, nice to see my hometown featured on HN.
This would work equally well for a Paraguayan coming to the West.
BTW the city where I live (Ostrava) is architecturally weirdly mixed as well, at least in the older parts, where Communist blocks of flats were often built into a bomb-related gap in an older street built in a very different (and usually more human-friendly) style.
This is a good example:
How I dislike that green tower...
* Friendly people * Great food (soups like Vori Vori, delicious BBQ) * Decent internet * Cheap rent * Low taxes (no taxes on foreign income) * Timezone alignment with the US * Economic stability
I’ve been here over 10 years and as long as you learn to not rely too much on public services, you’ll be fine.
andrepd•7mo ago
Housing being used as an investment vehicle is pretty much a global problem and one of the most pernicious consequences of modern capitalism. Be it Argentina->Paraguay or Russia->London or Germany->Spain.
kgwgk•7mo ago
andrepd•7mo ago
pieds•7mo ago
That is, there were always estates, land, and business. And private education. Just that public investment created and enabled other opportunities. A massive road network enabled sprawl where additional housing could be constructed at a decent cost. Now the economy wants density for network effects, but there isn't a similar expansion in public transport. So urban housing has become very valuable.