The lovely Cuidad del Este
Our arrival in Paraguay was the most interesting thing that happened during our time there. We experienced what was definitely the most bizzare border crossing of our entire trip so far. Ali and I boarded a local bus from Puerto Iguazu in Argentina which took us to Ciudad del Este in Paraguay. This was great except for the fact that we went unofficially via Brazil. We were completely unaware that in order to get to Paraguay from Puerto Iguazu it involved a 20 minute whizz through Brazil. This unexpected trip through another country turned out to be quite problematic since the bus never stopped for the foreigners onboard (us) to obtain the necessary entry and exit stamps in their passport.
What's even more amusing is that the bus didn't stop at the Paraguay border either. We had unofficially entered 2 countries on the same day! The driver finally stopped the bus at a terminal on the outskirts of the city. We stepped off the bus in dispair. Ali was going crazy and commenced the usual everythingsgonewrongohshit routine. I did what I could to restore her temperament before figuring out the best course of action. We realised it wasn't normal procedings to enter two countries without having your passport checked and so to cut an even longer story shorter...we ended up having to travel all the way back to the Paraguay/Brazil border to correct the problem.
The officers didn't like that we entered their country without an exit stamp from the other side. He demanded that we cross back over the bridge to Brazil to get what we needed. I knew that would be a waste of time. The Brazilian officers would probably fine us for not getting an entry stamp. "But we don't even have a Brazilian entry stamp" I tried to explain in broken Spanish but it was no use. Ali suggested that we try bribing the officers and I got the money out of my wallet in preparation. Fortunately a different officer that Ali approaced was a much more understanding and stamped, although very reluctantly, our necessary entry stamps for Paraguay. Having sorted the problem we had just enough time to get back to the terminal to board the 4:00pm bus to Encarnacion.
As we anticipated, it really has been a hop skip and a jump through Paraguay. From Encarnacion we breifly visited the picturesque remnants of the Jesuits in Trinidad where we played hide and seek amongst the ruins. From Encarnacion we traveled Northwest to Asuncion where our tour ended.
So, Paraguay...let's see. It was hot. Ali was stared at a lot. We met hardly any travelers. We saw shanty towns just meters away from a prestine presidential palace. We saw tumbleweeds rolling down the streets. Well, at least I expected to see them. I felt uncomfortable around the locals. The landscape was bleak, the people were friendly, the food was...limited. Other than that, I don't know what else to say really. The majority of our time there was very neutral. It wasn't offensive nor was it enriching in any way.
It seems the more I travel the harder it is to describe a place somehow. I have seen so many unbelievable sights around the world in such a condensed time frame that, in a way, makes it harder to appreciate less fortunately endowed locations. Like Paraguay.
