16. One day in Paraguay

Crossing the three borders
1
- The easiest way to reach Paraguay is to return to Foz do Iguazu in Brazil, and then cross the only bridge over the Rio Panama. So we need to
- - leave Argentina
- - enter Brazil
- - leave Brazil
- - enter Paraguay
- Two kilometers and four buffers later...
In Foz do Iguazu
2
- On the road, we have the privilege of exploring the poorer areas of the city. 😕
In Ciudad del Este
3
- On the other side of the bridge, many skyscrapers and shops of all kinds, big clouds of pollution at every corner, Ciudad del Este is a paradise of black market and corruption. The most notorious example is that in this Paraguayan city, the official currency is the US dollar (and not the Guarani - the official currency of Paraguay).
Itaipu Dam - The largest dam in the world
4
- We took advantage of the free visit of the dam on the Paraguayan side.
- Rivaling in gigantism the largest structures ever built by man, this dam supplies 80% of Paraguay's total energy and 30% of Brazil's energy. This immense construction contains the equivalent of 380 iron and concrete Eiffel Towers. With these materials, we could build a road to New York.
Jesuit Missions - In Trinidad
5
- At nightfall, we arrive in Trinidad and camp less than a hundred meters from the Jesuit ruins, a place full of history: it's nice!
View from the top of Campinaro
6
- A little history:
- In the 1700s, many Jesuit priests went on "missions" to convert the indigenous people, the Guaraníes, in the new continent which, despite its discovery two hundred years earlier, has still been little explored. The natives lived in "reduction", a kind of reserve where the Spaniards grouped them together, and in which the tribes went freely. The tribes had not been considered slaves since the Valladolid Controversy. However, in 1767, the Jesuits were ordered to leave the missions now forbidden by the Governor of Spain.
- Soldiers came to burn the villages born of the missions as in Trinidad, Jesus, ... We recommend that you watch a great film that tells these stories well, Missions (1983) with de Niro.
Encarnacion
7
- We decided to test the stop sign and a minute later, here we are in the car of an agricultural products company manager, Jesus, who agrees to give us a lift ten kilometres further. But after a very enriching conversation, he suddenly changes his mind and drops us off in the centre of Encarnacion, which is a fifteen-kilometre detour: how nice. Very proud of his nation, he praises it to us, inciting us to visit Asunción, capital of Paraguay nicknamed the green city because of the jungle crown that surrounds it. He also tells us that Paraguay is one of the world's leading exporters of soya and beef. Also this region that we have just passed through is known for its exceptional agricultural value, because the red earth that composes it is very rich.
Local specialties in Encarnacion
8
- After tasting the Paraguayan mate, called here Terere, our nostrils licked up and led us straight to a restaurant where the normal portion of meat was this size, served with a kind of sweet potato and bread. Enough to satisfy our appetites and curiosity!

16. One day in Paraguay

Crossing the three borders

In Foz do Iguazu

In Ciudad del Este

Itaipu Dam - The largest dam in the world

Jesuit Missions - In Trinidad

View from the top of Campinaro

Encarnacion

Local specialties in Encarnacion

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