Trashy Tales By Tom

While in Florianopolis I was talking to people about the Iguazu falls and alot of people told me to go into Paraguay and see the city Ciudad del Este. It is ment to be one of the most corupt citys in South America and when you see it you can tell why. Paraguay has no tax on electronic goods, alcohol and cigarettes so alot of people from Brazil and Argentina go there to buy cheap goods. The border crossing is the most relaxed I have ever seen. I went there with an American and an other Australian who owned a brittish passport. We heard that Australians and Americans have to pay US$50 for a visa but everyone told us that you just walk in. When we got there there was a little imergration office on the side but everyone was just walking through so we did too. Inside it ws just mayhem. There are so so so many people walking across the border with suspicious black packages (there is alot of money laundering and smuggling). The city itself is just one big market. The main street is filled with street stands selling every thing from underwear to guns. The shops in buildings sell grog and electrical goods at very cheap prices. It was a fun day and we made sure we left before it started getting dark because it is ment to be pretty dangerous when the sun goes down. You will have to look at the photos to get an idea of what the markets were like so I´ll let them tell the rest of the story. After getting back we got on the bus to head into argentina and see the other side of the Falls. The boarder crossing into argentina was extremly strict compared to Paraguay. So in one day I went into 3 countrys which you don´t do every day.