If you visit Iguassu Falls and you just happen to be chasing a record to become the youngest person to visit everywhere in the world you will probably make the effort to visit Ciudad del Este CDE.
They allegedly specialize in cheap electronics and other such goods. Ciudad del Este is absolutely raunchy and disgusting as well. There is really nothing worth seeing, period. We actually saw an entire streetside store devoted to steering wheel covers, seriously! No such luck, like everything else in CDE, they were crap. In short, my visit to Paraguay was just that-short. Obviously gifts for others, haha. I visit to Paraguay many times. Ciudad del Este is only city that has any tourists for shopping and there is nothing to see in that city or Asuncion.
What a difference 30 years makes! I ran a business there in the late 70s back then it was called Puerto Presidente Stroessner and there were about people living in the town, the only paved road was the highway, the tallest office building was two stories, and there was this curious little casino a real casino, by the way housed in a single-story cement block building about 30 meters by 60 meters that did a lot of business with Brazilian tour buses.
Foz, right across the Parana river, had about 15, people. Both sides looked a lot like the American west, circa , and if you had some sort of minimum documentation you could cross back and forth with a minimum of formalities. Incidentally, there is a town somewhat north along the river, Pedro Juan Caballero, where the Paraguay-Brazil border runs down the center of the main street, which makes crossing even simpler and more tempting for some. I still have connections there, and have always found it a delightful part of the world.
Bob, thanks for you note. I find that really interesting. It is a delightful place in the world. CDE just happens to have become overrun with raunchy characters and bad influences. I am sure the rest of Paraguay is nice and certainly the Brazilian and Argentinian sides are lovely and the Itaipu Dam is amazing stuff. Take care and thanks again. I once had a gentleman represent me in Germany who one of the German business press swore had once been the aeronautical advisor to Idi Amin.
