En Route to Iguazu Falls
We arranged to go to see the famous Iguazu Falls for the Thanksgiving weekend. (Not observed in Paraguay, only at our school.) The right decision was made to leave school on Wednesday, drove 1.5 hours to Caacupé, the spiritual center of the country, where the famous Virgin de Caacupé resides in a beautiful basilica. We stayed in a precious and fancy small resort with a pool, small bungalow rooms around an designed landscape and pool. Immediately we were on vacation! This made the next day shorter to drive across the country on Ruta 2.
Ruta 2, the main highway of the country is a two-lane road, and really not that populated considering the fact it is the direct route between the larger cities of the country, Asunción and Ciudad del Este, our destination. We passed many skinny cows along the side of the road, tied to the side grazing. There were many stands clustered in one stretch selling the same thing, like watermelon, squash, honey, chipa, or queso paraguaya. We went through a few small towns and communities. We saw lots of propaganda for the candidates of both Colorado and Liberal parties, thanks to the fact the presidential primaries are coming up in December. The best choice for a roadside snack was an Amandau chain, serving pizza on the side of the road.
We passed many motels, far off the main road, with names like passion love, obviously for discrete meetings. I’ve learned these are common all over, and perhaps not as scandalous as at first glance because most Paraguayans live with their parents until they get married. Along the way, we also saw many flour mills, soy plantations, and billboards for GMO seeds and pesticides. Because it is only two lanes, you must pass trucks and cars frequently, but at most, we were only going 80 km/hour, usually 60-70.
Closer to Ciudad del Este, a newer city built in the 1950’s with the former name Stroessner (former dictator whose legacy seems to live on and on), the road is currently being improved into a 4-lane highway. (two lanes each way). The city felt newer, modern and definitely one of commerce. Because of its shared border with Brazil and Argentina, it is the entry port for many goods, both legal and not. The bridge between Brazil and Paraguay sends many goods across every day, and with Paraguay’s tax incentives there seem to be many ways for at least some people to make money with this whole situation. We saw “China Emporium” and other large department stores offering goods at great prices. We went to our hotel and had to present our ID at a gate, and at that point, we realized we were staying in a large gated community. The hotel was obviously one of the older buildings in this area, Hotel Casa Blanca. The grand homes and mansions in this gated community are owned by narco-trafficantes, or so believed our tour guide.
Portland to Paraguay 