Paraguay

To say the border crossing from Brazil to Paraguay was simple would be to understate the case. As promised this is the most unusual border we have crossed, possibly in our lives. In the photo below GANNET2 is in Paraguay but the yellow and green gas station is in Brazil and you will notice no fences or barricades or checkpoints. The six mile border between the two countries is wide open. 

We departed from our last Brazilian truck stop at 7:15 am ( and two and a half hours later from 54% charged our batteries were fully charged after overnight use of Starlink and air conditioning). First Rusty took a good long walk then we got driving the 200 miles to Brazil. 

We passed lots of plastic huts looking more or less permanent by the side of the road. 

No idea if they are Brazilians or refugees or what. 

Not exactly feel good country. 

We stopped for one last lunch at a roadside buffet Brazilian style. I thought I was putting boiled yuca on my plate but it was boiled squash instead and it was delicious. You just never know in this country. 

Now you know where it is if you ever pass by on Brazil Highway 60 an hour north of Ponta Porã.

The road runs into town along the border. We were in Brazil, they were going into Paraguay. 

The road is in Brazil and they aren’t:

It’s just another road in Brazil but the verge is in Paraguay. Weird. 

Then we saw a gas station. In Paraguay it turns out because the signs were in Spanish. And the attendant spoke Spanish. 

He told me gas in Paraguay is about 25% cheaper than across the street in Brazil. Plus in Paraguay gas has no ethanol so you get better mileage. So why wouldn’t Brazilians just buy their gas  in Pedro Juan Caballero (PJC) in Paraguay? 

Because he said they want to support Brazil; it’s politics. Bloody stupid if you ask me. Below the white car and the big gas station sign are in Paraguay. The road on the other side of the sign is in Brazil. 

We had the iOverlander app to show us where the four offices are located, immigration and customs in each country. Rusty required no papers as they ignored him. Each office took ten minutes or less.

We just drove from red dot to red dot and got it done by 3:30. We were in Paraguay. Officially and everything. Ponta Porã:

Pretty isn’t it? We found the Brazilian town to be clean busy and middle class. The police stamped us out in no time. The customs were five minutes away and they did the same. The clerk spoke English and cane out to photograph GANNET2. And we were out of Brazil with a day to spare. 

We drove down the border to the Paraguayan offices. Pedro Juan Caballero is a little more run down but not at all creepy like your average border town anywhere in the world. Brazil:

Paraguay: 

Red white and blue, the flag of Paraguay. 

The currency is the guaraní (“wah-ran-KNEE”) and it’s 6600 to the dollar. We convert by dividing guarani by 6 and subtracting ten percent. 30,000 guaraní divided by six = 5 minus .5 equals $4:50. See? 

You can change money easily, shopkeepers accept both currencies and signs are in both languages in Paraguay. From what I could see Paraguay is a cheap shopping destination for Brazilians but on their side of the line they stick to themselves like any provincial town. Paraguay? Never heard of it…

I went to the bank which Layne said had the smallest fee ($3:50) and took out two million guaraní so we would have cash just in case. Three hundred bucks is what that amounts to before you get excited about millions. 

Getting into the bank was a hassle as you need to get photographed and type in your Paraguayan id number, the one I don’t have. So the security guard helped me out and got me through the turnstile. Have you ever seen a kids’ playroom in a bank? 

Layne went shopping and I took Rusty into the park nearby. 

Back at the van the bar in front of us was co opening and the owner engaged us in conversation. We were in Paraguay so we could speak Spanish. Amazing. 

Juan Mora is a lawyer as well as a bar owner and told us to call if we need anything while we are in Paraguay and went on to tell us about places worth visiting. It was great to sit and have a conversation, something I missed in Brazil. 

He told us the town is completely safe and reassured we found a spot by a park downtown, three blocks from Brazil and parked for the night. 

Dinner for Rusty alfresco: