We crossed into Brazil about 6 pm Friday after a three hour struggle to drive across the Paraná River from Paraguay.
We left the campground Friday morning with some reluctance but we had a pair of tickets see some cataracts in Brazil so we had to get going. It was hot driving the freeway across Paraguay…100 degrees all morning.
It turns out Ciudad Del Este (East City) has much lower prices for appliances than neighboring Brazil and there is a huge glut of traffic between the two countries. It turns out especially on weekends and we discovered too late, Friday afternoon is part of the weekend.
Once we got to Brazil the same billboards as this one advised Brazilians to shop hearty at the Mona Lisa in Paraguay. Judging by the number of flat screen TVs and air fryers we saw on the move they did just that. Check the pedestrians below carrying their loot to Brazil on the Friendship Bridge.
But to get to that bridge we had to struggle through a city completely choked by traffic.
Photos don’t do the chaos justice to the mess but even motorcycles struggled to get through the streets that were choked tight with idling stuck cars. There were people trying to make a living selling useless stuff as well which just added to the stress and chaos. I hate that these countries can’t provide enough work for their people and I hate myself for getting irritated by the incessant begging.
The wonder is that we three kept our heads and worked our way calmly through the mess. Rusty the wonder dog sat up front and never once complained. We were pretty sure no one would ask about his papers and so it proved but we kept him aboard GANNET2 and drew no attention to him.
He sits up front when we leave him aboard alone so he isn’t ever ready to hide but I am sure he also keeps burglars away when we park on the street. We have his vaccination papers but had decided not to pay for a health certificate and it worked out fine.
We found a spot to park when eventually we got to the Paraguayan border offices. There is free travel for members of the South American Economic Community (Mercosur in Spanish and Mercosul in Portuguese). Brazil Argentina and Paraguay are members among other states but the US is not…
So we parked to get stamped out of Paraguay and to turn in our Temporary Import Permit for GANNET2. The immigration was easy but customs found a snag on our TIP.
The customs officer said we had declared our plan upon entry to the country, that we would leave by way of Asunción not here.
I’d forgotten all about that but he had to ask his boss what to do.
I talked fast…mere tourists…thought we could see the falls from Paraguay…very sorry…and we were okay. Thankyouthsnkyouthanyou and like a courtier I backed away and Layne stood in traffic blocking it so we could pull out and cross the bridge to Brazil. Slowly slowly.
