沒事別去巴拉圭

總之，你們自己看下面英文版的描述，大概也可以了解當時發生了什麼事情。因不小心沒簽證跑進了巴拉圭，再加上 Lonely Planet 又一直說一日遊由巴西進去應該沒簽證也沒關係。結果搭車一路過了帕拉那河的橋就入了巴拉圭境內，竟也沒人檢查護照。其實這樣也就還好，但團內唯一和我一起去的美國人 『小氣麥克』(美國人進巴拉圭也要辦簽證，而且還要繳 100 美金。一向看旅遊指南不仔細看，又小氣到在團內頗惹人嫌的『小氣麥克』當然也沒有去辦簽證)，自己也沒簽證，竟還要到海關蓋入境章 (當紀念)。結果被貪污成性的巴拉圭官員有機可趁，把我們帶到後面的小室勒索。『小氣麥克』當然裝作身上一毛錢都沒有。那個死巴拉圭人大概看我們東方人好欺負，竟把我的護照沒收 (卻把『小氣麥克』的護照還給他)。因為那天是週末，一定也找不到在 東方市的 中華民國領事館的人相救。只有把身上的一百多巴西幣 (約65美金) 都給他，拿回護照，趕快逃出巴拉圭這土匪國。離開錢還記得一毛錢都沒損失的『小氣麥克』在怨嘆：真可惜還是沒蓋到巴拉圭的入境章！

其實想一想野蠻恐怖的，要是給不出那相當於65美金的巴西黑奧，大概就真的會被關進巴拉圭監獄了 (我是絕對不期待『小氣麥克』這個 Ugly American會幫我任何忙的。反正他是美國人，他們也不敢動他)。當然在這次驚魂後，巴拉圭也已列為這輩子我『絕不再拜訪國度』。總之，我對大家的建議是┴南美洲的確是個很好玩的大陸，智利，阿根廷，及巴西，甚至小小烏拉圭都值得一遊，但沒事，絕對不要，絕對不要去 巴拉圭！

以下是英文描述的『巴拉圭驚魂記』(此文也同時刊在 tripadvisor.com 的網頁上，並寄給了 Lonely Planet 的編輯總部)

-----------------------------------

I tried not to write things too negative, but simply from the title of this article, you can see I have some nasty thing to say about a country. Yes, Paraguay, the only country in South America that recognized Taiwan instead of China, is not a country worth visiting! Even when you just travel very near that country (just like when I traveled to Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil), you still can just skip it...

Basically, yes, I had a very unpleasant time in Paraguay.And yes, I should be responsible for part of the terror I went through since I did know visa is required (unless I were a citizen of EU country), but still...

Here is how my "daytrip" visit to Paraguay unfolded on 2/18:

From some pre-trip info I got on some websites: citizens of the US. Canada, and Australia (that pretty much covers most of the English readers of Lonely Planet and Rough Guide from non-EU countries) do need an entry visa to enter Paraguay (I think US citizen need to pay $100?). But what about just walking in from a neighboring country (like, Brazil) for a few hours?

Due to that Lonely Planet is never clear about this visa issue (which I just e-mailed them to tell them this problem), they even implied you can try to walk just right in. I thought I could travel to Ciudada del Este (just across the river from Brazil) from Foz do Iguaçu for a few hours without a visa. I was wrong. I also thought if I did need a visa for a daytrip, they could just turn me back at the border (since I had a multiple entry visa to Brazil, I can always return to Foz do Iguaçu). I was wrong again and just too careless. I ended up paying heavily for that mistake.

The bus from Foz to Ciudada del Este just took us all the way into Ciudad del Este without even passing any custom. Due to my stupid American roommate insisting on getting a stamp (he did not have a visa either. Let's just call him "Miser Mike" since he is so miser to a very difficult point and tried to save every penny he could, even rumors has it that he has three houses in San Francisco Bay Area), we walked back to the custom to inquire the issue (again, we thought if we needed a visa for a daytrip, they could just deport us back to Brazil). Once that custom officer found out we did not have Paraguay entry visa, he actually took us to a small room at the back. With very basic English, he extorted us for $150 or he would detain us (instead of deporting us"). He even put my passport into his drawer, instead of Mike's, to threaten me (Maybe he thought Asian people are more pushover?). At the end, I had to give this corruptive thug all the Brazillian Reals (about $65) I had while Mike pretended he had no money with him at all (his only Spanish phrase "No dinero - no money" was useful here). While Mike still hoped to have his passport stamped, the thug officer turned him down. There would be even no trace that we used to be in Paraguay...

Even though I did hear many government officers in Latin America are very corruptive, it was still scary when you ran into one yourself. Especially after traveling in Chile, Argentina, and even Brazil without any incident, what happens in Paraguay is a proof that not all the Latin American countries have since "cleaned themselves up" in the past decade. Definitely not Paraguay.

All you travelers have to beware of this possible consequence of entering this country without visa.

I and Miser Mike eventually entered Ciudad del Este. I was penniless. We found Ciudad del Este is messy, chaotic, and nasty. It was also very hot that day but there is hardly any shades in that city. Compared to Ciudad del Este, Foz (Brazil) is really much, much nicer and cleaner. We left without eating or buying anything (well, I didn't have any money anyway). What a memorable trip. Now I have a least favorable country in the world.

Paraguay is possible the least interesting country in South America and is said to be more corruptive than any of its neighbors. If you need to pay $100 visa fee, I think you should just bypass the country all together. Don't travel to Paraguay!