Don't Go to Paraguay!!

I tried not 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!