And then Brazil...

I set off for Ciudad Del Este, and was planning to go to Argentina - but with the border to three countries in one place I thought I might as well dip into Brazil.

So having had a look around Ciudad Del Este (allegedly one of the most corrupt cities in the world) - and supposedly not that safe - althuogh I had no problems).

It`s basically a huge counterfeit goods market, and people smuggle stuff to Brazil and Argentina.

I wanted to walk across the bridge, as I heard that they smuggle stuff quite openly - and although it didn`t live up to the hype it was still a fun experience (and yes - there were some dodgy goings on at the bridge).

Here`s one of the main park in Ciudad Del Este:



The border is crazy. Busy, loads of traffic, and it`s not clear where you go, or how you get the passport stamps.

Here are some pics of the border:

Paraguay:



The start of the bridge looking back to Paraguay:



The bridge towards Brazil:



Brazil:



Having got into Brazil, I got on the bus and sat in the only seat in the bus that had this rather unfortunate sign:



(I reserve the right not to publish any comments made :-)

It`s rather spooky - but you absolutely notice the difference in countries once you get over the bridge. It was also incredibly hot - about 31 degrees - which was rather splendid.