Cuidad del Este, Paraguay

So, after explaining about the "soccer frenzy" that takes over Brazil during a World Cup, it just happens that I wasn't in Brazil when Brazil played its first match against North Korea.

... I was in Paraguay. Well, at least during part of the first half.

There is a tripoint between Argentina, Brazil in Paraguay that is most know as "Tríplice Fronteira" ("Triple Frontier"). All three countries belong to the economic bloc known as Mercosur/Mercosul (Southern Common Market), which allows people from these countries to, among other things, move between these countries without any need of passports (an ID card from their country of origin is enough). Add to that the fact that Paraguay has a strong "black market" and less taxation over its products (particularly electronics) than Brazil and you have people crossing the border from Foz do Iguaçú (Brazil) to Cuidad del Este (Paraguay) for shopping.

(That area also has some history in illicit activities, in part because of difficulties to monitor the area, including stories about Osama Bin Laden passing through that region. But that discussion is off-topic. Back to track...)

Anyway, a relative gathered friends to go shopping in Cuidad del Este. And since there were two places that should be filled in the rented van they used to go, my mother and I went with them on June 15th.

We left early morning and arrived in Foz do Iguaçú (henceforth just "Foz") around lunch time, reaching the hotel where we would spend the night. After that, we went straight to Cuidad del Este for the first day of shopping.

Brazil was going to play at 15:30 BRT, but the group was comprised of mostly women, who wouldn't mind missing the game... espacially one that Brazil was assumed to win big. They thought stores would remain open, since we would be in Paraguay (that played on the previous day and managed to draw against Italy).

Wrong.

Many Brazilians work in Cuidad del Este given the large number of Brazilians who go shopping there. And guess if those workers didn't want to watch the game...

With most stores closing 30 minutes before the game, we gave up and returned to the hotel. And from there, my mother, my relative and I decided to pay a visit to another relatives who live in Foz. We reached their house just before the second half of the match started, and then I finally could watch the game with everyone.

After the not-so-much convincing victory of 2-1, we stayed to chat (I hadn't seen then since I went to Kyoto in 2007), eat churrasco and play with the kids (one of whom I saw for the first time). About the latter part, they got an unusual liking for me after the first minutes. The most amusing part was when one girl was pulling be by my shirt to play with her, while her younger sister was pulling me by the arm to the opposite direction... while I was eating.

After all that, the next day went without any disruptions. We went shopping and then returned to Londrina at night.

But I might have gotten too used to Japan... I only managed to buy a wristwatch for myself. Ah, and no pictures this time. It would just feel awkward to take touristic pictures in Cuidad del Este around the places we usually go for shopping...