Ciudad Del Este (PAR) / Foz Do Iguacu (BRA)

So let me start by saying: 2 days - 2 wonders of the world

As I already mentioned, my journey took me from Punta del Este to Montevideo and Asuncion, and then to Ciudad del Este (CDE) - 3 buses, 32 hours, 1800 km. To recover, I decided to stay for one night in a hotel room at the bus station in CDE. However, I didn't spend the night alone, but with two cockroaches, and in the morning I had to take a cold shower. So the next day, I quickly made my way across the border (Parana River) to the Brazilian town of Foz do Iguacu. Although my room here has human roommates, it includes breakfast, the shower is warm, the room has a window, and there is WiFi! In addition, the two attractions are much more accessible from here.

Architectural marvel of the modern world:

The Itaipu Dam

The steel used in the dam would be enough to build 380 Eiffel Towers. During the 16 years of construction, 40,000 workers were constantly employed. The dam's power generation covers 75% of Paraguay's electricity demand and 17% of Brazil's. Since 1977, 20 million people have visited the dam. If the stored freshwater supply were divided among every person on Earth, each person would receive 4000L of water.

So much for the facts. Despite, or perhaps because of, the numbers and the incredible appearance of the dam, it is still surreal to grasp the true dimensions of this structure. But Itaipu is definitely worth a visit!

Natural wonder:

Iguazu Falls

The Iguazu National Park, like Itaipu, can be reached by bus from the city center in about an hour. Once you pay the entrance fee (around €20), you will be taken by bus to the waterfalls. As soon as I got off the bus and started walking along the path, I was in awe. There are several viewpoints and the path always follows the edge of the gorge. I think the pictures describe it best...

The path ends at the 'Devil's Throat,' where the waterfall drops the deepest. It gets very wet here, but everyone has a smile on their face. Pictures!

The next stop will be the city in southern Paraguay: Encarnación.

Greetings,

Kai