Date of Entry: December 18th 2015
Date of Writing: January 3 2016, Salta Por Siempre Hostel, Salta Argentina
Ciudad Del Este, a thriving commercial metropolis (If you only look at the shopping Areas) plopped right alongside the Brazilian and Argentinean borders, is a strange place. In Brazil and Argentina taxes on many commercial imported goods are extremely high, Brazilians often paying 40 % extra on electronics and other such things, but there’s no such problem in Paraguay, and Ciudad Del Este has set themselves up for the answer to this quandary. Here there is a huge market, both in legal shops and counterfeit street sellers, catering to any and everything their Brazilian and Argentinean neighbours could need.
Walking through the center of Ciudad Del Este which is located just past the friendship bridge into Brazil, you’d never really know the level of poverty in the outskirts of the city. It’s a concrete jungle augmented by make shift commercial stalls tightly packed onto chaotic streets. And Paraguay hasn’t stopped at providing the highly taxed goods like electronics and name brand fashion, they’ve also expanded into Drugs, Guns, and all manner of Illegal things. On my first brief walk through the main street I was offered large quantities of marijuana, cocaine, and various pharmaceuticals at what I’m assured were great prices. Even though I’m not in the market for such things I was tempted to feign interest and go with them, just to see what happened, but not wanting to end up in jail and stop writing this blog I didn’t. Still I’m told that not only are such goods dirt cheap in Paraguay, but that if you pay a little extra they will help you smuggle it into Brazil or Argentina and deliver it to you there.
Fighting the temptation I instead make my way up into one of the more famous sky scrapers holding the more legitimate stores. The S.A.X. building. The first few floors look like any sketchy strip mall you’ve ever seen but then it changes and the escalators turn private leading me up into Ferrari clothing stores, Armani gown shops, The Ralph Lauren home collection emporium, and lots lots more extreme luxury goods. Despite looking like dirty backpacker the staff at each shop welcome me warmly and don’t even seem bothered when I tell them I’m just having a look at their city famous for all forms of commerce. Eventually I make it up to the top level which is home to several very fancy restaurants overlooking the city and the river which divides Paraguay from Brazil. I’m currently working very hard on dieting and losing weight so I fight the temptation to sit under the dazzling crystal chandelier and have a meal, instead snapping some pictures before heading back down the way I’ve come.
I head out of the chaotic and packed commercialism of the center and walk back towards hummingbird hostel in the sweltering heat as promotional people of all ages on the streets hand out flyers and try desperately to lure me into their shops, but I don’t really need anything, and finding technology prices below that of back home in Canada, probably means there’s something wrong with what your buying, both counterfeiting, selling factory refurbished models as new, or just switching out the product for a box full of bricks, a regular if not constant problem in the city. If you’re going to buy, do it with some caution, haggle hard and pay some close attention.
On my way back to my hostel at the edge of the rich area of the city I walk through several beautiful parks and a lovely little lake with a running track built around it, pondering the dual nature of this city, just a little past my hostel the level of poverty increases and many people live on the streets or in ramshackle huts, though in Ciudad del Este’s commercial center buying luxury goods is the main past time. It’s weird which is sort of how I’ve felt about the rest of Paraguay too, weird and definitely worth seeing.
It’s also worth noting that every country has it’s rich and poor, it’s only that here in Paraguay there is little to no physical separation between them. In Asuncion slums beside fancy weddings, and here even in the commercial center you have tiny street stalls beside towering sky scrappers full of name brand goods. It’s strange to see both so smashed together and in many ways reminds me a little of Indian cities.
(Spoiler Alert) I end up back in Ciudad Del Este on boxing day, after my camera dies again in Brazil after only 3 months of use, but I love taking pictures and figure this is the best place in South America to buy a new one. Feeling tired and lazy I find a friendly man originally from Paraguay to take me over form Puerto Iguazu for 200 ARS Return (20 CAD) and help me find a safe place to buy the camera. I pay more because of this, but I’m also way more confident in the quality of the product.
He takes me to Barcelona shopping center and I end up with my new camera, A Canon SX60 for 500 USD including an extra battery and 16 gb SD card. It’s more expensive than it would have been back home (or in one of the sketchier little shops without a good reputation), but the starting price was 650 USD without the extra battery. So remember, if you are shopping in Ciudad del Este, haggle hard with a smile on your face, and don’t be afraid to walk out of the shop and look elsewhere until you get a price you’re happy to pay. Never be afraid to ask for a better price, and when they say no, keep insisting, but once the smiles and laughter disappear it’s probably time to either buy it or not. Haggling is great, but in my mind at least it should always be a fun and friendly thing. Speaking Spanish will help in your haggling process immensely, though it’s not impossible without it.
One final note, I paid in Guarani, but you can pay in just about any currency for the goods, though it seemed like US Dollars and Guarani we’re preferred with Brazilian Reals the next choice. Always be sure to know the rough exchange rates and make sure they are not shortchanging you in that regard. As with all capitalism, the point here is for the salesmen to make money, and most of them will bend honesty to do it, though in my experience they were all friendly and very fun to haggle with.
