Ciudad Del Este, Paraguay
Ciudad del Este was originally named Puerto Presidente Stroessner after the former dictator. The 'City of the East' is a renowned centre for contraband goods, earning it the nickname 'the Supermarket of South America'. We found it to be chaotic, dodgy and intimidating - a squatter settlement was across the road from our hostel.
However, we stopped here for one night in order to visit the nearby Itaipu Dam
. This hydro-electric project, the world's second largest dam, supplies nearly 90% of Paraguay's electricity and 20% of Brazil's. One year of output would supply the entire world's demand for 2 days. It is 7km wide, 200m high and contains enough steel to build 380 Eiffel Towers. Immense.
While project propaganda gushes about this human accomplishment, it omits the US$25 billion price tag and avoids mention of environmental consequences - the 1350sqkm, 220m deep reservoir drowned Sete Quedas, a set of waterfalls that was more impressive than Iguazu Falls.
Onward boat across Rio Iguazu/Rio Parana to Puerto Iguazu, Argentina, 20mins.
Itaipu Dam
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Ciudad Del Este, Paraguay
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