Put your right foot in...

Took the local bus to Foz de Iguaçu today, the Brasilian city in the Tri-border area. Have I mentioned enough what a hilarious (and occasional nightmare) of a border crossing it is? This time the bus passed both customs before I had a chance to run out and get my passport stamped. On the other hand, during rush hour, it takes about an hour to cross a 100 meter bridge or so, because of traffic and Brazilian customs searching for contraband and maybe a bribe or two.

As I mentioned in a previous post, many people commute between the tax-free haven of Ciudad del Este and the pleasant city of Foz. I can see why, as Foz is much more pleasant and peaceful than Ciudad del Este; people actually live there and have social lives. Bookstores and little cafes. Ok, it's not the nicest city, but it's far more liveable than Ciudad del Este for a gringo like me.

That said, I appreciate Ciudad del Este for what it is. And when I came back I stopped by the mooncake shop and just started chatting with some local Chinese dudes, some who I know, some who I don't. After I told them I'm going to Sao Paulo later, they all sighed and rolled their eyes, saying how inaccessible and unfriendly the city is. In Ciudad del Este, they go, people are friendly, people know each other. One guy even goes, "Hey look, I don't even know you and we're still so friendly to each other!"

He's right. The people here are generally far more receptive and open to help in any way they can than in Lima. I think a large part of this is that the Chinese community is so small, that Ciudad del Este doesn't lend well toward "integrating into the local community." Unlike Lima or Sao Paulo, Ciudad del Este doesn't have any strong local cultural activities (although when I was walking home last night, I heard a band practicing in some living room. They were actually decent.). At any rate, the guy then offered to help me should I need it and gave me his phone number.

Oh, in Foz I was visiting a family I met at the Taiwanese Commercial Guild of Ciudad del Este (Taiwan Shang hui), a nice family that owns a travel agency in Foz. Also I had an açai berry smoothie, which was positively delicious.