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| Arial View |
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| Street View |
Cuidad
del Este is 79 KM from Juan E. O'Leary, where I live, and is the economic hub of
the region. With a population of roughly 321,000 it is really the only major
urban center outside the capital region surrounding Asunción. The city was
founded principally as a regional economic hub for trade with Brazil that was true until the 1970s when Itaipú dam, the worlds largest producer of hydroelectric
power, started construction only a few kilometers north of the city. The dam meets most Paraguay's energy demand with enough left over to sell the excess to
Brazil for about $300,000,000 annually. It is by far the most diverse city in
Paraguay as well. When walking the streets in the center of the city it is
common to see hoards of Brazilians, Argentines, Taiwanese, Koreans, Lebanese,
and various Europeans wondering the vast shopping areas that encompass almost
the entirety of the city center. The city has a mosque, various pagodas, and
hand carved murals depicting images of the indigenous people who now make a living selling handcrafted goods on colorful blankets on the sidewalks. The dichotomies
of the indigenous people’s lives are very conspicuous, but that is all a part of
the culture of the city.
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| Shopping Monalisa one of the biggest and fanciest malls in CDE |
If
I had to best describe what Cuidad del Este is actually like I would start by
saying that it is unlike any place I have ever been. The knock off clothing,
electronics, and souvenirs, to me, made me think of the giant open-air markets
in China, but with a distinct Paraguayan feel. The entire city is like a giant
Bazaar. The streets are filled with vendors in their booths. The sidewalks are
narrow, and the juxtaposition between the street vendors and enormous shopping malls
that sell the exact same stuff is
unlike anything I have ever seen. The only difference between the street
vendors and the malls are that the malls sell the same stuff for more
money, but also for "guarantee" of authenticity. The streets are crowded with
people on motorcycles ducking in and out of traffic. Many of the shopping malls
have been around for decades and now look more like fronts for smuggling than a
legitimate businesses. The infrastructure of the city is an urban planning
nightmare overcrowded with buses, cars, and trucks. I think the word chaos is
an understatement in describing the appearance of the city.
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| Bridge connecting the Brazilian City Foz do Iguaçu |
The
amazing thing about the city is how little is written about it despite its regional importance. This is the
entire wikipedia article about Cuidad del Este:
From a tourist perspective, it is unlikely that you will be able to find
anything that describes the city and what there is to do in any kind of detail.
Most of the things that I have read are pretty much descriptions of how to get
out of the city on your way to see Iguazú Falls that lie in between Brazil and
Argentina. If you find yourself in Cuidad del Este, and you're looking to buy
cheap electronics you're in luck, but other than that I can't think of any
other incentive to go there. Here is a recent travel article from the New York
Times about the passage to Iguazú Falls in case you haven't gotten a good impression of the city already:
http://frugaltraveler.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/24/taking-the-paraguayan-route-to-iguaz-falls/?_r=0.
Cuidad
del Este is not exactly on its way to becoming a major tourist destination
anytime soon if that wasn't obvious enough already. The fact that the biggest tourist draw doesn't even lie within
the city itself should be enough of an indication of the lack of things to see.
Despite it being deficient in common tourist attractions, I have to say that
Cuidad del Este is one of, if not the, most interesting places I have been for
reasons that I still cannot explain sensibly.
I
think best article I have read that sums up Cuidad del Este is this old piece written 15 years ago in the New York Times:
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| Statue of Former Taiwanese/Nationalist Chinese Leader Chiang Kai Shek |
Like the article says, the entire
culture of the city is dependent on counterfeit goods and technology. The
Asian population has thrived in the city as a result of the small personal
electronics that they can get relatively cheaply and turn around for big profits in the larger Brazilian and Argentine markets.
A lot of the time, the counterfeit goods work just as well as the real deal,
but cost significantly less. I have personally been skeptical of buying stuff in Cuidad
del Este, but I have yet to meet someone who bought a camera, computer, or external hard drive there that said it
was fake or didn't work. Selling these goods is really the only major industry the
city has. If it weren’t for the bootlegging of technology starting with
assembly of the parts the city would have no real industry. Paraguayan's have
to pay a 10% tax mark-up on all goods they buy from the shopping malls while
foreigners receive discounts of up to 20%. Things are almost always priced in
American Dollars (USD) or Brazilian Reals (Rs.). If you ask for prices in
Guaranís (Gs.), the Paraguayan currency, people have to bust out a calculator
and often times screw you over on the exchange rate. To reiterate the businesses are primarily employ Paraguayans. The law forces these malls to charge
Paraguayans more money to buy things there, and prefers not to operate in their
currency. The place is absolutely fascinating.
As
mentioned in the article above, thousands of people decided to settle in Cuidad
del Este once Itaipú Dam was finished. The completion greatly increased the
population of the city as thousands of families moved to the region as the dam
was being constructed. What came as a result, however, was not a formal economy
based on something like manufacturing or banking, but rather as a black market hub for all
things illegal. Measuring the economic importance of the city to Paraguay is
all but impossible given the illegal nature of what goes on there. When
calculating GDP or any other measure of economic progress the formulas used do
not normally account for things like drugs, counterfeiting, or arms dealing.
That pretty much makes up the entire city's economy, so nobody really has exact
figures about how much money is flowing through the city. Paraguay is also one of
the most corrupt counties in South America, so it makes sense why these types
of business practices exist and thrive. With essentially no intervention from
the government it is easy to grease enough palms to maintain the status quo.
Despite all the hype regarding the
illegal nature of the city itself however, I have to say that I personally don't feel
that I am in any kind of danger when I go there. For most part, the city is a bunch
of people who work at legitimate looking businesses just trying to make a
living. People casually walk the streets, buy their goods, and take public
transportation. The city doesn't have any museums, nice parks, or noticeable
cultural hubs, but I say thats all a part of the charm. Now would I ever advocate
going there just to see it? I'd have to honestly say no, but if you happen to be in the
region it definitely worth a look. I think the city epitomizes the definition
of free market capitalism. There is nowhere else on earth have I ever been to or
ever heard of that was a city built around shopping malls surrounded by open
air booths selling the same stuff they have in the malls right across the
street. It may not be the prettiest city, heck it might even be the ugliest city
I've ever been to, but there is something about being there that stands out, and
cannot help but think when I am there that I am in this incredibly unique place
that is unlike anything else in the world.
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