Ciudad del Este – JE United

February 3, 2019February 11, 2019

Itaipu Dam

On Sunday, we decided to visit the Itaipu Dam, which is an impressive bi-national collaboration between Brazil and Paraguay to develop sustainable power generation in the region. Construction on the dam over the river Paraná began in 1975 and was completed in 1984. The hydroelectric power plant at the dam produces approximately 79% of Paraguay’s energy need and 20% of Brazil’s. Paraguay exports most of the excess power back to Brazil making electricity Paraguay’s single largest export. In 2016, the Itaipu hydroelectric power plant produced the most energy of any in the world. The dam is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.

February 2, 2019October 3, 2019

Saltos de Monday

The internet can be a mixed blessing. On the one hand, it’s full of useful travel tips, and on the other hand it can scare you away from really cool things. If you read too much, Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, sounds like a terrifying place. So much so that we seriously considered whether it was worth spending any time there or if we should get on the first bus to Encarnación. Luckily, we had also read enough to know that the two main attractions near Ciudad del Este were worth seeing: Saltos de Monday and the Ituaipu dam (more on that in a later post).

February 2, 2019February 7, 2019

Crossing The Border to Paraguay

We’re planning to leave Argentina for a few weeks and spend some time exploring Paraguay. For some reason, Paraguay is a relatively undiscovered place with limited tourist infrastructure. While some Europeans travel through Paraguay, Americans seem to ignore it almost entirely, and we’re eager to check it out.