Paraguay
Sandwiched between Argentina and Brazil, and landlocked; this country is often overlooked.
Honestly, it was not one of my favorite destinations. But, it is tough for anywhere to compare to Argentina or southern Brazil in beauty.
Trickier entry
Immigration issue
Paraguay - My first real immigration misstep.
To understand, a little background...in 2009, the US and Canada imposed higher fees for many South American residents to get Tourist Visa's to visit the US or Canada. And, in the spirit of reciprocity, those countries did the same to US and Canadian citizens.
This gets enforced in different ways. For example, Chile used to, and Argentina does, only charge this for tourists flying in. Not for those driving in. I was under the impression that Paraguay was the same. Oops! They are not.
After exiting Argentina today at the border; I was informed by Paraguay immigration, I need a Visa from the Consulate first. So, I cannot enter. However, the Paraguay official had mercy on me. He would give me a 5 day education Visa as a visiting professor if I could go back and get the 7000 peso fee ($160).
The fun part of this is that I was now in no man's land. Not in any country (and obviously, no ATM's). So, I had to re-enter Argentina to get the cash. Then, return to the border to re-exit Argentina, and then enter Paraguay.
My passport looks crazy. I exited, entered, and exited Argentina all today.
But, I made it to Paraguay finally. However, I have to leave in less than 5 days, and head east to Brazil.
Asuncion
Not a favorite place to visit. There wasn't really anything to do or see, and the city is pretty run down.
