Illegal border crossing

Left the freezing town of Bonito to head to Foz do Iguacu (Iguassu Falls) in Brazil.  Here you can see the famous waterfalls that border Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.

Arrived in the evening after 15 hours of travelling and had to set up camp.  It's absolutely baltic here and the locals say it's the coldest winter they've known for years - typical...they blame it on 'El Nino' - 'El pain in the arso' morelike.  No upgrades here, but the temperature is to drop significantly as we head into Salta, Argentina where night temperatures fall to -15 degrees!!!

Spent the nights freezing in our tents - layers of clothes, hats, gloves, any aul infested blankets we could find.  I of course bought a 'junior' sleeping bag which only covers up to my chest, as I thought I'd save a few quid rather than buying an expensive one - I've learned my lesson already.  Huddled around a campstove, we end up throwing anything that will burn into it - campsite stools made of wood and brake fluid from the truck = nice and warm.

Today was spent illegally crossing the border of Paraguay.  Although Paraguay was not in the original destination and most visitors need a visa, a few of us decided to hop onto a local 'moto-taxi' and get through the country without being stopped at the border.

10 reals (Brazilian money)later and a very hairy motorbike ride, weaving in and out of cars, buses and tiny road channels holding onto some random motorbike driver we illegally crossed the border and arrived in Paraguay.  The border was full of people trying to get in.  Paraguay is really cheap for electrical goods, clothes, shoes, alcohol etc, as there is no tax on these items.  The place was packed full of market stalls and people trying to sell you anything.  After haggling over a few US dollars, I managed to get myself a warm coat, hat and socks to keep the cold at bay during the mornings and evenings all for 30 US dollars...a bargain, even though they're all fake goods.

At one stage I was offered to buy tablets of viagra along with a flick knife and a taser gun - of course I said 'no gracias'!  One of the fellas was offered viagra at least 5 times!

Unfortunately, it's goodbye to Brazil tomorrow and hello Argentina, where the next destination is Port Iguassu (basically Iguassu Falls again, but in Argentina this time, not Brazil).  Going to view the waterfalls from the Argentinean side rather than the Brazilian as it's meant to be spectacular.  Will miss Brazil and it's beautiful country and people, but not the cost of living here.  Brazil just seems to haemorrhage your money - this place is not cheap at all and is starting to become more like a developed country. I would definitely recommend anyone to come and visit.