Well, I have finished my travels into Ciudad del Este, the famous shopping centre of South America. It is also the famous mafia centre, the famous crime centre, and the famous money laundering centre of South America also. Some of its not so wonderful reputations. I discovered about the cime aspect of this place today, when my backpack was surrupticiously opened and my recent purchase of 25 DVDs disappeared forever. When I found out about it, there was no trace of the DVDs. Fortunately, some of the more expensive items in the same pocket were tucked out of sight, and survived the intrusion. Non-the-less, it was a wake up call to me to be a lot more cautious than I had been recently. Of all of the places I have visited, there has never been a place of such incredible contrasts as this city. It still amazes me to see people inside currency-exchanges with piles of hundred dollar US notes, while beggars, some without an arm or leg hobble along the footpaths outside. Carts full of notebook computers, printers, clothing, stereos, and virtually any other goods you can think of are pushed up and down the steep roads, piled to almost twice the height of the men manuevering it. My task this visit was to complete some purchases for some friends, and to pick up a couple of things for myself. With budgets tight for all of us, it took a lot more searching to find what we needed at the prices we could afford. The difference this time however, was that I was not exhausted tired as I wandered through the city. One of the things that has annoyed me greatly about Ciudad del Este, is the amount of stress it seemed to cause me each time I have visited it in the past. However every visit in the past has also been during moments of great tiredness. My first day there yesterday was the first day that I arrived in the city feeling refreshed and alive. This turned out to make a huge difference in everything. Not only was I fresh, but also did not feel any amount of pressure to buy everything that day. This allowed me to meander and look around the place, and as a result I found some of the best prices available. I am sure my friends will be happy. I know I was.