Filadelfia
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Filadelfia, Paraguay
In the prim streets of Filadelfia, the capital of Boquerón Province, is the largest Mennonite community dotting the Chaco. The Mennonites, a pacifist Christian group known for their aversion to modernization, immigrated here from Russia in the 1900s, when the Paraguayan government promised them land. Now 20,000 strong, the town has eight tiny museums (one with old-school flame throwers the first settlers used to exterminate locusts), a radio station, many churches, and a library. You'll hear neighbors speak to each other in Plattdeutsch (Low German) and Spanish, while cars and horse-drawn carts share the road. Buy or barter for sustenance at Cooperativa Fernheim, a supermarket on the edge of the wilderness.
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Ciudad del Este
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Ciudad del Este, Paraguay
Famous for waterfalls, Ciudad del Este contains Saltos del Monday (Monday's Falls), a 130-foot-tall and 390-foot-wide waterfall with a surrounding adventure park. The city happens to be one of the largest free-trade zones in the world, too. Find electronics, alcohol, perfume, and housewares at great prices, plus Chinese food and bubble tea near Friendship Bridge. Ciudad del Este also acts as a gateway to Iguazú Falls, an easy day trip made by crossing the bridge to the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguaçu.