Somewhat disappointed, we leave the Jesuit mission of San Ignacio and continue on to Posadas, the capital of the province of Misiones. There, we plan to take another break from “civilization,” in a real bed with a cockroach-free shower. This large city on the Rio Paraná also marks the border with Paraguay. From our AirBnB room in a high-rise building, we can see the land on the other bank.

An impressive bridge leads across. In a few days, we’ll be traveling back to Paraguay, but we’ll use a border further north for that, because first we want to explore more of Argentina.

Paraguay is close, but we don’t want to cross the border river yet!

We stay in our accommodation again, explore the city, and let Leon run wild at the playgrounds. We search in vain for a restaurant that serves Argentinian food. Everywhere we go, there are only hamburgers, sandwiches, and patatas fritas.

It’s sad to see how Western fast food is displacing local cuisine all over the world. Yet there’s an Argentinian steakhouse in every German city.

It’s the weekend and very, very hot. This means that for most of the time, nothing is happening in the city, and the streets, squares, and parks are deserted. In the late afternoon, when it gets a bit cooler, people stream out of their houses. In the evening, we go to the “beach.”

A large sandy beach offers fun swimming and plenty of bars. There’s no ocean here, but the mighty Paraná River is particularly wide here. Only in the distance can you see the shore on the Paraguayan side.

Argentina has a lot of potential and ideas for progress. At first glance, the country looks very modern. At second glance, you see how the new buildings are falling apart, or processes like online registrations don’t work because the necessary infrastructure, like electricity or a smooth internet connection, is lacking. Argentina could be so beautiful if everything weren’t broken!

Shima is going to the Iguazú Falls tomorrow. We won’t see them again until Asunción. We’re continuing on through Argentina. I’m looking forward to exploring Iberá National Park. The only excursion into the wilderness on this South American family trip.