Hot Fun in the Southern Time

According to Transparency International's Corrupt Country Index, Paraguay scores 1.9 out of ten, ten representing the least corrupt. Only Chad, Myanmar, Nigeria, Bangladesh and Haiti scored lower than Paraguay.

Hey, let's go visit the sixth most corrupt country in the world! We'll ride motorcycle taxis and spend the day there illegally, just for the hell of it. Or was it legal? I'm not sure, to be honest. If the border officials let us through with US$50 cash instead of the required visa, does that mean we were there illegally? We didn't have an entrance stamp or a visa. But they did officially let us in. Or at least an official let us in. And we got the exit stamp, as promised, as a ''souvenir''. It gets confusing.

Motorcycle taxi, by the way, is considered the second most dangerous form of public transportation in South America, just behind riding in a dugout motor canoe along the pacific coast of Colombia. But motorcycle taxis might be more fun. Especially international motorcycle taxis.

The US gets a 7.5 on the corrupt country index - three points better than France. Seven point five, shee-it. More like 1.3.