Curitiba
Day Seven - January 8th
After a 2 hour flight, we had finally arrived in Curitiba, one of the most sustainable cities in the world! Thankfully, I was able to get a little bit of rest on the plane ride. A bus drove us from the airport to the Lancaster Hotel located in the downtown area of the city. This would be our home for the next 5 days. One of the girls on the trip ended up getting a severe eye infection right before we left Rio, so Tait took her to the hospital as soon as we were checked into our rooms at the hotel. This left us with a lot of free time that morning, so we all walked around the city as a group in search of some food. We began noticing that the majority of the places that served food were closed, then we remembered it was Sunday. We ended up splitting up into smaller groups and spread out across a larger area. My group and I found a restaurant that served pizza. Lucky for me, this is exactly what I had been craving. We decided to eat outside since it was a fairly nice day (the rain had just cleared up). While we were waiting for our food a couple of bums approached our table and asked us for money in Portuguese. We shooed them away, but I think everyone was sort of on edge after that. This was the first time we had encountered bums in our travels. Out of all of the places we had been so far, I would have expected to see them in Rio. Curitiba was the last place I would have thought to have bums roaming the streets. Little did I know, we were actually staying in a very dangerous part of the city. Anyone we asked informed us that we were staying in the worst part of Curitiba, and that we shouldn't leave the hotel after dark. In lieu of the situation, we still made sure to make the best of our time spent here.
After we ate, the group of people we were with wanted to head back to the hotel to nap, but my friend Tyler and I had an urge to go exploring. We stopped at a little store that was serving milkshakes, and we had the most difficult time trying to order one. I didn't seem to have any issues with the language barrier until we arrived in Curitiba. To my dismay, this wouldn't be the only time I would become frustrated by the language barrier. I was able to get by with my Spanish in Manaus and Rio because the two languages are so similar, but no one seemed to understand Spanish in Curitiba. We finally got our milkshake and headed off on our adventure. My favorite part about going to a new city every few days was learning the layout and finding my way around the uncharted area. I thoroughly enjoyed walking around and familiarizing myself with the each city. During our walk, Tyler and I came across a small park with some workout equipment, which we proceeded to play on.This was the highlight of our day. We laughed so much our stomachs hurt by the time we were ready to leave. It began to torrential downpour on our journey home. We didn't know our way around the city yet either, so basically we were lost in the rain. Eventually, things started to look somewhat familiar and I got us home safe and sound, although we were both soaked to the bone and my shoes squeaked the entire way back to my room. I spent a lot of time with Tyler over the course of the trip and we ended up becoming really close. We always had such a great time together and constantly had each other laughing. This was definitely one of those friendships that would last forever. My roommates were napping when I got back, so I decided to dry off and take a little snooze myself. I was giving my presentation that night on Tijuka National Park, so I made sure to go over my PowerPoint slides a little bit beforehand. My partner and I crushed our presentation; it couldn't have gone any better. We were all starving by the time presentations were over, so a bunch of us ate dinner together in the hotel. I knew the itinerary for the next day consisted of several meetings with regional planners and the parks department, so I went to sleep fairly early that night. |
Day Eight - January 9th
We finally got to sleep in this morning for the first time! After having to get up around 5:30 almost every morning, waking up at 7am felt like a dream. We left the hotel by 8am to walk over to the laundromat; we were finally getting the chance to wash some of our smelly clothes! Sleeping in and clean laundry? This day was just full of luxuries. We weren't scheduled to pick up our clothes for another two days, so we walked back to the hotel and took a couple of taxis over to a meeting with the Department of Regional Planning. Their presentation consisted of information on the history of Curitiba's successful public transportation system, as well as some of their new plans for the city. The Agache Plan was the first master plan developed for public transportation in 1943. It implemented a radial structure of roads and highways around the downtown area of the city in order to decrease travel time. In 1965, a new master plan was created to enhance the already successful system, known as the Serete Plan. It added linear roads to the infrastructure and connected the neighborhoods on the outskirts of town to the center city business district. The Green Line is a project that is currently still underway. It includes a bus rapid transport (BRT) network, a "trinary system" with rapid avenues designed exclusively for buses, and a slow lane that helps to eliminate congestion. It is being built on a former highway and seems to be very environmentally friendly. The buses that will run on the Green Line will use 100% soy bean oil for fuel, and the tube stations will have rainwater collectors. The newest plan for Curitiba is to construct a subway system that complements the structure of the bus routes. There is much research being conducted to determine the success of this plan, and to decide whether or not it is worth the investment for the growing city. Overall, I thought this presentation was great. It was very informative and gave me a good understanding of the logic behind Curitiba's urban planning.
After the presentation, we walked around town a little bit in search of some lunch. We happened upon another buffet-style restaurant, which had become the norm at this point. These buffets always seemed to consist of various types of meat and fish, rice and beans, lots of vegetables and starches, and always some fresh fruit. They served such a large variety of food at these restaurants that even the picky eaters were able to find something they liked. We flagged down a few taxis after lunch and split all 17 of us up among them. Our caravan of orange taxis made their way across town to the Department of Environmental Planning and Parks, where we would receive another presentation and a tour around the facility by the famous Carlos. Many of the structures and buildings found on the property were constructed out of 100% recycled materials. One of the buildings, that was originally built in 1986, was made entirely out of recycled wood from pines and old railroad trestles. They also had a large tent-like structure on the property that was usually used for events. The framework of the tent was made out of bamboo, and the roof was made from palm leaves that had been weaved together. The members of the department definitely made it a point to make sure this facility was a prime example of a sustainable environment. Before we left for our next activity, Carlos gave us a quick presentation on the environmental laws about cutting down trees in Curitiba. He explained to us that it is illegal to cut down or prune any tree in the city without a license, and you will be heavily fined if you choose to do so. The locals are highly aware of this law and are not hesitant about reporting law breakers. My favorite part about this law is that for every tree that is approved to be cut down, 4 new trees are to be planted in its place. Our final activity for the day consisted of a tour through Barigui Park, led by the one and only Carlos. He talked to us about the history of the park and pointed out the famous Parana pine trees, which can actually be seen on Parana's state flag. I fell in love with the look of these trees and I was determined to find out more about them. It turns out that they aren't even a true pine, they are part of the evergreen family. They are frequently harvested for their seeds and are significantly impacted by extensive logging practices. As a result, the regeneration of the Parana pine has become seriously threatened throughout the entire country of Brazil. During our short hike we came across a pack of wild capybaras, although they weren't close enough for me to get a good picture. Before leaving the park, a few of us bought fresh acai bowls with fruit and granola. It tasted like the best thing I had eaten the whole trip. Once again, we took a bunch of taxis back to the hotel. This had become one of my favorite parts about traveling around Curitiba. Every taxi driver we came across was very friendly, and it was hilarious trying to communicate with them because of the language barrier; although we always seemed to just barely get by. These interactions actually broadened my vocabulary of the Portuguese language, and I'm sure we were able to teach them some English words as well. We met as a group in the lobby around 8pm and headed to a churrascaria for dinner. They literally served us an endless amount of meat; the servers just kept coming back with overflowing platters. I don't think I was even able to try all of the different varieties because I got so full after the first 5 kinds. The food was great overall. Brazilians sure know how to eat! |
Day Nine - January 10th
Today we were scheduled to meet with officials from the Department of Transportation. Their facility wasn't too far away, so we decided to walk there instead of wasting reais (Brazilian money) on taxi fares. On our way there we were harassed by a pickpocketer who followed us almost completely to our destination. We all put our backpacks in front of our bodies so we could keep a better eye on our belongings. Tait yelled at the man to leave us alone, but he chose to ignore our warnings. Finally we reached the Department of Transportation where we were given a presentation regarding Curitiba's integrated transport network system. We learned all about the different bus routes, as well as what each of the different colored buses were used for and where they were scheduled to go. The public transportation in this city is widely used by the majority of the locals. According to the presentation, they transport 1.6 million passengers a day, on average, with their bi-articulated buses. The city has installed cameras in every tube station, on buses, and on several of the major bus routes in order to regulate traffic and to ensure that everything is running smoothly. These cameras are monitored in a control room that we were given a tour of. It consisted of a large screen on the wall that continuously switched between the views of each camera around the city. The people working in the control room had their own computers that they used to look at specific areas of Curitiba. If there was an issue in their designated location, they were required to take control of the situation and communicate with bus drivers in order to solve the problem. They were even able to switch traffic lights from red to green to reduce any signs of congestion. One of Curitiba's programs that I found to be interesting was called the Special Education Transportation System (SITES). It is an exclusive line of buses designed for students with disabilities. The buses will take the children to and from school for free. I thought it was really cool that the city was able to cater to them.
After the meeting, we all walked back to the hotel and Tait informed us that we had until 3 to get lunch, go shopping, basically do whatever we want. I went and got myself a healthy lunch from the supermarket, and then searched pretty much every store for beauty face masks. I was planning a little spa night for myself and the rest of the girls to have in my room after dinner that night. Once 3 o'clock rolled around, our group headed over to the nearest bus stop to catch a ride on the double-decker that brought us on a tour of the city. This was definitely one of my favorite parts about Curitiba; I had SO much fun. The weather was perfect and it felt amazing to sit on top of the bus with the breeze blowing through my hair. The first stop on our tour was at Curitiba's botanical gardens. There were flowers everywhere and the view of the landscape was lovely. I thought the actual greenhouse with different types of vegetation in it would have been a lot bigger. I was under the impression that we would be able to spend a few hours here, but instead, I saw everything in just under a half hour. We hopped back on the next bus and I made sure to grab 2 seats up top for Tyler and me. We rode the bus for what seemed like forever, all through the city and then up into the mountainous countryside. Personally, I love going for drives and wandering aimlessly down unfamiliar roads, so this was right up my alley. The next stop on our itinerary was at the famous wire opera house. It was a very cool looking structure, although we weren't able to actually go inside and see the stage area. I would have enjoyed seeing the place in action, with a full house and some live entertainment. It would have been awesome if we had the time to see a show there. I remember spending a lot of time on the bridge that led up to the steel structure. There were a bunch of turtles and these huge carp swimming around underneath us that I was just fascinated by. We spent a decent amount of time here and then got back on the bus to head home. We had some time before presentations, so a small group of us walked around the corner to a restaurant with live music. I had passed by this place several times during the past few days in Curitiba, and I wanted so badly to come inside and check out the menu. It looked like a fun place to hang out and chat with friends. Finally I had my chance, and it was just as awesome as I had expected it to be. The food and music were great! I was so tempted to come here every night after that since we had such a good experience. Presentations kept getting postponed and then were eventually cancelled for the night. Instead, we held a reflection to discuss everything we had heard and seen over the course of the day. It ended up running a little late, so I pushed spa night back and hosted it the next night instead. |
Day Ten - January 11th
Today was the last day of meetings for the remainder of the trip. This morning we were required to dress in formal attire and met with a number of Curitiba's top urban developers. There were several different presenters that discussed their ideas for some upcoming projects with us. They were expecting us to ask questions and give them feedback on the concepts as if we were actual researchers. Some of their ideas consisted of renovating old, abandoned warehouses and turning them into locations that would hold activities and recreational opportunities for children. After the meeting, I was interviewed by a reporter asking about what I thought of the new plans for the city, and what my favorite thing about Curitiba had been thus far. Once we got back to the states, Tait had actually sent us the published article with my interview in it. The reporter had said he had quoted me in the text, although I didn't say any of the things he had written. I found this to be kind of funny. Back at the hotel we had a quick lunch and then headed over to the Oscar Niemeyer modern art museum, or as I liked to call it, the Oscar Meyer Weiner museum. I'm not super into art, so this was my least favorite part of the entire trip.
I ordered pizza to my room that night for dinner, and then headed over to the room hosting presentations for the night. After our reflection, all of the girls came over to my place for face masks, pedicures, and gossip. I'd say it was a pretty good end to the night. |
Day Eleven - January 12th
Finally it's our last day in Curitiba! Although I had a lot of fun here, and we spent the most amount of time in this city, it definitely wasn't my favorite place we had traveled to. But I am still more than grateful to have gotten the chance to get to know Curitiba and make memories with some of the greatest people. Today we had to wake up super early to catch the train that was taking us to a little coastal town called Moretes. The 3 hour train ride was literally AMAZING!!! Definitely one of the highlights of my trip. It brought us through the mountains and deep into the Atlantic rainforest. I made sure to take tons of pictures of the waterfalls, rivers, intricate bridges, and scenic views of the mountains as we passed by them. We had a pretty cool tour guide too that kept things very interesting; his name was Eugene. Well Eugene proceeded to sing and beat box over the loudspeaker throughout the entire ride. He also taught me that the word tea comes from the Portuguese language. Back in the day when tea leaves were exported all over the country, they would be packed into wooden crates with the word tea stamped on them. Tea actually stands for transport evre (herbal) aromatic. I had never heard this before and thought this was a cool thing to know. One of the kids on the train was also singing over the loudspeaker for a good portion of the ride. He sang songs in Portuguese, and then surprised us all by singing a classic Bob Marley song in English. Everyone on the train, no matter their background or what language they spoke, sang Three Little Birds together in harmony. I was really touched by this magical moment. Even if it only lasted for a few short minutes, I was able to feel a strong essence of peace and love radiating through the hearts of everyone on that train car. Before I knew it we were in Moretes. We had a delicious lunch, shopped around a little bit, and then walked around the quaint little town until it was time to leave. Right before we left I bought a scoop of homemade lemon sorbet that was to die for.
I was disappointed we weren't able to take the train back to Curitiba; a bus took us back instead. On the drive home we made a pit stop at a convenience store. I didn't buy anything, but a bunch of the other students bought things like freshly squeezed sugar cane juice and passion fruit, which they generously allowed me to taste. My friend Jacalyn bought a jackfruit that she planned to cut up back at the hotel. They are the weirdest looking fruits I have ever seen. I ordered pizza again for dinner, it was just too good not to. While I waited for my food, the server in the restaurant offered to cut the jackfruit up for us and make us some freshly squeezed juice out of it. It was so good! If a banana and a pineapple had a baby, it would be a jackfruit.That's exactly what it tasted like. We were leaving Curitiba the next morning, so I made it an early night and headed to bed. |