On to Curitiba
The journey to Curitiba was uneventful, and that’s always a good thing when traveling. The Brazilian countryside was beautiful and exploding with summer green on the hillsides and in the trees, with a seemingly infinite sky mixed with bright blue and beautifully shaped clouds. We meandered along rather slowly and made 5-6 stops at various cities and bus stops to both unload and pick up passengers as well as take breaks to eat and allow passengers to smoke. During one of the later breaks, I pulled out my camera to take pictures of a beautiful plant/bush/flower that I would only find out later was common and in full bloom in southern Brazil.
After 9 1/2 hours on the road, we pulled into Curitiba and I immediately realize it was a much more modern and developed city than Buenos Aires. My heart lept and, although I didn’t shed a tear, the sight of Pizza Hut and Sam’s Club brought a smile to my face and brought my thoughts back home. After picking me up at the bus station, Valeria, her friend Thiciane, and I went to to eat some cheap, semi-fast food accompanied by tasty suco juice drinks. I couldn’t believe the climate difference as we sat outside eating! It was nothing like Iguazu and rather chilly. We didn’t have much reason to stay up late and I was tired, so they dropped me off at the hotel room Thiciane had reserved for me and I enjoyed having my own bedroom for the first time in a week.
