31 Oct CURITIBA – 30 OCTOBER 2017 – TRAVEL DIARY

Today was a great day! It is 3 o’clock at night and I am still writing. I am happy and excited after a full day.

The leaves on the tree we are parked under have a strobe effect in the morning sunshine. We wake up joyful and energetic to face the harsh city. The cities in general, now we are talking about Curitiba.

So, only 50 km away from the city, we start packing, washing, arranging the little combi in a puzzle way, with all the specific units: the day unit, rain unit, sleep and drive units.

Changing between units is a real trouble so by noon, in our drive unit, we are ready to go! We ask Ana to count, to practice a little on her Math, 1, 2, 3… until 6. We realize we are in a Home Alone situation, IAMFAMILY version. Becka, the cat, is gone!

Becka is about to become a mommy so we went looking for her. Two hours of searching and then here she comes like a satiated feline. We take the cat, I go to start the car and – surprise – the green light flashes. Do you know what that means? It means that we are out of oil.

I stop the engine and I realize that we are 10 km away from the nearest village, the little Witmarsum that we told you about a couple of days ago. I refused to take it personally, these last events, I took a deep breath, I relaxed and told the kids that we were just awarded a 10 km walking spree.

The surroundings are beautiful, but for Ana this is too long so she will have to stay and take care of Mommy, Becka and Oscar while Aris and Carla jumped for joy. It was a little unexpected their joy, they are more into towns and stores, but their joy was genuine. Mine too, as I didn’t have to walk alone.

So, let’s go!

After 2 hours of walking and interesting talking with the kids on changing your perspective on reality, like, for example, in Benigni’s “La vita e bella”, we imagined we are stalked and we have to hitchhike, but I would be too ashamed to do this.

Yes, I would be, I would rather walk, the scenery is beautiful. I promised the kids that on our return way I would try to get pass my shame and so we did and we were driven back by some nice people, we didn’t talk at all, they dropped us off and that was it!

Yes, I know, I am extremely sociable. At least we thanked like a Japanese, 10 times! I am very over saying where I am and what I do. In 7 years I grew tired of the same questions. I remember when I was in Romania 18 years ago… oh, you work at ProTv!?! And how much do you earn? Do you know Esca?

Almost at sunset, we fill the engine quickly and in a great hurry, with 50 km / hour, we head towards Curitiba! After 1 hour and a half of non-stop driving we enter Curitiba where we have to pay a road tax. We don’t have any cash, they don’t accept foreign credit cards. What do we do? The manager comes as we are blocking an entire lane and suggests we go back 5 km, we stop at the gas station and buy a $5 chocolate and ask them to give us also money.

I make a joke telling him that his idea is not bad, but wouldn’t he like a chocolate in exchange for our passing? He smiles. I insist: don’t you like chocolate? He smiles. I smile.

We go back to the gas station where we are charged $11 for $10 in cash. Perfect, we go back, pay the road tax and, at last, around 9 o’clock in the evening, we arrive in Curitiba center.

First impression: it dazzles us, it intrigues us, we didn’t expect it to be like this! Curitiba is a South American Barcelona!

Longing for a shower and a bed, we go searching for a motel down town, with a fair price for a road travellers family like ours. When you are in a non-stop vacation with 3 kids, a dog and a cat, father hasn’t been a congressman or a millionaire; you are always on a budget.

We were a little baffled to find, after checking with 4 nice and expensive motels, that they don’t accept kids. Some accept pets, but no kids!

Optimism and joy generate luck. You don’t believe that? Try it, please!

So with optimism and joy we find it! What? It’s a surprise, it really deserves a separate post.

See you tomorrow!

***

Astazi a fost o super zi! Este inca 3 dimineata si eu stau sa scriu. Sunt emotionat si fericit dupa o zi foarte, foarte plina.

Frunzele copacilor sub care suntem campati fac un efect de stroboscop cu razele soarelui in aceasta dimineata. Ne trezim veseli si plini de energie pentru a intampina cu dor orasul. Orasul in general, acum este vorba de Curitiba.. Asadar, la numai 50 de kilometri de mai sus numitul oras, ne apucam de impachetat, spalat, aranjat micul combi intr-un sistem gen “tetrix” cu module bine dfinite pentru fiecare actiune in parte. Modulul de zi, modulul de ploaie, modulul de dormit si modulul de condus.

Schimbarea modulelor este o munca in sine de cateva ore asa ca aproape de ora pranzului, modul condus gata de plecare! O punem pe Ana sa ne numere, ca sa mai exersam niste matematica…1,2,3….la 6 se opreste! Ne trezim in Home alone, varianta IAMFAMILY! Becka, pisica, nu e!

Becka este pe punctul de a deveni mamica asa ca  am plecat toti in cutarea ei.

Doua ore de cautari si in final apare gales ca o pantera satula.  Luam pisica, pornesc masina sa o incalzesc un pic si surpriza, se aprinde becul verde! Stiti ce inseamna asta?! Inseamna nu mai mult nici mai putin ca am ramas iar afra ulei!

Opresc masina, si-mi dau seama ca suntem la 10 km de cel mai apropiat sat si acesta fiind tocmai oraselul German Witmarsum, de care v-am povestit acum doua zile. Cum am refuzat de a lua ceva personal din toate evenimentele zilei si fiind foarte doritor sa ajungem astazi in Curitiba, m-am relaxat si am anuntat copiii ca ne-a picat un drum de 10km in cafea! 🙂

Peisajul este minunat, pt. Ana e prea lung drumul si ea va trebui sa aibe grija de mami si Oscar si Becka, (legati de data asta) asa ca Aris si Carla au sarit in sus de bucurie! Ciudat, de obicei ei au chef tot timpul de oras, de mall-uri,  acum chiar s-au bucurat. La fel si eu, de altfel, bucurandu-ma ca nu o sa merg singur atata drum.

Asa ca oameni buni, sa purcedem la drum!

Dupa 2 ore de mers si discutii misto cu copiii pe tema cum te poti juca cu mintea in schimbarea perspectivei realitatii.

Ca si exemplu am luat filmul de Benigni – “La vita e bella”. Ne-am imaginat ca suntem urmariti si ca ar trebui sa facem cu mana sa ne ia si pe noi cineva cu masina. Eu am zis ca mi-e rusine. Da, n-ar trebui sa-mi fie rusine sa cerem ajutor dar asta e, prefer sa mergem, e misto peisajul! 🙂 Le-am promis copiilor ca la intoarcere voi trece peste frica si vom face cu mana! Am facut, au oprit, ne-au luat, nu am vorbit, ne-au lasat!

Cat de social sunt! Macar am multumit frumos ca un japonez de 10 ori! Nu mai am chef sa spun de unde sunt si ce fac! In 7 ani m-am saturat de aceleasi intrebari. Parca-mi aduc aminte acum 18 ani…aaa, lucrezi in Pro Tv?!?! Si cat castigi? O cunosti pe Esca?

Ajunsi aproape de apus, punem uleiul in graba si cu 50 km/ora viteza maxima inainte, Curitiba!

Dupa o ora jumate de mers fara oprire, ajungem la intrarea in Curitiba unde trebuie sa platim… o taxa de drum. Noi nu avem bani lichizi, ei nu accepta card-uri straine. Ce sa facem?! Vine seful de tura ca am blocat toata circulatia si ne da ideea sa ne intoarcem un kilometru la benzinarie si sa platim o ciocolata de 5$ si sa-i rugam sa ne dea banii.

Eu glumesc cu el cum ca ideea e foarte buna si daca nu cumva vrea el o ciocolata in schimbul liberei treceri! Zambeste. Eu insist, nu va place ciocolata? Zambeste. Zambesc.

Ne intoarcem intr-un final la benzinarie, unde foarte simplu suntem incasati 11$ pentru 10 in mana. Perfect, ne intoarcem sa platim taxa cu bani si nu cu ciocolata si in sfarsit la 21 seara ajungem in centrul Curitibei.

Prima impresie ne uimeste, ne bulverseaza, nu ne asteptam! Curitiba este la nivelul Bar-ce-lo-nei, Bar-ce-lo-nei!

Avand pofta de un pat si un dus mergem in centru pentru a cauta un hostel frumos si ieftin ca orice familie calatoare cu buget redus.

Cand esti in concediu permanent cu 3 copii, caine si pisica, tata nu a fost membru de partid si nici milionar dupa, suntem la nivelul de buget.

Mare surpriza am avut sa descoperim ca dupa 4 hostel-uri, frumoase, scumpe, nu primesc copiii! Unele primesc animale unele nu pentru ca il au pe al lor nu ca ar avea ceva cu animalele, cu copiii au! 🙂 Optimismul si veselia generaza noroc! Nu credeti? Incercati ,va rog!

Asa ca cu optimism si veselie gasim! Ce?! Surpriza, chiar merita un post separat ce-am gasit.

Pe maine!