Curitiba Tourism Line

Previously on this blog, I said that living in Curitiba gives me a good chance to do some tour around the city. And the city has a decicated Tourism Line in double-decker buses, which makes getting around from one touristic spot to another much simpler. The ticket fare is more expensive than regular buses, though (R$20.00 for 5 tickets - R$4.00 per ticket -, while the regular bus fare is R$2.20 or R$1.00 on Sundays).

On August 22nd, during my first weekend in Curitiba, I decided to visit some other touristic spots (I had gone to Jardim Botanico about a month before).

The first spot I just passed through: the Oscar Niemeyer Museum. The building was transformed in a museum in 2002, with a project by Oscar Niemeyer (famous Brazilian architect). The building's signature is its annex shaped like an "eye", reason why some people call it the "eye museum".


The Bosque Alemão (German Woods) was built in honor to German (immigrants and descendents) contributions to the city of Curitiba. A library with books for children, the Hansel and Gretel trail, the facade of a German house and a wooden tower for a scenic overlook of the city (under reforms when I was there, unfortunately) are some of its highlights.

Ópera de Arame (Wire Opera House) is a theatre house that is one of the main touristic spots of Curitiba. The site used to be a rock quarry and turned into a park. And since the directive when building the opera house was harmonizing the construction to the landscape, the result is a distinguished environment.


Parque Tanguá (Tangua Park) is also a former rock quarry turned into a park. The park has two lakes united by an artificial tunnel, bicycle track, an artificial waterfall and a structure built as a homage to a local artist: Jardim Poty Lazzarotto.

Torre Panorâmica (Panoramic Tower) is the only telephone tower in Brazil with an observation deck and regularly open for sightseeing. With over 109m, it allows a 360 degrees view of Curitiba.

Praça Tiradentes (Tiradentes Square) is considered the city starting point. You know, the square with a church that most small towns have on its center. And the church is the "Catedral Basílica de Nossa Senhora da Luz dos Pinhais" that completed its centennial in 1993.

Finally, UFPR Historical Building closed the day, since it was very close to the hotel I was. UFPR (Parana Federal University) was the first university in Brazil, founded in 1912. The Historical Building was the first building and still one of the symbols of UFPR. It is in front of a square where on the other side is Guaira Theatre, one of the largest in Latin America.

As an extra note, on a different day I also passed through (it is better to say that it is very close to the second hotel where I lived in Curitiba) Paço da Liberdade, built to be the government seat in Curitiba and nowadays a cultural center.


More pictures are on my Picasa album.

Here comes the next challenge

Good and bad news, people.

Good news first, I've got a job at a Japanese company branch in Brazil as an engineer. And since the company has expansion plans, there are good opportunities if I work hard to seize them. Besides, my Japanese skills will be used; and therefore I won't forget Japanese any time soon. Also, there are possibilities that I'll go to Japan for a certain period of time for training and other activities. I am quite happy with this job and opportunities offered. A very interesting offer, even among those when I was looking for jobs in Japan.

Bad news, I don't know if I'll be able to keep this blog updated. From some friends' example, it is pretty hard to keep up once you start working. I'll try anyway. Even because I'll move to Curitiba, and that may be worth at least some posts about areas of the city.

Now it is my time to move on. Stay tuned.

Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

Once again after another public service position, I went to Rio de Janeiro for an examination on July 25th.

Rio de Janeiro, or just Rio for short, is the most famous Brazilian city... for the best or the worst. The most visited touristic city in the south hemisphere, it has one of the largest parties on the planet (Rio's carnival) and beautiful beaches that contribute for the image of "carnival, soccer and beaches" some people abroad have of Brazil. On the other hand, social inequality led to the also famous "favela" and high crime rates in some areas (especially related to drug traffic).

So, after reaching the city by plane on the 24th and reaching the hotel where I'd stay, I decided to make good use of the nice weather and go to the statue of Christ the Redeemer. One of Rio's main touristic spots and a symbol of the whole country, it is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World whose open arms represent a warm welcome to all.


Unfortunately, many other tourists obviously had the same idea. The train that leads to the top was crowded and I had to wait hours until I was finally on the top. Until then the weather changed to foggy. It would be impossible to take panoramic pictures of the city, and even the statue had hidden amid the fog a times. On the bright side, that allowed for unusual pictures of the Christ and some amusement watching all the tourists (myself included) waiting for an instant when the statue would become visible.

The next day was the day of the exam which took good part of the morning and a bit of the afternoon. Since the test was held close to another touristic spot, it would be a nice idea to pay that place a visit.

And that place is Maracana Stadium (official name: "Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho"). Built for the 1950 FIFA World Cup, it has also hosted former Pope John Paul II masses, performances of artists like Paul McCartney, Madonna and Tina Turner. Maracana is also the main stadium for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games and is scheduled to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup final match. The nickname Maracana comes after "similar to a rattle" in a indigenous language because of the presence of birds called "maracanã-guaçu" (in that same language) used to be common in the area.

From there, I went to Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden. Considered one of the most important botanical gardens in the world, it has more than eight thousand specimens from Brazil and abroad.

Close to the botanical garden, I also went to Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon. Although it is a lagoon, it has salty water. That characteristic is kept by an artificial connection between the sea and the lagoon. It is common to see people jogging, exercising or just hanging around the area around the lagoon. Especially on weekends, the place can be bursting with life at certain points.


Then came the third and last day... and something was still lacking. I mentioned before about beaches in Rio, but I haven't been at any so far. So before leaving to the airport, I went to Copacabana beach. Probably the most "touristic" beach in Rio, it is famous by its sidewalks with patterns resembling waves and by its Reveillon party.

There was still a little time a last location before returning home: Ipanema beach. Although the neighbourhood and the beach themselves are also famous and important in Rio, many people might be more familiar with the name because of the song "Girl from Ipanema" - perhaps the most famous Brazilian song abroad.


More pictures are available from my Picasa album.

World Cup in Brazil: Cheering

It's been some time ago, but after one month 2010 Fifa World Cup has ended. Although Brazil didn't win, now there is a new champion - Spain - who represented the beautiful way of playing soccer even better than the Brazilian team this year; and won the title playing against another team that was playing by - much - force... Ouch!

Ahem. So, another World Cup ends, with thrilling match moments (like the last-minute goal that granted US advance to the Round of 16 or the only goal in Paraguay vs Spain); discussions about referee slips (e.g. the English goal against Germany that was - wrongly - disallowed and was also mysteriously omitted in the official website); or "anti-fairplay" actions that in some cases changed the outcome of the match (like Suarez's handball in Uruguay vs Ghana).

As much as what happened in-game, many things that happened in the "outside world" can also be considered World Cup highlights: octopus Paul's predictions; Larissa Riquelme and her promise that made many people start cheering for Paraguay (although that had obvious second intentions to put her on the highlights as well. Anyway I'll just let it be for now since it's too off-topic), and the victory kiss of Casillas and Sara Carbonero.

Among all that happened, one thing still surprised me a lot in a positive way: the support of local people for the event. Even before the World Cup started, there was a massive show of support for the Bafana Bafana (South Africa team). Although South Africa became the first host country that couldn't make it to the Round of 16, it was always possible to see South African flags among all the other teams (some with more local support than others, that's true).

In the end, it turned into a nice celebration, something Africans can do very well.

And then I think what may happen in the next World Cup... in Brazil.

It is true that in Brazil the soccer hype is already very strong. There is little to no need to ask for support within the country. In fact, considering that the country already stops to watch when Brazil plays in the World Cup, I wonder what may happen when the games are held in Brazil.

Still,, exactly because the the hype is strong and so the national team, support here is not neutral. Brazilians will cheer for Brazil to win, not caring about any of the other teams.

Proof? Only circumstantial, but, for example, after Brazil lost to Netherlands in this World Cup, there were some comments here and there saying there's no meaning in discussing the World Cup anymore (because Brazil was out) and we should start talking about things "more interesting". One of the "logical arguments" to "support" that point of view was that "people who cheer for Palmeiras (a Brazilian team) wouldn't watch a Sao Paulo (another Brazilian team, both teams are rivals to a moderate degree) game after Palmeiras was out of the tourneament".

The 2014 World Cup emblem may carry a hidden message in it too. As much as it may be said it symbolizes hands lifting the Cup and colored yellow and green to depict Brazil warmly welcoming the world, those green-and-yellow hands holding the Cup send a different message to my inner Brazilian: "the Cup is ours! Period!"

So I worry a bit about what might happen if Brazil doesn't manage to win the tourneament with all that "subliminar propaganda" around us...

During the next four years, there is still a lot of work to be done: stadiums are incomplete; transportation system in host cities must be enhanced; airports and air traffic infrastructure are still barely acceptable for an event the size of the World Cup; and the list goes on. Nevertheless, one of the most important things to do is creating a cheering culture adequate to the World Cup. Of course we will all cheer for Brazil, but we also must learn to cheer for other teams as well...

... Even though I cannot help but wonder what will be of Argentina in the territory of its arch-rival...

Curitiba (Brazil)

Applying for another public service examination, I went to Curitiba, capital of Paraná state, where the exam was held on July 4th.

Curitiba is known worldwide for its efficient urban planning, especially regarding its public transportation system. In Brazil, it was one of the first cities to implement garbage separation for recycling, and now it recycles around two-thirds of its garbage - one of the highest ratings in the world - even though participation by the general population is not (yet) mandatory. Curitiba is also often considered one of the best cities of Brazil to live.


Since Curitiba is relatively close to Londrina (379 km away. Brazil-wise that can be considered close), a one-day trip via night bus would be enough this time. And since the exam would be in the afternoon, that left me with time enough to visit one touristic place.

The place chosen was the "Jardim Botânico" ("Botanical Garden"), one of the most famous places of Curitiba. The metallic structure of the main greenhouse is one of the city's postcards and is in front of a French-style garden. Also, as a botanical garden, it has many Brazilian plants, including some rare specimens and a "garden of sensations" where the visitor interacts with plants and natural scenes blindfolded to feel nature using the other senses.


From there I left to do the exam. After it was over, I spent some time in Shopping Estação, a former train station that was reformed into a shopping mall in 1997. Before I took the bus back there was still time to meet a friend who also went to Japan the same year I went to Kyoto (henceforth called "R."). In fact, we were approved for the MEXT scholarship together.

And that brings a nostalgic feeling. After our scholarship was confirmed, there was an orientation session at the Consulate-General of Japan in Curitiba. That was also the first time all those who passed the selection met each other (although I was the only one that didn't live in Curitiba), and after the orientation, we decided to go to a pub celebrate and talk about our expectatives.

If I'm not wrong, "R." and I were the only ones who had been to Japan before. And, I wonder if it is coincidence or the fact that we have similar majors, he is the only one of that group I've met since. Once in Nikko, then in Tokyo and now in Curitiba again.

And now, three years after going to Japan, we were telling each other stories of what happened in Japan, especially the stress when packing everything to return to Brazil. The cycle ended and now it is time to move on. He already has. I am moving towards it, too. And finding a (good) job is the big leap necessary for this.

Life goes on.

More pictures are available in my Picasa album.