kavitha and i have been trying to make plans in brazil post-rio, which includes going to curitiba. however, curitiba is posing a gynormous problem in booking accommodations. why? there are only two hostels, one of which is downtown and has had terrible reviews (i.e. no heat, staff are rude, showers are cold, etc.) and is completely booked. the second hostel is out in the middle of nowhere, hard to get to, pretty much in a forest, but apparently is beautiful. the other option is to stay in a hotel, of which they are either shady or expensive. what are some penniless students to do?
i am trying to revisit the reasons why i want to go to curitiba. first of all, i wanted to see firsthand the efforts of former mayor jamie lerner. i have been completely consumed with seeing and using the city's public transportation system (apparently one of the world's most efficient), and checking out its alleged urban planning genius. as the story goes, the mayor, who was an architect, saw that the city was falling into the doldrums, and urban sprawl and pollution were increasing. so, he ordered roads to be ripped out, and gardens be planted in their place. of course, there was an uproar at first, but almost instantly, people returned to the city and it is now one of the safest, greenest, and most pedestrian friendly cities in brazil, if not the world. ok, i hear you snoring!! but i think it's super cool.
in addition to that, curitiba is the base point for this serra verde express train, which apparently creaks through some beautiful scenery. and the base point for going to iguazu falls.
something tells me that we'll have to bite the bullet either way we slice it. oy!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment