Heading to the (WET) Coast

Serra Verde Express
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After hanging around the bus/train station for a bit (I arrived at 6:00am from Iguazu), I took a trip on the Serra Verde Express, an old train that heads from Curitiba to Paranagua through the lush green mountains the Serra do Mar, about 110km away.  Built more than a century ago, the railway line offers an impressive views of the Blue Mountains and vegetation along the way, including cycads, large ferns, bamboo, hydrangias, various mosses and Tombergia trees.

Paranagua
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Along the way, you dart through several tunnels, observe small waterfalls and cross over the Red River (Ipanango).  At one point on the 3+ hour journey, we stopped and I was able to get out and purchase a few snacks including some banana strips dusted in sugar and cinnamon, sugared ginger and gooy sticks of banana and brown sugar...simply delicious.

Rain, rain go away

In Paranagua, a simple port town, I met a couple of Belgians heading to Ilha do Mel, a small island off the east coast of Brazil that one can only access by boat...ah yes, another two hours of travel in the rain.   My thinking in heading to the island was to get away and take it easy for a few days, hopefully enjoying a bit of sun and surf.  Well, at least I got some surf.

A soggy day
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Once on the island, I went for a walk along the beach one of the hostel staff and enjoyed a rather smokey sunset, as well as a makeshift performance of capoeira and an introduction to the Berimbau (basically a piece of wood bent with a steel string and a gourd attached to it that is played with a stick struck against the string that makes contact with a stone/coin).  For those not in the know, Capoeira is a sport/ritual/dance/musical expression/martial art/philosophy invented by African slaves in Brazil more than 450 years ago.  It is done in circle (roda) and in the center two players show their skills.