Train Ride

Friday April 17. Today we were up and ready early. We had breakfast and then waited a long while for the van to take us to the train station.

We weren’t sure of the hour so we ended up waiting a long time. Then we still made several more stops to pick up other passengers. We made it in plenty of time and with almost 1000 passengers there were a lot of people. The train went really slow heading out of town and it was a good half hour before we started going a little faster. In each car there was an employee who talked the entire trip about the places we were passing the history and stories of the construction. She mentioned that there used to be an antique train that carried the passengers using a steam engine but that quit a number of years ago. I rode that train 50 years ago with Len Humphries. The countryside was neat lots of pineiro trees and scattered farms.

Soon we were out close to the jungle and the houses were much smaller of unfinished brick. I am amazed the patched together roofs don’t leak, but then again they probably do. Eventually we were climbing up and through the mountains. 13 tunnels which were the hardest part for the 9000 men mostly from Italy to construct. The project took many years. The train climbs out on top and you see reservoirs for drinking water and one hydroelectric dam high above are tall mountain ranges where we dropped off 13 climbers with their gear they will catch the train out next week. You can camp there in a really nice campground. One tunnel had an opening to the outside they called a window. Then it was downhill. Awesome views and we could look back at some of the bridges we crossed and down to the ocean port. Turns out the purpose of the railway was to haul stuff from the port over the mountains and into Curitiba and places more interior.

It seems that this is one of the few access points off the ocean going through the mountains. The port is the second largest in Brazil. We kept descending and 4 hours of ride later arrived in the little town at the bottom where we exited the train. The van was waiting for us and drove to where these large restaurants catered to the train passengers. We had time so we walked around some a really small town with all the roads cobble stones. So many bicycles. More of them than cars and many old and rusted. Boys and girls, men and women, toddlers in bike seats all bounce down the roads. It was so hot being close to sea level and no breeze

. I bought 4 bottles of water to drink. Pretty flowers and banana trees. Small park with benches where I left grandma and went back to the store for more peanut candy. We stopped by a souvenir store and I got ice cream bars. It was hot. Finally to cool off we sat in the van which was running with the  ac running. Now we headed back with a stop just a bit down the road at the port and where the trains meet up. Beautiful area.

Now a long rough road back to our hotel. 8 miles is the original highway built almost a hundred years ago from cobblestone. Miserable and many switchbacks. I was in the back and expected some to get sick but we arrived back without problems. One of those trips that are really cool, but not feeling the need to repeat. Must be getting old.

We sat around until 6:00 when they start to serve and headed back to China Food as grandma really liked it before. Picture of our hotel room with 3 beds.

To me it wasn’t as good but okay. We caught an uber back to our hotel and look forward to going back to São Paulo tomorrow. Traveling is exciting but the eating out all the time wears on me. Great day nice to be back where it’s cooler weather. Love to all.

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