Curitiba is the capital of the state of Paraná. A city that became famous in the 80s when it won the World Urban Management Award and is still today a beautiful city although now becoming visible some signs of neglect.

To come to my parents place we land in Curitiba and drive some 110kms to Pontal do Sul. The road takes us through the Curitiba - Paranaguá highway over the Serra do Mar (mountain of the Sea) and Mata (jungle) Atlântica. Serra do Mar is an impressive chain of mountains that run from near Rio de Janeiro to the border with Uruguai. The highway drops 2000 meters in 12 km.

Brasil is the world largest exporter of soy beans and the port of Paranaguá is the largest grain handling port in the South Hemisphere. Not having a rail system in Brazil, makes negotiating the Serra do Mar highway a truck nightmare. You have no idea what is the meaning of trucks on the road until you drive this highway. I made 5 trips to Curitiba and met with 3 major accidents that stopped the entire traffic for a long time.

In Curitiba lives my cousin Carla and husband Alexandre and I cannot pass without visiting them. This time I was short of time and could only manage lunch and a brief chat with them.

However I had a great surprise this trip. My Angolan School teachers and now good friends Manuela and Adelino Frias dos Santos came all the way from Fortaleza in the north of Brazil to spend a day with me. We had not seen each other for a few years and it was fantastic to spend a few hours with them. My friend Mário Pereira, also a pupil of the Frias joinned us which made this reunion even more special.

Our niece Suzana and family moved from England to Curitiba a few months ago and lives now there. We spent sometime with them in three occasions one of them Susana's birthday