We know that Curitiba is considered model city about urban development in Brazil, then we created a trip to the capital of Paraná returning by the coast.  To know the module of bicycle paths of the city with more than 100 miles that serves as example to whole Country and also to collect signatures for a campaign promoted by Yázigi to incentive to creation of bicycles paths at national level.  Thanks to the Mr. Acyr and  Engineer Picolli, we had a better access to the entrepreneurs of the city and we happily got 100% of sponsor.  

Was 12 days trip, 447 miles and $550.00 (five hundred fifty dollars) from sponsors.   

Cyclists: Leonel Hilário Maurici, 25 years old.

               Adilson Pedro Maria, 21 years old.

The Sponsors was: Municipal city hall of Itajaí, Unified System, Ótica Corujinha, Beline Video Photo and Sound, and Naval Radio, Hipermercado Vitória and Yázigi Internexus. 

Travel now with some outstanding moments.

We gave beginning our trip starting from the mark zero of the city of Itajaí, Vidal Ramos Park. 

Already in Joinville, 48 miles from Itajaí, we stopped at a hotel close to the bus station and we met some guests that were in the city to work.  We waited a little until for the owner of the hotel to arrive.  After paying for the permanence, we arose and we took a shower and when we went down to ask information from where to find a bakery for us to buy our snack.  In the lobby, the guys were already drunk and fighting amongst themselves. Until the police it was for close and I also heard a sentence a little aggressive of one of them: 

       _ You shut up if no I will give a shot in your eye. 

That was enough for me and Leonel to return to our room.  Already passed 08:00 pm and in the dispute of the small piece wood, I had to leave to buy the snack.  As it was one Saturday, it was difficult to find some open bakery, but there I went.   I walked, I walked, and didn’t find anything open.  Finally, I  found an open bakery in downtown.  In fact for varying, I had gone walking. I delayed so much that Leonel was already almost calling the police to try to find me.    

On following day, we had to face the 6 miles of ascent in the Sea Mountain.   Before we stopped in some huts in the edge of the highway and we bough honey, raw brown sugar and a composed of seeds.   In this hut, for coincidence, the owner was a Leonel's former-companion from work, then the stop was more emotive, while they recalled their old times, I ate.

 From there, we crossed the  State Line of Santa Catarina and Paraná, and we stopped soon later in the area of municipal district of White Stone of Araraquara, to eat lunch. 

Here we found a source of spring water with a 6 feet water fall and by chance, not to resist, I ended will take a relaxing bath.   We also met four adventurous cyclists coming of São José dos Pinhais, which went down the Sea Mountain and later they return arising towed behind the trucks.

Good, after a b e a u tiful bath, a great conversation with highway companions and a full lunch, is time to put the foot in the pedal and to go up the Mountain.   The sun and the heat were present, and on first 2 miles of ascent, the water was in the last sip.  We stopped to rest, because our body asked, and we decided to continue arising towed each one by a truck.  I got first and I left.  I couldn't  look back for my cousin to see if his is coming.   After 20 minutes, I found a source of potable water and I stopped to restock the reservoir.    I waited more 10 minutes and the four cyclists that we found in the lunch passed saying that him is coming by pedaling.  After 5 minutes he arrived and I took advantage to register this moment. 

He arrived tired and undernourished, he almost drank a liter of water and ate the alimentary supplements that we brought.  But I asked him why he didn’t catch a truck and he told me that he didn't get because of bad balance with an arm holding the truck and the another guiding the bike.  So I asked:         _ What kind type of cyclist you are?

       The day was ending, so the day said to the night: 

       _ Doesn’t work like this, when I finish you begin. 

We explained our situation, and him, known as Gaúcho, took us to a hotel. In the road he alerted us that it was armed because he was safety guard of the disco dance.  When we arrived at the hotel, he told us:  _ Looks! If the hotel is too expensive, you can go to sleep in my home.  In my house I can fit more than ten of you with bicycle.

We thanked, but we preferred to be at the hotel, because we were tired to wait him to leave his work. At hotel, we took a shower and we ate some cereals. But the hunger continued, then I went to buy a snack close to the club dance .  Therefore in the departure the gaúcho called me to talk.  I asked him there was been many fights in the disco and he said: 

  _ Here nobody fight, if fights they die.     

He let me enter in the disco without paying and I went to do gymnastics dancing a rock in roll while I left Leonel waiting for the snack. I delayed more than hour to return and Leonel almost went seek for me. 

Arriving in Curitiba, we search for information to arrive to the youth's housing, where we already had pay for the room and we found a nice gentleman that indicated us the direction.  We arrived in the housing and there we stayed the wholr afternoon to rest.  Later on, we met a coming tourist from England, a nice retired  Teacher of Physics and Mathematics  that called, Mr.Richard.

 He was already three months in Brazil but he can not speak Portuguese. Richard landed first in Belém of Pará and  for the beginning he got rob, however that didn't inconvenience him. Descends from north to south by the coast, he was enchanted with the natural beauty of our Country.  He began to learn Portuguese through his dictionary, but even so, he told us that it was already three days without eating right, because nobody understood him. Then we took him to have a dinner at the restaurant in the  XV Park, located at Curitiba's donwtown and him asked for the plate of the day to satiated his hunger.

Returning to the housing, we passed in the 24 hours Street.  This was created by the state government to assist all, it is covered street with clear roof and is open 24 hours having all kind stores; clothes, shoes, discos, supermarkets and cafeterias.

On other day, we left our backpacks in the housing, we caught our bicycles and we went to know the system of bicycle paths of the city. We visited the city hall for larger information, and taking advantage, we looked for signatures for the implantation of bicycles paths in all  cities of the Country promoted by Yázigi  national level.

We communicated with the press and they made a news with us on TV from our trip.                

Returning to the housing, I called Joseane, a former-friend from Unified School there in Itajaí and that she lives here.   She knew about our trip because she saw us on television.  She was very happy about us doing a work like this and  invited us to spend a night at her house.

We caught her address and there we went to her house, but we proceeded at wrong sway and we took almost two hours to get there.  It was already late at night, but her parents received us with the largest pleasure waiting with a  b e a u tiful dinner. 

By friday, her father, Mr. Rodolfo, 68 years old, took us in the morning close to the highway BR 101 and we could continue with our trip.  We arrived to the clover and we saw the plate indicating for the same sense: Porto Alegre, Florianópolis, São Paulo.  Leonel and me went toward São Paulo.  I was in the front, we bend to the right and soon I did pass for the sidewalk of the left bending the left coming to cross the highway and to go in the north sense, but when did I look back, where is Leonel?   Quite so, the Leonel caught the south sense and he didn't look for behind for seeing if I was together.  I stopped and I waited for him and nothing.  Then I returned to the point where we had in the lost ones, waited and nothing.  I went to his encounter almost walking 2 km for the south and I didn't find him.  I began to be concerned, because he was with all the money of the trip and me without a cent.  I returned again to the point zero (place of the miss) and nothing.  I waited more 15 minutes and I spoke with some policemen that were patrolling the highway and one of them told me: 

       _ You better go to the right way, he will see that wandered and will return. 

I didn't have another choice and I went straight ahead.  After about 5 minutes, I looked back and there is Leonel running like a madman.  That keeps apart us delayed at least about 70 minutes. 

Passed the fright, we agree if that happened again, we should return to the same place where we missed. 

Arriving in the Mountain of the Amusing with  more than 8 miles of descends for streets with many curves, we felt the pleasant reward from our trip accompanied with a beautiful nature. We went by parks with rest areas, camping and source of potable water. We stopped at a hut of cane broth to kill the thirst.

We continued go down and we reached the end of the Mountain. From there we continued without problems until we found a 3 miles bicycle path lane . It was already night and we didn't know if we continued or then, we slept over there.

 But for not holing the project, we put lights in the waist that we bought in Curitiba and we continued illuminated by small lantern that brought with me. 

On highway, the lights of the cars that came from the other side obscured us. Suddenly, me in front with my flash light and Leonel following me, I didn't notice a hole in the shoulder, and we almost fell ugly.  But it was only a fright, and we got to balance the bicycle. Was 09:00 PM when we got in the city of Paranaguá, with more than 80 miles pedaled on that day.  

On the next day, we pedaled heading for the south, towards city of Matinhos, where we ate lunch. On that day, we caught a fine rain between 10:00 AM and 15:30 PM, but it didn't impede us of continuing trip. We crossed the river in the  ferry boat from Ubatuba-PR to Brejatuba-SC, where cyclists and pedestrians don't pay ticket.

 We arrived in Itapoá at 06:00 pm, pedaling on that day only 40 miles in 5 hours in the bicycle. 

In the morning, we began our trip already a little late, by 8:45 am, arriving after 18 miles in the city of Town of Glória, where they were having the party of the shrimp. We were given prestige by the habitants of that small municipal district and also by the Military police. 

Over there we ate a shrimp plate and after we took a  motorboat that takes cyclists and pedestrians to the Island of São Francisco do Sul diffused, considered the third older city of Brazil. The crossing lasted only 15 minutes and we paid $ 3,50 for our two tickets.

We soon pedaled towards to the Beach of the Bay, the most famous of the island.  In the road, we found a guy that was pedaling for the Island. There we got a good discount separated in one hotel, very comfortable of front for sea.

In the tenth day of the trip, we left from the Beach of the Bay and we gave the turn for the perimeter of the Island and we had to walk more than 2 miles pushing the bicycle on the sand of the beach that was very thick.   We ate lunch in the Beach of Ervino in the south of the Island and will arrive downtown of San Francisco the South about the 04:30 in the aftrenoon.  

We left our bicycles in the hotel and we walk down street to take tourist information with the nice residents of the city and we visited the marine museum to know the most exotic boats that made the history of the city.  Really, São Francisco do Sul is a historical city and full of mysteries, being the third older city of Brazil discovered in 1504 by France.

We returned to the hotel and in the morning well early we face our last day of the trip.  From there, it remained to us a little more than 50 miles to arrive home.  

                                              "Watch the Musicians Balls"

                                                           
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