18 Nov BALNEÁRIO CAMBORIÚ – 16 NOVEMBER 2017 – TRAVEL DIARY
Travel with kids in Brazil
Yesterday the girls had a pyjama party. Carla, Ana and their two new friends, Maria and Emily, slept in Lollipop. Yes, in 2sq meters we have guests and we arranged a nice bed for the girls in the combi. Lavinia, Aris and I slept in the tent and let the ladies have their own private time.
In the morning we woke up with Emily that had to run to school very early in the morning. They may start school this early because of the heat, I don’t know.
Maria is 11 and born here. I don’t know what her father does, but her mother works in the kitchen of a beach restaurant, each day from 6 am to 6 pm. Maria goes to school in the afternoon so we enjoyed a breakfast together staying in circle on the rocks that overlook the ocean.
The places we are camped at is not actually a camping, it’s the parking space of a small family restaurant called “Pesticaria da Ze”. Ze liked us so he lets us use his parking. In the weekends, when the beach is full, we almost can’t move in the small parking lot. Should I speak about intimacy? I’d better not, because now I want to speak about today.
Well, in Mr Ze’s yard live 3 families having 7 kids. Add mine and we’ll have 10 in the small parking lot.
As we were staying on the folding chairs eating cereals, Maria was looking at the nice tele gondolas that pass over our heads and tells us that since she was little she wanted to ride in one. I realised that they, living their whole life near this theme park, never actually visited it. A pretty nasty reality, if you ask me. As we’ve been meaning to visit this park before we left here, I make a non-verbal agreement with Lavinia and tell Maria to go to her mother’s working place and ask her if she is allowed to swap school for the park today, we’re inviting!
I should explain that we all live on a tight budget, we are not very well of ourselves, but the joy of the kids of spending their day together in a theme park, the joy of their new friend made the effort worth while.
So we left in a group of 6, all happy, towards Unipraia park. We just crossed the street and were there. The entrance fee is: $12 / adult, $6 / child (6 to 12 years old, kids under 5 are free).
The park is built on a hill where Atlantica jungle is preserved and where the fauna is so diverse that I can only describe it by the animation “Rio”. I saw more colour than here only in animation movies.
Inside is like a dream. The staff is, unfortunately…
Not that I’m mr. Problem, because I’m not.
We go to a ride where the height minimum is 130cm. We measure Carla, she is 129.5. The guy at the entrance says:
“I’m sorry, sir, but the girl is not tall enough.”
I am shocked. I like it and I smile! 🙂
The other guy, somehow to fill the moment of quiet, says that they could lose their job if they break the rules.
I say: “I understand. But, guys, we’re talking about half of centimetre, and second, we’re not undergoing a medical exam to be accepted in the Military, right? It’s a theme park, after all, can we be a little more relaxed?”
They are stuck with the rules. Couldn’t say more than that. Everything was a no.
I tell Carla in Romanian to take a deep breath, hold it in, stand straight for them to measure her again. This time she is 130cm, one of them that looked the dumber scrutinises her and gives the verdict that she is 130.
$45 the train for us all.
We go to cool off with a cold chocolate, $3. I have to specify the prices in order to please my mother. That, in case you were wondering why I keep mentioning prices.
Next was Fantasy Forrest, an inspirational creative place for kids, a little town built inside the luxuriant jungle. And when I say jungle, I mean… jungle. While we were there we were evicted because a python had entered the park and was hiding in Fantasy Town. (5$/pp, kids and adults)
Kids were over excited with the news and by the worried look in the eyes of the caretakers, they are hardly removed from the fairy land, with fairies, goblins and snakes.
In order to end the day in a nice way, I and Carla decide to ride together the 750m flying fox from up where we were down to the beach where we live.
We start running while Lavinia went down with the kids to take a few close ups of us.
When we wanted to pay, another problem. The weight limit was 35kilos and she was 34.
This was not real, I look up and, like questioning the angels, I say: “are you having fun up there?”
This time there were two girls at the entrance and more relaxed so they give in at our requests and the proof that she will gain 600g by drinking a bottle of water and eating a pie. We laughed and ate and put 600grams more on Carla.
And like in the Mastercard advertising mom, that was 15 bucks each!
So on a steel ray
On an iron wheel
We flew
Dad with girl and not the boy.
(this, of course, doesn’t make any sense translated in English, as you can see; or at least, any rhyme) 🙂
***
Ieri fetele au facut petrecere in pijamale! Carla, Ana si cele doua noi prietene ale lor Maria si Emily au innoptat la noi, in Lollipop. Da, in 2 mp primim si vizite asa ca ne-am rearanjat si am pregatit un pat misto in Combi pentru fete! Eu cu Lavinia si Aris am dormit in cort si am lasat domnisoarele sa se desfasoare in intimitatea energiei lor.
De dimineata nu ne-am mai trezit decat cu una dintre ele, Emily fugind cu noaptea in cap la scoala. Probabil ca incep scoala mult mai devreme din cauza caldurii, nu stiu, n-am intrebat inca!
Maria are 11 ani si s-a nascut aici. Tatal nu stiu ce face, mama lucreaza in bucataria unui restaurand de pe plaja cu un orar de 6 am – 6 pm, toate zilele. Copila are scoala de dupa amiaza asa ca ne-am bucurat sa impartim micul dejun cu ea, stand in cerc pe pietrele ce privesc la ocean.
Unde suntem campati nu este un camping, este parcarea unui mic restaurant de familie numit “Petiscaria da Ze”. Nenea Ze ne-a indragit si ne lasa sa stam campati in curtea lui care este si parcarea micului sau restaurant. In week-end-uri cand se umple, nu ne mai putem misca prin mica parcare. Sa va vorbesc despre intimitate? N-are sens acum pentru ca vreau sa va povestesc ziua de azi!
Ei bine, in curtea lui nenea Ze stau 3 familii cu 7 copii in total. Cu 3 ai mei fac 10 prin mica parcare.
Cum stateam noi pe scaunele pliante si ne mancam din cereale, Maria se uita la cochetele telegondole ce ne traceau pe deasupra capului si ne impartaseste ca de cand era mica isi doreste sa mearga cu ele. Deci pana acum, copiii ce locuiesc exact langa un parc de distractii nu au avut posibilitatea sa-l viziteze. O realitate cat se poate de cruda zic eu.
Cum si noi vroiam sa mergem la acest parc de distractii, din ochi ma inteleg cu Lavinia si ii propunem Mariei sa dea o fuga pana unde munceste mama ei si sa o intrebe daca o lasa schimbam scoala de azi, pe parcul de distractii, facem noi cinste!
Sa va explic; traim toti cu un buget stramt, nici noi nu avem dar bucuria copiilor de a petrece toata ziua impreuna intr-un parc de distractii, bucuria noii lor prietene la posibilitatea intamplarii acestui lucru merita tot efortul.
Asa ca in formatie de 6 am plecat chiuind spre parcul Unipraia. Doar am traversat strada si am ajuns. Intrarea: 12$ adultii, 6$ copiii (6-12 ani, sub 5 nu platesc)
Parcul este construit pe un deal unde s-a conservat jungla Atlantica, cu o fauna pe care nu o pot descrie decat prin desenul animat “Rio”. Mai multa culoare n-am vazut decat in desene animate!
Inauntru este de vis. Personalul in schimb este …
Nu ca sunt problematic, pentru ca nu sunt! 🙂
Mergem noi sa intram la un trenulet unde avem limita de inaltime, 1.30cm. Se masoara Carla… 129,5.
Unul dintre baietii de la intrare, imi zice:
-“Imi pare rau domnule, fata nu are inaltimea admisa!”
Ma blochez! Imi place si zambesc! 🙂
Celalat baiat de la intrare, parca sa umple momentul de pauza, intervine si ne explica ca-si pot pierde job-ul daca incalca regulile!
Zic: ” Inteleg! Dar bai baieti, in primul rand este o diferenta de doar jumatate de centimetru si in al doi-lea rand, nu cred ca trebuie sa avem exigenta unui examen medical pentru a intra in Politie, nu?! Suntem intr-un parc de distractii totusi, un pic de relaxare se poate din partea voastra?”
Ei, blocati pe reguli, nu prea puteau articula ceva, parea tot un nu!
Ai zic Carlei in romaneste ca sa nu inteleaga ei, sa inspire si sa stea drept. Ii rog sa o masuram inca o data!
De data asta a iesit la 1.30. Unul dintre ei care si avea fata de idiot, ii pune telefonul mobil pe cap, se uita cretinul atent dupa care da verdictul:
“Da dom-ne, acum se poate…”.
45$ trenuletul pentru toti 6.
Mergem sa ne racorim cu o ciocolata rece, 3$. V-am spus ca pun preturile ca ma bate mama la cap, da? Asta in caz ca va intrebati ce-am de tot pun si preturi! A urmat Padurea Fantaziei, un loc minunat de inspirational creativ pentru copiii, un orasel in miniatura construit prin jungla luxurianta. Jungla in adevaratul sens al cuvantului, in timp ce eram inauntru am fost evacuati de urgenta din motive de siguranta. Un piton a patruns in parc si era ascuns prin Oraselul Fantaziei.
Copiii in extaz, nu mai zic, excitati si de pericolul pe care l-au inteles si din privirile speriate ale ingrijitorilor, se lasa evacuati dar cu pareri de rau din minunatul oras fantastic, cu zane si goblini si serpi!
Ca sa ne incheiem ziua cu o noua senzatie, decid cu Carla sa ne dam impreuna pe tiroliana de 750m, de sus de pe munte pana jos pe plaja unde stateam.
Fugim noi de mana ca nebunii. Lavinia a coborat cu gondola sa ne faca cateva prim-plan-uri de revista.
Cand sa platim, alta belea! Minim 35 de kg, ea are 34!
Bai, nu se poate, ma uit in sus ca si cum vorbesc cu ingerii si intreb:
“Va distrati acolo sus, nu?!”
De data asta doua fete, nu cucuiete spre norocul nostru, pentru ca cedeaza la rugamintile noastre si la dovada ca vom bea o sticla de apa si vom manca o merdenea ca sa mai saltam un pic in greutate. Cu ras si cu voie buna am baut si am mancat pana am ingrasat-o pe Carla cu 600g.
Si asa pe-o raza de otel,
Pe-o roata de fier
Ne-am parasutat
Tata cu fata si nu cu baiat.
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