Paraty and the End

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Thursday 9th Feb - Sunday 12th Feb 2023

After a slightly stressful time getting to Paraty (we Ubered to the wrong place and then got stuck in very bad traffic trying to get to the right place, missing our booked bus by 5minutes, so had to wait a couple hours for the next one!) we eventually made it to this old coastal colonial town. With far less people, and the whole historic centre not allowing cars, there was instantly a chilled vibe, and, dumping our bags into a surprisingly nice Airbnb apartment, we excitedly headed out for a wonder.

A maze of sandy cobbled streets, lined with pretty white buildings with variously coloured wooden windows and roofs, dotted with quirky shops, cafes, restaurants, horse and carts and quiet squares, led us to a calm river and down to a warm sandy beach, with a tranquil green sea stretching out infront, and hills of dense, buzzing jungle behind. Beautiful. We even quickly made friends with one of the possibly stray dogs, who, being a puppy and similar breed as our old friend Micheal, we named Mike Junior. After getting lost zigzagging along the now darkened streets, admiring the old lantern style street lights giving a warm glow, we found the recommended restaurant for dinner and it was delicious. They even had, as we found out was very common here, live music and a free cocktail, making a pretty perfect evening.

The next day was our only full day here, (time is running out!) so we made the most of it by getting up and going, only to find hardly any cafes open. Hungry, we did eventually find a little bakery to grab a pastry and cake, before then jumping onto one of the many boat trips on offer. We had been doubtful we’d do this, due to a horrible rainy forecast, but we were lucky enough to enjoy an amazing sunny day, sailing across calm seas to various tranquil beaches and snorkelling spots. We were also lucky the boat was no where near full capacity, making for a nice chilled ride, easily moving around between the sun and the shade, and getting a table for the on board lunch. Whilst the sea was quite murky on the beach spots, we still managed to see colourful fish, puffer fish, huge star fish and even a turtle! Definitely a day we could repeat a few more times, and was topped off by another tasty dinner with live music, and then a random summer festival starting that evening, with a big stage, bright lights and seemingly famous Brazilian samba band.

Not wanting to leave, we managed to fit in some more beach walking the next morning, a stop off at the nearby fort and cemetery, which were interesting, as well looking around the many cool shops. However, the time to catch the bus again came all too quickly and we soon found ourselves watching the jungle and the coast whizz pass us, getting darker and wetter as we returned to Rio for our last night.

Maybe grand and fancy in its time, this slightly aged but nice enough hotel provided us with a great base for our last few hours here in Brazil. A roof top pool with JC in sight was a fab start to the day, as well as the biggest buffet breakfast, and being able to leave the bags there whilst we explored a little bit more of Rio. When I say a little bit more, I really mean a little bit, as we wondered through streets seemingly meant more for locals then tourists and then sat on Flamengo beach for a few hours. It’s a shame the sea was littered with rubbish but this didn’t seem to stop the local families from going in for a splash. There was also a strong police presence with a low fly by police helicopter followed by three police horsemen! Still, sat with a cloudy but still hot sky and relaxing with sugarloaf mountain in-front of us and JC standing high up behind us, was a lovely way to end the holiday.

So that’s it! Nine days in Brazil has flown by, and, despite an electrocuting shower, a broken bathroom door, a couple of blocked toilets (no one’s owning up), an almost broken phone, some confused conversations and misunderstood food orderings, a missed bus and a possible ear infection for Charlotte, we not only all survived but have had an amazing time! What a way to end our three and a bit month trip of Latin America. For now though, it’s time to head back to the airport for our flight home. Plymouth here we come!

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