Paraty (28 Sep - 1 Oct 2010)

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Tuesday 28th September 2010

An early start to check out of our Pousada and catch the 10am ferry to Angra. We found our bus to Paraty (Pa-ra-chee) easily with helpful directions from the girls at the Pousada. We jumped on and grabbed two empty seats at the front and 2 bumpy hours later we arrived. After a brief chat with Tourist info, we followed a guy called Rogeiro (who turned out to be mad) to the Che Lagarto hostel. Once settled we went for a wander around the historic old town, which is the oldest example of colonial architecture in Brazil. Very pretty and full of nick-nack shops Richard thought his wallet might take a caning and be carrying lots more stuff, but luckily Joanne was restrained.

Dinner at the hostel was cheap, just R$10 for steak, chips rice and salad, and Joanne had an even bigger bargain at ½ price (without the steak - yum!) - we shared our table with 7 girls and the topic of choice was hot Brazilian men - Richard’s favourite. After a few drinks we hit a local bar with live traditional Brazilian music for a bit of a boogie... Joanne’s caipirinha (Brazilian cocktail with local cane sugar spirit, cachaca) was way too strong, so she left it.

Wednesday 29th September 2010

A Jeep tour was on the agenda for today, but when we awoke there was sun (Hurrah!) so we changed our mind and went on an Escuna around the Islands. Our boat, the Banzay, was a double story sailing boat. We rushed to get there for 11am, boarded and threw our towels down like Germans. We laid ourselves out on the soft cushions on the lower deck and waited for what seemed like an eternity (while others strolled on late) and finally departed at noon. The cloud cover had returned and it was fairly breezy so Joanne wrapped herself up in a towel and we both had a snooze on or way to the 1st island.

We pulled up next to a couple of other Escunas at Ilha Comprida and after some deliberation jumped in off the top deck for a swim. Joanne hurt her ear on entry so got out fairly promptly while Richard, who had rented a snorkel and goggles, marvelled at the fish. Our next stop was a lovely beach. Joanne got a dingy to shore with the camera while Richard swam the short crossing. We had a stroll and took a few photos. Back on the boat, the sun had finally returned so we moved to the uncovered upper deck to catch some rays. At the next bay we simply chilled out on the top deck and finished our trip at another beach where Richard unfortunately spent most of his time trying to find his mask and snorkel which flew off his head as he jumped in.

When we returned to Paraty, there was a man on the pier painting tiles with his hands - they were beautiful and he completed them in just a couple of minutes to our amazement, but Joanne decided she couldn’t carry it around for 7 month (+ don’t want to clutter up our next house too much). We shared the nicest spaghetti Frutos do Mar we’ve ever had at a lovely restaurant in the evening, and got chatting to a Belgium couple who had been on our bus to Paraty. Then home for an early night after such a strenuous day. 

Thursday 30th September 2010

Jeep tour today started slightly late (as is the Brazilian way) and we were a little worried that we might not even make it back when we were all encouraged to count to 3 (several times, and in varied languages) while Wagner, our guide, tried to start the engine. Eventually, the Jeep started and we were on our way (sem seatbelts). Once we entered the forest, we were on the tail of another tour group but Wagner made an early stop at a little area off the beaten track (and the radar of other groups). There was a rope tied to a tree over a deep, calm section of the river. We all did Tarzan swings on the rope and took a leap into the water. Wagner was never in a rush and let us swing/jump until we were ready to move on to the next exciting instalment.

The waterfall we visited next was small with a heavy water flow which massaged your shoulders when standing underneath (if you could keep your balance on the slippery rocks underfoot). We took some pictures and did some more tarzan swings off a similar rope - although it was shallow here so we had to land sitting and sank into the soft sand. A R$2 “tax” was required to enter the next part of the park. Wagner kept pulling leaves off trees and getting us to smell & guess... he also bought us all a wild Brazilian raspberry which was tasty. We stopped at a disused watermill and Wagner gave us a brief history before escorting us down to the next set of waterfalls - this time much larger. Joanne climbed over some rocks torteach the far waterfall and get some photos then swam back... When Wagner saw she was wet, he suggested another jump from a tall rock which we both did.

After an all you can eat lunch, we visited a Cachaca distillery where we sampled some of the different flavours. Our next hike included a rope bridge over a river (just as well we didn’t sample too much) and took us too our final destination - a waterfall that you can slide down on your bum (or your feet if you are brave, and maybe stupid) - the Brazilian version of Centre Parcs. We slid down several times, but Joanne’s bum was being attacked by the rough rock so Richard leant her some shorts for two final slides together holding hands (one of which Joanne ended up landing on Richards head - Ouch!).

1, 2, 3... 1, 2, 3... the Jeep finally came to life and we were on our way back to the hostel... We went out for some pizza and happened across a lovely local place with a cheerful English speaking chef and cheap all you eat menu. What more could you ask for! A late night back in the hostel chatting to a lovely English couple, Ria and Matt, ended our day.

Friday 1st October 2010

The sun looked like it might be out for the day so we took a bus to Trindade, another beach town 40 minutes away. No theme parks required in Brazil - you just need to get on a local bus! When we arrived we had lunch on the beach before taking a walk along it. We took shelter under the overhang of a massive rock just as a thunderstorm started. Thankfully it didn’t last long - we thought we might be trapped for a while - but we decided to call it a day regardless as it was far from beach weather.We got on a small minibus back and to our surprise, after we thought it was full, another 8 or 10 people managed to squeeze in, It was like watching “how many people can you fit in a mini” on record breakers. When we got back our dinner had been thrown out by the cleaners when they carelessly emptied the fridge, so the Hostel shouted us a fish supper. Early night before a long trip to Sao Paulo tomorrow.

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Comments

[Mark]

Brazilian Men
didn't realise this was Rich's favorite subject!! All sounds very nice, dont need waterfalls at home, just stand outside. Ryder Cup rained off til today, so done job searching, been out on bike, its now golf for the day!