Pretty Paraty


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South America » Brazil » Rio de Janeiro » Paraty
February 22nd 2013
Published: April 28th 2013
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Capela de Santa RitaCapela de Santa RitaCapela de Santa Rita

Arguably Paraty's most photographed church, this was the church for the white elite back in the day.
In arranging our transfer from Ilha Grande to Paraty, Sag was told one price by the tourist agent before being told another price upon payment. The price difference was relatively meagre, but he refused to pay the new price out of principle which I suppose is fair enough.
Which is how we ended up on the public transportation to Paraty.
It was a stinking hot day and I was hungover as f*ck, a familiar legacy from the night before. Waiting at a cafe on the beach for our boat back to the mainland, I was finding the heat a bit hard to handle.
The first leg was fine - a large ferry that took us from the island to the town of Angra dos Reis. A fairly unremarkable place, a couple crazy men who interacted with us while we waited at a local cafe for out bus to Paraty kind of made Angra feel a little unsettling. Nevertheless, after another wait in the hot sun for the bus, our transport to Paraty duly arrived.
When the bus rolled up, we all looked at it in disbelief. It was fair to say I was feeling outraged.
For what is essentially a 2+ hour journey,
Streets Of Old Paraty #1Streets Of Old Paraty #1Streets Of Old Paraty #1

Typical cobblestoned street in the old town.
we were expecting a large-ish coach, with compartments below the bus to store luggage. What showed up instead was a rattly old city bus from the 70s. Even more ridiculously, the bus had a turnstile built into it and a guy who is on the bus especially to throw luggage through the small gap between roof and the top of the turnstile, all while everyone is struggling to squeeze themselves and their smaller pieces of luggage through the turnstile while handing over cash to a woman acting as the bus's cashier.
There was a full bus load of tourists and locals so once on the bus there weren't enough seats for everyone and luggage lined the aisles completely. Sag faced a long journey cross-legged on the floor by the bus's exit after I had unknowingly stolen his seat. For what is surely a popular tourist route, the bus provided was abysmally ill-equipped to do the job. The bus seemed to stop at every man and dog's house along the way, and each time it did, people were scrambling over luggage and each other to get out.
Among the stops that the bus made were stops at old gated communities that were seemingly sponsored by the Brazil's largest electricity company, Electrobras, Purpose-planned and purpose-built, these artificially created, cookie-cutter, suburbia-like villages felt a bit weird. There were workers that made sure every blade of grass in every property was of the same height. The houses were small and old and all looked the same. My assumption is that there is perhaps a massive power plant nearby and that this is worker accommodation. These communities were seemingly in the middle of nowhere too so I just found the whole thing a little odd.
Anyway, it was a long, hot, uncomfortable ride and some four hours later we finally arrived in Paraty two hours later than expected. I wouldn't normally have been annoyed about the whole thing as I was, but I was simply in a tired, hungover and miserable state. I look back on it as being a classic traveller's experience - perhaps we should have paid that extra ten reais.

In contrast to the bus ride, our hostel was very good.
With private double rooms as well as dorms - all with ensuites - the hostel also had a bar and a massive outdoor eating/chill-out area which created a great, sociable
Bay Of Ilha GrandeBay Of Ilha GrandeBay Of Ilha Grande

There aren't any waves coming in off the water because the bay is sheltered from the ocean.
atmosphere. The hostel also organised loads of tours, excursions and transfers. A good hostel also has to act as a tourist office these days, that will really enhances a guest's experience. Staying at the Che Lagarto Hostel has re-inspired me to set my own one up one day.

A well-preserved Brazilian Imperial town, the historic centre of Paraty is really pretty with its cobblestoned streets and colonial architecture. A lot of the old warehouses that lined the streets of Paraty have been converted into shops and restaurants and there seems to be a lot of art and culture in the town.
We eventually walk into one of the restaurants for dinner.
I have previously commented about the size of Brazilian meals but tonight we surely had our largest. Rather annoyingly, Brazilian meals are usually for two which meant I was always having to find someone to share with or ordering a special single portion. But even the single portions were ridiculously and unnecessarily large. The average person just does not eat that much food.
Along with my massive overflowing platter of admittedly delicious fish cooked in heavy sauce of cream, mushrooms and cheese, was also a massive bowl of
BanquetBanquetBanquet

Ginormous Brazilian portions.
mashed potato, while Sag and Sarah's plate of Brazilian stew came with a big bowl of a chutney-like vegetable paste, a big plate of roast potatoes, and a massive plate of farofa.
We were having banquets every night.
Overall I found Brazilian cuisine good though not amazing. There were a lot things that I had not tried before and which soon became part of my daily routine, such as acai and eating exotic fruits for breakfast. The only downsides were that the food was often too salty and the portions too big - I never ever thought that I'd be complaining about big portions. Perhaps I am getting old.

Although there are loads of beaches that you can travel to from Paraty, we were a bit beached out from Ilha Grande that we instead opted for the popular jeep tour of the jungle that was run from the hostel.
It was a great way to spend the day and enjoy the natural area around Paraty, as we cruised around with our fun, rock-loving driver and his laid-back compadre David, in his beat-up, hard-as-nails jeep.
The tour was basically a tour of the many waterfalls and rock pools in the
Rock PoolsRock PoolsRock Pools

We spent the whole day swimming in rock pools like this one.
area in which we could swim around.
The fresh water is a lot colder than the sea, but was much more refreshing at the same time. It was great to leave the water feeling nice and clean too, and not icky from the sand. At most of the places, we spent our time mucking around and getting battered by the waterfalls by going right underneath them. We also managed to get into some tight caves that were behind the some of the waterfalls. The volume of water coming down those waterfalls was massive and while not hurting you, really knocked you about.
There were three highlights of the tour however.
The first one was a natural waterslide! It is basically an area where a river runs thinly over a massive smooth rock creating conditions slippery enough for one to slide down the rock into the pool below it. It is a good ten-second ride and providing the locals swing you onto the 'slide' with enough force and you follow the right path down the rock, it is a fun and exhilarating ride. There was one local who would go down the slide standing up, as if he was surfing down
Cachaca DistilleryCachaca DistilleryCachaca Distillery

We take some time out from swimming in the rock pools to sample some local cachaca.
the rock, adding a couple of jumps for good measure. He looked pretty cool doing it, I have to admit.
The second highlight was visiting a cachaca distillery. Cachaca is what makes a caipirinha and Paraty has a strong and famous history of producing the liquor which is made from fresh sugar cane juice. Similar to rum, the white un-aged variety is mainly used in drinks such as caiprinihas, but here we were introduced to the dark "premium" variety which is aged in wooden barrels for years and is drunk straight, on the rocks. We tried several different flavours of cachaca including fruit flavoured ones and the evocatively named "Gabriela" which we actually were given a taste of by David, before we arrived at the distillery. My favourite one however, was the golden-syrup flavoured "Caramelada", of which I ended up buying a bottle to take back to London. Delicious.
The final highlight of the tour was an area where you could make a 10m jump into a rock pool. Nervous before arriving, I am sad to say that I copped out once I saw the jump. Having done big jumps before in Greece and Slovenia, I have nothing to prove
Tarzan SwingTarzan SwingTarzan Swing

John swinging around into the water on a rope swing.
to anyone. However, I did partake in using the massive rope swing that was at the same site, swinging like Tarzan from a small cliff some four metres above the water before letting go and falling into the water. Now that was good fun. My advice however, would be to make sure you close your legs before landing in the water...

Upon returning from the tour, I then went on a solo cash mission and also explored the old town a bit more thoroughly, checking out the main sights which seemed to be the town's churches.
There are some gorgeous buildings here and I really like the colonial and maritime architecture here, as well as the laid-back vibe. I also stumbled upon some classic South American scenes such as a jazz quartet playing in front of an old colonial building, and an old Scooby-Doo style Volkswagen minivan, which were images I have always associated with South America.
I also walked around the water, across the town's canal, to the rather disappointing town beach. The water really gives the town character, central to the town itself.

For our last supper together we finally ate at a restaurant with appropriate
Streets Of Old Paraty #2Streets Of Old Paraty #2Streets Of Old Paraty #2

This picture could have been taken during colonial times.
portions.
The food was good too and we even had room left for dessert, for the first time on the trip. My octopus and saffron rice was nice, but I think we all were envious of Sarah's steak.
Having had a few beers back at the hostel before dinner, and having had several caipirinhas during dinner, we all ended up a bit sloshed. Among the incorrect and the mispronounced words being spluttered out of our mouths that night was the fact that someone had a "photogenic memory" and that we had a really good time at "Ipanama Beach". Along with our Brazilian animal impressions, it was a fun and hilarious night - probably the best one of the trip. You don't always need a pumping nightclub and booming music to have a good night out - sometimes all you need is some good food, good drinks, and some good friends. Did I just say that? Man, I am getting old...

And leaving behind good friends as I made my own way back to Rio the next day was a little sad. Although I would be seeing Steve and Sarah again when I get back to London, John and Joy
Capela de Nossa Senhora das DoresCapela de Nossa Senhora das DoresCapela de Nossa Senhora das Dores

This church was used by rich women during colonial times.
were to continue travelling around South America before flying back home to New Zealand, so I'm not sure when or where I will see them next. Many great moments were shared with them both in London and on the road, so I hope I will see them both again soon.
I will be seeing again however, a place I have also shared many a moment with - back to Rio for the next blog entry.

Até logo!
Derek


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Pretty BuildingPretty Building
Pretty Building

With a caricature of an old man on the balcony.
Igreja Matriz Nossa Senhora do RemédiosIgreja Matriz Nossa Senhora do Remédios
Igreja Matriz Nossa Senhora do Remédios

The largest church in Paraty.
Jazz QuartetJazz Quartet
Jazz Quartet

Playing outside an old colonial building in Paraty. It was a really nice touch and set a classic scene.
River SwimmingRiver Swimming
River Swimming

Locals enjoy swimming in the river in forests near Paraty.
Rope BridgeRope Bridge
Rope Bridge

It was actually pretty wobbly and there were holes in it.
WaterfallWaterfall
Waterfall

One of many we visited during the jeep tour.
Rockslide SurfingRockslide Surfing
Rockslide Surfing

A local shows us how it's really done.
CachacaCachaca
Cachaca

Comes in different flavours.
Big BugBig Bug
Big Bug

What the hell is that?
Streets Of Old Paraty #3Streets Of Old Paraty #3
Streets Of Old Paraty #3

Cars and vehicles are not allowed in the old town.
Volkswagen MinivanVolkswagen Minivan
Volkswagen Minivan

Cool and colourful old Scooby-Doo minivan.
Praca do ChafarizPraca do Chafariz
Praca do Chafariz

Girls performing with fire-pois in the main square outside the old town.
Cliff JumpingCliff Jumping
Cliff Jumping

John jumps from ten metres into the rock pool.
Streets Of New ParatyStreets Of New Paraty
Streets Of New Paraty

Outside of the old town where we were staying isn't actually that well off.
Coolest Bill Ever?Coolest Bill Ever?
Coolest Bill Ever?

The bill for our final meal together in Paraty. I wonder how they make them.


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