Blogs from Paraty, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, South America - page 6

We were all very excited to get a sleep in today and as we had had very little sleep due to the concert we were very gateful for it. We got up about 9 ad had a good breakie at the hostel and then were informed that we had to clean the truck! So that we did for a few hours...big job but we did a goodie if I must say so myself! Then everyone headed down to the beach for sunbathing and swimming. Elle has been sick with a very sore throat so she chilled out in the room in the am till lunch. Had a group make us pasta salad for lunch which was pretty good. After lunch 5 of us headed out on kayaks to paddle around the islands and have lil adventures! ... read more

After our day of bird and sea lion spotting, we got the bus back to Lima and headed straight for the airport. I am not sure most backpackers do this much flying but at Ryanair prices (plus you get a reserved seat, don’t have to pay to check in luggage, get food and drinks but disappointingly there is no cheesy music when you land saying “another on time flight from Air Peru”) then why not! We caught a flight to Buenos Aires (at 1 am!) then got a taxi across town to the domestic airport for our flight to Iguazu. This is our 3rd time in Argentina this trip – does that mean we can say that we have been to Argentina 3 times? That evening was spent mostly sleeping then we were up early to ... read more

A short bus ride west (4 hours) down the southern coast of Brazil and we were in Paraty, a town with old colonial construction and beautiful beaches. Indeed, the main square is a cobblestoned, pedestrian-only flashback in time. The beach at nearby Trindade (1 hour bus ride) was really gorgeous!!! The sun was finally out for a day and the water was cool and full of waves, but totally wadable. In addition, there were short hikes within the forest along the beach leading visitors to even more remote beaches. It was lovely. However, a few snafoos with the hotel (Paraty Hotel/Historic City Center/Ecotours group, though the staff was wonderful) and more unrelenting rain and clouds sent us quickly on our way. ... read more

After the madness of Rio and Carnival we were eager to get to our next stop, Paraty, which is a small coastal town on Brazil´s Costa Verde, 4 hours by bus from Rio. It is a very old colonial little town with cobbled streets which the locals still use horses and carriages to navigate. Rio was amazing but it is such a full on place that we were really looking forward to getting out of the city and chilling out a bit on the coast. A couple of hours out of Rio on the bus and the entire landscape changed completely to lush green vegetation, palm trees, white beaches and sparkling blue water. The sun was shining and we felt the stresses of Rio slip away. It was unbelievable that all this could exist a short ... read more

Paraty - prounounced Para-chi. What a little heaven on earth - and it rained all bar 10 minutes of our 48 hours here. I can´t imagine what it is like with the sun out! Driving towards the coast from Sao Paulo really made my heart beat a little faster. The scenery was spectacular dark green rivers weaving around the lucious mountains and then glimpses of the ocean. Aaaahhhhhhh! I can´t even remember what time we arrived but it´s not important anyways - the place we stayed was really cool - hammocks on every balcony! We wandered in to town to check it out. What a lovely little place. The marina is filled with brightly coloured schooners and sailing boats. The streets of the old part of town are for foot traffic only - which is a ... read more