Our first journey - a short one - about 4 hours - took us down the Costa Verde (the Atlantic coast south of Rio de Janeiro) to Paraty. The coastline was spectular. Lushly vegetated mountains rising immediately from the jagged shore made for a windy, hilly, ocean-view drive under brilliantly sunny, azure blue skies (jealous yet?). Our first 2 nights were spent camping in a busy campground opposite the beach just above Paraty. Pictures show Paraty from the Atlantic Ocean, some of the beautiful windows in Paraty (unfortunately, my sun-cream covered thumb got stuck on the lense), and ..... home on the road!
Paraty is a gem. It is said to be one of the most beautful colonial cities in the world and a popular tourist destination from Rio. It is small and sits in a Bay of 65 tropical islands, many of them covered with rain forest, and numerous yellow sand beaches. Its cobble stoned streets are built to accommodate high tide which comes rights into the town and washes over them. The whitewashed colonial shops, restaurants, and poussadas have bright blue and yellow window and door frames often surrounded by decorative motifs. The gas street lamps, flowering balconies, and horse drawn carts make it romantic and quite magical. There are no cars in the town's centre. The harbour is filled with brightly coloured fishing vessels and schooner like tourist boats.
Paraty, now protected by Unesco, was founded in the 1530s. The native name (Parati-i) means "whitefish". The harbour was built in the 1700s to export gold from Minas Gerais to Portugal. It was also the centre of the slave trade in Southern Brazil. After the gold era, it turned to sugar cane and apparently today there are about 250 mills which produce "pinga" , Brazil's popular spirit - haven't had the opportunity to taste this yet - and from what I hear I am not sure I want to - major headache, I'm told!
In addition to exploring this picturesque small town, we had an idyllic cruise around the islands with stops to swim and snorkel in the emerald green sea. Life doesn't get any better than this!
Paraty is a gem. It is said to be one of the most beautful colonial cities in the world and a popular tourist destination from Rio. It is small and sits in a Bay of 65 tropical islands, many of them covered with rain forest, and numerous yellow sand beaches. Its cobble stoned streets are built to accommodate high tide which comes rights into the town and washes over them. The whitewashed colonial shops, restaurants, and poussadas have bright blue and yellow window and door frames often surrounded by decorative motifs. The gas street lamps, flowering balconies, and horse drawn carts make it romantic and quite magical. There are no cars in the town's centre. The harbour is filled with brightly coloured fishing vessels and schooner like tourist boats.
Paraty, now protected by Unesco, was founded in the 1530s. The native name (Parati-i) means "whitefish". The harbour was built in the 1700s to export gold from Minas Gerais to Portugal. It was also the centre of the slave trade in Southern Brazil. After the gold era, it turned to sugar cane and apparently today there are about 250 mills which produce "pinga" , Brazil's popular spirit - haven't had the opportunity to taste this yet - and from what I hear I am not sure I want to - major headache, I'm told!
In addition to exploring this picturesque small town, we had an idyllic cruise around the islands with stops to swim and snorkel in the emerald green sea. Life doesn't get any better than this!
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