The last stop in our 7-week travel across South America was the Brazilian city of Paraty. Located about 4 hours south of Rio de Janeiro on a beautiful bay of water ringed by mountains and peppered with countless islands, the preserved colonial city and beach town should’ve been a great place to visit. But with only three days left in our trip the visit was somewhat bittersweet as we were both ready to head home as soon as we arrived in town.
We arrived from Ilha Grande and the ferry port of Angra dos Reis by city bus. It was a twisting 2-hour ride around mountains and idyllic coastal inlets. Unfortunately the bus was also packed with no fixed seats and we had to ride the first 30 minutes standing and sitting on our packs in the aisles until enough local passengers disembarked. We’re not sure why there wasn’t a large bus company offering a more comfortable 2-hour ride but regardless we eventually got ourselves seats and arrived in Paraty safely.
After a short taxi ride we settled into our pre-booked hostel that was only a few steps from the beach. The place looked great on booking.com but unfortunately didn't quite live up to our expectations. Even the beach across the road from the hostel was pretty but upon closer examination was littered with sharp shells. We kept a few but didn't try sun tanning or swimming in the cloudy water. Of particular interest however: since the saltwater bay was affected by the tides people were able to walk a considerable distance into the water during low tide with the water never reaching higher than their knees. Supposedly the closet island could even be walked to.
We spent our full day in Paraty exploring its old colonial charms and shopping for souvenirs. The downtown area is a historic centre with picturesque whitewashed buildings, multicoloured windows and doors, and authentic cobblestone streets that no cars were permitted on. Whether this was for the safety of the pedestrians or vehicles we’re not sure but with some of the cobblestones resembling full boulders only the hardiest of cars’ suspension systems would survive. We had a great time wandering down the half-deserted streets and ducking into the odd shop where we found some great souvenirs to bring back home. The weather was also perfect with blue skies and 28 degree temperatures.
With similar weather the next day we finished our visit to Paraty with a second trip into town where we enjoyed a very tasty lunch of pasta and prosciutto. Full and ready to leave we then caught a comfortable bus back to Rio de Janeiro where the first of three flights home awaited us.
Sorry that your final two days weren't the most memorable but as you stated - it's time to come home and we sure missed you. Hope Panama turns out great and good luck on getting some rest on the planes and in the airport. We will be at the Ottawa airport on Friday morning for 8:00 a.m. Safe travels and thrilled to see you soon - Love Mom B.
ReplyDeleteHang in there...I can only imagine how ready you must be to get home by this time, even though you've had an amazing time away....it's fun to get away, but always good to come home. It sounds like quite the bus ride you had, not even having seats for the first 30 minutes of it; now that's a full bus!! That was very interesting on just how far out in the water one could walk during the low-tide! That was nice, I'm sure, that you could walk the authentic cobblestone streets without worrying about cars and traffic, and wonderful that the weather was so warm and sunny during your stay in Paraty. Safe travels home on your 3 flights. We'll see you tomorrow, ready to hear even more of your amazing travel stories. I'm sure that you'll want to settle into your comfy home, after travelling such a distance during July and August. We're looking forward to having you back in the area again.
ReplyDeleteLove Mom/Sue