Feb 8, 2013 - Party in paraty

Had our first experience of South American buses to get here and big thumbs up. Air con, enough leg room to do a jig, and seats to accommodate most kinds of bum size! Our journey here was really enjoyable despite feeling like Rio had definitely left us with a hangover. And the scenery is so beautiful, very tropical, steep hills covered in jungle, dropping away to beautiful coasts and hidden beaches. Paraty itself is so cute. Narrow cobbled streets that would break your ankle if you took a step wrong, multicoloured shutters on all the white...

Sep 13, 2012 - Paraty - Trindade

Depuis São Paulo, nous sommes allés à Paraty, une jolie ville coloniale. C'est d'ailleurs une des villes les plus anciennes du Brésil. La vieille ville était vraiment très jolie mais nous n'avons pas eu de chance avec le temps. Le ciel était couvert, nous avons eu de la pluie et il faisait presque froid. Bon, environ une vingtaine de degrés mais nous étions maintenant plus habitués aux 30. Alors, on avait l'impression d'avoir froid. Nous sommes ensuite allés à Trindade, un petit village sur la côte à une heure de bus au sud où nous pensions...

Feb 26, 2012 - Paraty -very hot

Our group is again pretty mixed we have one Japanese /American (I think) middle aged male who turned up with two large solid suitcases a full sized backpack and a day pack - our truck couldn´t hold all of the luggage in the luggage compartment which is bigger than on my previous truck - the other truck which has a younger group of people and one extra and a smaller compartment fitted all of their stuff easily. Most of the people are OK I have been sharing with a Di from queensland she's probably a bit older than me about 5foot high if that...

Dec 18, 2011 - Paraty

Hi All! So the end is near... and it´s one week until Christmas! I´ve spent the last few days in the small town of Paraty which is on the coast inbetween Sao Paulo and Rio. The town is very pretty as the tree covered mountains provide an impressive backdrop. On my first day I walked up to the fort which has some impressive views of the sea and islands and then spent the afternoon on the beach. A German couple staying in the hostel had hired a car so yesterday 4 of us went on a day trip to Trinidage - another small beach but much prettier...

Jul 25, 2011 - Paraty time

Paraty Pizzas eaten x 1 Beers drunk x 7 Wine consumed x 5 litres Arguments x 1.5 Paraty was Vickie's work - I had never heard of the place, so going there was a mystery. I had no preconceptions. The start of the journey was the cheap local bus from Angra Dos Reis. It would be a two hour squash fest that I would enjoy less than having my elbow smashed. You have some very dangerous ingredients mixed in this journey, heat + 300 people + 40 seats + crazy bastard bus driver = misery. Although as we curled round the ocean road, hugging the...

Jun 29, 2011 - Paraty

Paraty was a paradise. A place where at high tide the cobbled streets flood and there appeared to be ore boats that people. It was Sarah´s burthdya so we had some amazing wine and food in a place with music. Wine was Chilean, which appears to be the best here, tip to anyone never drink Brazilian wine, sorry Brazil but it´s terrible. We spent to´he day on a boat going around to the islands, swiming, seeing dolphins, turtles and then had a bbq on the back of the boat. Absolute bliss.

Mar 25, 2011 - A quaint village

In the morning we catch a local bus to a small village called Trinidad. A narrow windy road through the rainforest to the beaches – takes around 45 minutes. We cruise the beaches, enjoy the views and walk through the forest following a small creek and water falls. Lunchtime we catch a return bus. This turns out to be fun – we meet a tourist bus and there is confusion as to how we are going to pass. A number of cars arrive and are held up, then some of the tourists get off their bus…..just what you need, pedestrians in the mix. Our driver...

Mar 24, 2011 - and on to Paraty

We fly to Sao Paulo - nearly three hours. Very fertile soil with lots of agriculture and waterways. Then we board a mini van and head for a small coastal town called Paraty. Supposed to be a five-hour trip but takes quite a bit longer. By the time we are checked into our hotel it is 10.30 however we still go out for a meal. This time seafood and is one of our special meals. So tasty and with a few glasses of wine we eventually hit the sack 1am in the morning – very tired but very happy.

Sep 23, 2010 - Paraty

Gorgeous colonial town about 4 hours down the coast from Rio, made up of cobbled streets (MASSIVE cobbles) which are lined by white stone buildings, whose brightly coloured shutters reveal cute restaurants, shops and pousadas. There was a buzz in the air and lots of Brazilian around when we arrived as the next day was the national independence day (queue procession of cute kids down the street all in uniforms/kits of the various sports they play). The brass band even played lady gaga! The same day we decided to ignore the rain and cold and...

Sep 10, 2010 - Caipirinha

The title of this entry is of course the ubiquitous Brazilian drink, made from lime, sugar, ice and cachaca (the local spirit from sugar cane or something similar i think). I am a particular fan, and Paraty is meant to be one of the best places for it. Walking around the quaint, old cobbled town, filled with lots of little shops and restaurants - there are a couple of shops filled with loads of different bottles . Needless to say the other night we had a few too many, with ensuing consequences of painful headaches the next day. Didn´t...

Sep 8, 2010 - Rain

You will pleased to hear that for the last few days the weather has been particularly rubbish. Bus journey from Rio to Paraty was in low cloud and rain, and yesterday and today are also grey and rainy. Last day in Rio was good - went to see these steps that are completely covered in tiles by some mad Chilean artist , and then also took a tram ride. Seriously old and rickety though i had to hold onto the outside. Then that night went to very authentic Brazilian night out, with Feijoada - typical food and lots of samba dancing and...

Jun 15, 2010 - voetbal

In de voormiddag havajanes gaan kopen en op naar the beach en daarna naar tv zaal van het hotel voor de eerste match van brazilie tijdens het wk.Heel het dorp stroomt leeg, winkels sluiten allemaal en iedereen gaat naar voetbal kijken bij vrienden thuis. Onze begeleidster marianne is een echte braziliaanse en daar is ne serieuze hoek af, stapelzot maar wel heel plezant, ze is eigenlijk 20 kg te zwaar maar is fier op haar ronde vormen, is typisch braziliaans beweert ze. Toen brazilie de eerste keer scoorde werd ze compleet zot en nadat de...