Paraty, Costa Verde

 G'day viewers,
It's been some time since the last update I know. This time has been spent in the beautiful historic town of Paraty, in Rio de Janeiro's south. 
I arrived with the intention of staying for about three nights and with not many expectations of anything other than pristine beaches. I got to the town before I found out there was much more to the place than that. It is a very important part of Brazil's history. In colonial Portuguese time it was the best port to export from the worlds richest gold mines. 
The Colonial buildings have been preserved with perfection and the cobblestone streets finish off the feel of the place. Topped with locals selling ice-cream and beer to the tourists, it truly feels like you've stepped back into the 17th century!

Paraty Old Town

The first day in Paraty I went to the waterfalls near town, I'd heard that they were magnificent but I might not have gone had I not heard that there was a Cachaça distillery nearby with free taste testing. The waterfalls were even more beautiful than the spirit. There was one particular spot where a thin layer of water ran over a smooth rock and you could slide down it. There were locals sliding down on their feet but I was finding it hard enough to stay in a straight line parked on my arse. Other great watering holes (literal and metaphorical) were spotted along the river and we made sure to visit them all (literal and metaphorical).

Phresh water

Cachaça distillery, ranging from cinnamon flavoured to metho flavoured

Completely intentional 180

A nearby church, on a nearby rock

The very next day I embarked on a boat tour of a few different beaches and islands in the Paraty area. This day was beautiful and paradisey but also a little sun-strokey. The beaches visited were amazing and virtually deserted, great postcard kinda stuff.

One of the beaches off the boat

Sometimes open ocean is nicer than any beach, only sometimes

Practising my 'not a care in the world' pose

Paraty's nightlife was maybe the biggest let down, due to its virtual non-existence. The Friday night got lively at our hostel and a few of us were keen to see what Saturday night would hold, and it held nothing. So the rest of the night was spent shotgunning beer, and watching Irishmen do 'Dangercans' which involved shaking the can, smashing it on your head until it exploded and then drinking the beer from the hole in the can. Only the Irish.
The rest of the week was spent visiting smaller towns in the Paraty area and swimming at lovely smaller beaches. It was definitely hard to leave Paraty. It definitely deserves to be thought of as more than just an escape from Rio, and rather as its own destination with plenty more to do than sitting on beautiful beaches.

Sitting on a beautiful beach

Right now I am back in Rio, and have a flight to Lima in a few days where I will meet Gran and Steph, I am really looking forward to the next part of my trip through Peru.