Day Four: Paraty

Day four was great - we started out in the morning with a good breakfast at the pousada. My favorite part was the watermelon juice and felipe was happy to have some super fresh papaya.

After breakfast we all walked to the shore near the historic district. Here is where Felipe's dad and uncle bargained for us to have a boat take us around the coast for swimming. In the end we had Maestre Antonio of the Paraiso do Sol! We spent the next five hours boating from beach to beach around Paraty.

Felipe and I on the boat.




At the first beach, the water was this amazing shade of turquoise green.

Thankfully Felipe had the foresight to bring snorkeling masks, because there were some areas that had some amazing fish. Just throw a bit of crackers in the water and there were tons of them!



Ana and Sergi enjoying the "sun deck" on the top of the boat.

Unfortunately the sun didn't last the WHOLE time we were out on the boat. We weathered a few very heavy downpours. Below is a photo of the group huddled under the overhand of the boat's roof.



Although not as fun as sun, the rain did make for a really beautiful scene.

I especially enjoyed the way the water looked with all the millions of raindrops falling...


In the end we took advantage of the rain - we were all wet anyway from swimming! so we just had fun!

Felipe coming in after a rainy swim.


One last group photo after the rain let up a little bit. Our guide for the day, Antonio is in the red and blue jacket.

After five hours of swimming and boating around, we went back to the pousada for a bit of a rest. Then again in the evening we walked around the historic center, and felipe found a treat he'd not had in a long time!


Corn ice cream!!!



Sunset (kind of - it's there behind the clouds).

Day Three: Paraty, Brazil

A view of the Paraty shore.

Day three saw our arrival to Paraty, a small colonial town south of Rio de Janeiro. Unfortunately most of our time in Paraty was slightly marred by rain, but it always allowed enough breaks in the rain to enjoy the town!

We stayed at the Pousada do Principe, it was a short walk to the historic part of town, and a very nice little place to stay.




After setting our stuff down into our rooms, we took a stroll around the historic portion of the city.

They had some beautifully colored doors - not just some I suppose, but all over.


In front of the Capela de Santa Rita (Chapel of Saint Rita) - built in 1722, and it's the oldest church in the town.


Because it was raining so much, there was water flooded into the streets. This seems to be not abnormal - as they have platforms that cross the streets at some points to keep you from having to walk through the water. This was designed for when high tide hits too.

Here it was day three of my trip - and I had yet to have a coconut or see a beach! So this was my first coconut and my first Brazilian "beach" ;)



This is the man who cut the top of my coconut off with a machete. This is apparently a very popular after-beach refreshment. My first sip was less sweet than I had anticipated, but still good!

That night we went back to the pousada and just relaxed. We had dinner at the little bar they operated in the common area and talked for a few hours before going to bed.