Days 37-41 Paraty, Trinidade Brasil
Monday, February 26th, 2007
OK the days are blending together here. This weekend, in an effort to escape the 39 degree C heat, we headed northeast to the coast. The side road we took to the coast is incredibly curvy, steep and not so level but as least it was downhill. The views of the bumpy hills that make up the coast panaroma is worth the honking necessary around every turn to warn oncming traffic to share the road as you descend. Trinidad is a small town not far over the Sao Paulo-Rio de Janeiro state border. The formally dirt road there is now paved but you still have to drive through a river to get there, literally through a small stream that descends from the mountains into the ocean. The place itself is just a strip of inns, eateries and beach dwellers not different than some small getaway on the eastern shore.
We stayed at a small pousada (bed and breakfast), and I mean really small. I have been to cheap motels in Wildwood New Jersey for a beach weekend where you could hardly swing a cat but this place was 8 feet by 8 feet! Yes, I marvelled at the efficient use of space and I m an engineer and – so I measured it. There was a ladder going into a loft with a bed, a fridge, closet and a futon. A couple more square feet with a shower/toilet and you had a holiday happy home that slept 4. The room was in a courtyard where the owner had pet parrots which sang the national anthem and a turtle roaming which I was sure would get stepped on sooner or later.
We headed to the beach to swim in the warm, pristine blue-green waters. Not hard to believe Brasil is credited with some of the most beautiful coastline in the world. I got to make castles in sand with Maria and explore some cool rocks. Marcelo and I hiked to a natural cove sheltered my massive boulders and teeming with tropical fish. I was slathered in SPF 50 and with my tee shirt and shorts on trying to combat the 39 degree C sun blaring down, had more clothes on that half the people on the beach put together. Brasilians are more comfirtable with their bodies than any other culture I have spent time with – sand and sun are their natural environment and when at the beach getting formal means adorning their speedos and bikinis with some flip flops. It is a refreshing attitude although amusing after coming form a place where they wear 3 layers of colorful wool skirts, tights, long sleeve blouses and head veils.
Before heading home, we stopped in Paraty for dinner and a stroll. This is an old colonial portuguese town with cobble stone streets and bright contrasting colored doors and windows. I tested out some delicious fried manioc and a fish stew from the north of brasil cooked in clay pots with a coconut milk and spices. Nothing bad can be said against Brasilian cuisine. They have more unique fruits than most other continents combined. Time to go try some more…
dunlewey