seekingmygreaterperhaps

Oi gente!

After I celebrated the New Year in style in Rio, I took a 3 hour bus ride to Paraty, a lovely colonial town in Rio de Janeiro state. If I had known there would be so much to offer, I would have stayed more than 2 nights! I loved the hostel I stayed at (Casa Viva Paraty), they had a pool, a great view, and quiet nature. They even helped me book an excursion for my one full day in Paraty, and I had the best time.

If a city or town offers a free walking tour, I go on it if I can. I like to start my visits to new places with a free walking tour, because it helps me orient to where I am, and I can also get insight from a local. (Note* they are not truly free- it’s “suggested” to tip your guides- but you should always tip your guides.) Paraty was no exception. The main historic town is truly historic- the cobbled streets will take your ankles out if you’re not careful. I loved the painted houses and vibe.

Paraty comes alive in the evening, but beware it is truly a tourist town. I like to toggle between “traveler” and “tourist” because a lot of times tourist spots are popular because they are really cool. Paraty falls into the really cool category. I learned from my walking tour that Paraty has grown as a hub of shipping, and helped cut down time to transport goods. Goods varied from slaves (I’m sorry), to cachaca (which is the alcohol made in Brazil). Also on my walking tour, I learned where they make beautiful one of kind hammocks that don’t look like any I’ve seen before because they are made with fabric. And I maybe spent an hour traipsing around afterwards to find said hammock shop because Paraty is a confusing city and I forgot where the shop was. But I was successful, and brought a hammock home, and now I’m someone who has a hammock in her living room.

Souvenir shopping aside, I ate well in Paraty. Brazilian food is delicious. However, sometimes I get tired of it, and I enjoyed having Turkish food one night and Thai food the other night. The girls in my hostel room were super nice, and I love meeting people who are cool while traveling.

On my full day in Paraty, I went on a cachaca distillery tour, and waterfall tour/hike. The other main thing to do in Paraty is boat cruises. In fact, all the blogs say, if you do nothing else, do a boat cruise. The beaches in Paraty that are worth going to are the ones on the surrounding islands. Well, it was cloudy and looked like it was going to rain, and I didn’t want to do a boat cruise in the rain. Been there (recently over Thanksgiving) and didn’t want to do it again. So I chose something a little more adventurous. It was worth it!

The first stop was a cachaca distillery. We learned about the process of cachaca making, but if you want to learn more about that, you should probably Google it. I would most likely give false information. However, after our knowledge session we got to the tasting. Oh yes. Getting tipsy at 9 am is just kind of what you do on vacation… right? They take you from the bitterest cachaca (to me) to the sweet ones, and the liquours. Paraty is known for a special type called “Gabriela” and each distillery has their own twist and flavor. This type of liquor is used in a “Jorge Amado” drink, which you almost exclusively find in Paraty. There was a movie filmed in Paraty that featured this drink, and it put this city on the map. I also tasted a corn flavored cachaca liquor. Even though I am an Indiana girl- it was just a little odd for me.

Next up- waterfalls! The first one that we went to was easy to get to, but then we got to hike through mud and offroad a little bit, and I was stoked. I love my chacos all the time, but especially when I am wearing them to go adventuring. Something to note- waterfalls in Brazil are typically cold. You will always see people swimming in them, but just know, that initially it is never pleasant.

I was loving my moment of serenity in this swimming hole post adventure. That’s me! The glowstick in the water wearing blue.

My favorite activity of the day was the natural waterslide. I had been to something similar to this when I was really young in California, but this was epic. In the picture on the right, you’ll see me and 2 others from my tour group (plus some random Brazilians) having just completed our epic waterslide. The big rock behind us is what we slid down. What makes a natural waterslide is its slippery-ness. In order not to hurt yourself, you use your hands to steer, and the water takes you and dumps you into the pool. It was so fun, I went twice!

Paraty is the perfect vacation spot in my opinion. It’s a mix of city amenities (and plenty of souvenir shops and food), and a chance to escape into nature. I am loving living abroad because I am learning who I am as an explorer of the world.

Tchau for now!