22.07 - Day 33 - Paraty, BRA
Paraty, Brazil
Thursday 22nd July 2010
Following possibly our best breakfast yet – different breads, fresh fruit including
mangoes, fresh juice, yoghurt and cakes at the large kitchen table with all the
guests (like Valparaiso, very much someone’s house opened up for back packers)
we shift hostels for a more vibrant vibe, although moving into an eight bed
dorm with four Aussies and two Brazilians.
We
explore the old town containing the best preserved Brazilian colonial
buildings; Paraty a port town from the 1700’s and the days of The Gold Trail.
White washed buildings with contrasting bright colours for window frames, doors
and door frames.
The streets are lined with inconveniently uneven cobbles in a
self cleaning set up for heavy rains or leap tides. Crossing the canal a pair
of beaches with shacks along the front; a mixture of bars and cafes.
We stop
(in the shade as the sun is high and hot – the first time that can be said this
holiday?) to watch some local fishermen sort through their crawling catch of
crabs and shrimps.
With
fish on the brain we find a restaurant serving value plates for two – unnamed
white fish in shrimp sauce with rice and sautéed potatoes. This is complemented
with our free (and first) Caipirinha. A lot of Cachaça, lime, ice and sugar –
something between a Mojito and a Pisco Sour in terms of refreshing and
sharpness.
More walking and we settle down on one of the beaches with Itaipava
beers (600ml, £1) as the sun drops behind us.
Back
at the hotel there’s an all-you-can-eat BBQ. At the finish Krish’s plate
resembles the carcass of a small animal – all his pork and chicken bones.
Suitably bloated and ignoring cries from the hostel staff to join them on a pub
crawl, we instead opt to join the mixture of locals and tourists in the Old Town