It’s hard to resist the thought of visiting a tropical
paradise, but as a person who used to
visit the same place every year, I found
it becoming a bit boring and predictable, NOT what I wish when I have my precious time
away from home. Sameness is comforting to
me in my stomping grounds, but not so much while I am away. Here's something you probably haven't heard of....
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| Lush, thick foliage and interestingly rounded boulders create a beautiful entrance into bay. Look like giant turtles, don't they! |
As access to the tiny dots on the map of the world’s tropics
becomes easier, you can become a little more selective in choosing your
delightful landing spots. I spent a
little time, recently, at a somewhat remote Brazilian beach resort and the
frosting on that cake is that it has some historical significance and has preserved it!
Paraty, (sometimes spelled Parati,) is prounounced Parachee. Cariocas and their ladies make the two hour or so trip on weekends from Rio, but I arrived midweek so the town had no crowds whatsoever. Approaching the town from the water, you will step onto a dock with vendors selling hats, hats, cold treats and did I say hats? But unlike many other places, there were no "in your face" salespeople, a treat in itself. Walking along the long pier, the crazily painted boats are just begging for someone to please hire them...again, with nobody approaching you.
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| Boy boat |
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| Girlie boat |
The historic center is set in front of you as you step off the pier. Briefly, this bay and therefore the site of the city were first seen by the Portuguese a mere decade after Columbus' first trip. We cannot say Portugal discovered it, however, as there were already several tribes thriving here for hundreds of years before the Europeans came. In the 1600s the town became the most important point of export for gold, jewels and sugar in Brazil and in the next hundred years or so the town itself is what thrived. Then the export business dried up as it moved away (too easy for pirates to plunder from this location) and Paraty was seemingly forgotten. Thankfully, many of the buildings, iglesias, warehouses, and homes remained as a little time capsule, now still homes, shops, and restaurants to enchant us 21st century travelers.
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No motorized vehicles allowed here, an original street which is cleaned monthly with the cooperation of Mother Nature and the Man in the Moon. The bulkhead along the beach has openings so the highest tides of the full moon can come onto the cobblestone streets and rinse everything away.
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| No need to pave your driveway, just place a few rocks and your lawn and car park are separated. Wish I could see beyond the gates. |
Once you enter the historic area, you'll be dazzled by the whitewashed walls, the foliage, and neatness of this quaint little place. There's a nice mix of usage from private homes to a well-done cultural center to restaurants, places to stay and of course shops, which were surprisingly well-stocked and not at all "beach-town-ish." Some nice galleries too.
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Although the temperatures and humidity were in the 90s on this peak-of-summer day, I felt refreshed just looking at the cool blues and greens of these homes.
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I turned a corner and was intrigued to see what looked like a little pocket bar, about seven feet wide and maybe twenty feet long. There was no one there to serve me a very cold beverage and I realized it was part of a hostel. A kind staff member found me there and brought me into the office where he served me a glass of cool water.
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The tiny little bar with the big-hearted bartender...
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...and the Simpsons on Abbey Road.
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Turning toward the main square at the waterfront I caught a glimpse of the church tower and a horse-drawn carriage, allowing me to imagine a little of what life much have been like centuries ago.
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Brazil has done a great job recently of identifying and saving it's treasures of the past and UNESCO has declared this Old Town a World Heritage Site.
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This is no one-note visit. There is Aventura Park just a mile away, a rainforest with zip lines, swinging bridges, numerous hiking trails, and a river running through it. You can also walk parts of the famous original Gold Trail from the 1600s which have been dug up and made passable. And lest you think I have forgotten, there are beaches all over...surfing, swimming, and sunbathing.
But no matter what you do here, this might be your most lasting image:
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Tchau, Paraty. (pronounce it "ciao.")
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Do you have a favorite, perhaps secret, tropical hideaway with a lot of personality? I'd love to hear about it. Just go below to Comments and type in your message and you can share with my millions of readers. (Insert smiley face here.)
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