We left Iguazu to embark on a 32 hour journey across the Argentinean border into Brazil and on to the cute colonial and coastal town of Paraty, four hours south of Rio. The journey should have involved five buses and a taxi but at the last minute we decided to be kind to ourselves and splurge some cash on a private transfer to the international bus station in Brazil (cutting out 3 of the 5 buses – my brother who keeps reminding us “this is NOT a holiday, you’re meant to be traveling!!” would not have been impressed!).
We're not looking forward to Brasil, simply for the fact that the language there is Portugese, of which we know not a single word! After 3 months in Spanish speaking countries, occasionally listening to the Spanish language CDs and now having bought a Spanish/English dictionary, we finally feel like we’re getting somewhere with the language. Clearly this is not the case as was proven perfectly at the Argentinian/Brazilian border when changing the last of our Argentinean pesos into Brazilian currency. I ask the woman behind the counter to give me small notes (because getting change in these countries is always an issue) and she looks at me very confused and as though I’m slightly mad but I persist thinking she’s just being stubborn. Eventually Kirst hears me and comes over to inform me that I’m clearly the confused one! Instead of the word for small (Pee-ken-ya) I’m saying (Pee-kan-tay), which actually means spicy tomato salsa!! Kirst is howling with laughter and the women behind the desk realize my mistake and also find it hilarious, and I just stand there looking red faced and muttering about how similar those two bloody words are!!!!!
24 hours into the journey and after the most comfortable night bus we may ever take in our lives (big fully reclining lazy boy leather chairs, hot meals, and English movies!!!) we arrive in Sao Paulo – one of the largest and most violent cities in the world (the stats on the number of daily murders don’t make for pleasant reading!) We're pretty nervous about being there and so decide not to risk being robbed (or worse) for a third time and to ship straight on through to Paraty. We have a four hour wait in the bus station and would you believe even in those four hours, we manage to get mugged!! I've gone to the loo and kirst is sitting eating a plum when an elderly woman approaches her and starts talking and gesticulating at her in Portugese. Kirst finally figures out that she's demanding a plum and of course, kirst hands one over. Like she said later, "I didn't want to risk refusing her, that old woman could have had a machete in her handbag!!! Best to just hand over the goods!!!!"
When we arrive in Paraty, 32 hours after our journey began, its 10.30pm! I'm exhausted after being talked at for the last four hours by the sweaty German insurance broker in the seat next to me! Interesting guy but give it a break!!! You'd have thought he'd have got the hint and shut the f**k up after I cosied up under my blanket and put my eye mask on!!!! But when we get off the bus we're instantly revived, its still 28 degrees, there are palm trees lining the cobbled rustic roads of this caribbean looking town and there's a samba band doing an impromptu performance in the bus station. We've arrived in Brazil!!!
Our good mood is dampened when we arrive at the hostel. The lounge/kitchen/bar/reception is tiny, hot and heaving with ppl. Then we get shown to our 9-bed room, which consists of three triple bunk beds and a space in the middle of them roughly the size of your average doormat!!! We're both given the top beds and I'm right under the ceiling fan. Didn't realise quite how close i was to that vicous fan til climbing into bed that night I almost get decapitated by it!!! That's the last time I sleep on the top of a triple if i can help it!! The hostel's one saving grace is that it's right on the beach and the view that night was incredible - white sand, palm trees, calm water, and all bathed in moonlight, beautiful!!! Unfortunately we then get told that the beach is filthy and the water too dirty to swim in!!!! Decision made! First thing next day we get the hell out of there, we don't really know where we're going and we don't really care, we just know we're not staying there for one more night!!
Turns out to be the best decision we ever made! We end up staying at Blue Jungle hostel which is surrounded by jungle, so peaceful, horses in the field next door and a huge swimming pool! We head straight into town and invest in two lilo's (possibly the best 7 pounds I've spent in Brasil!) and more or less spend the rest of the week cooling off from the incredible 38 degree heat bobbing about in the pool on the lilo! Perfect!
Paraty itself is a beautiful colonial town with wonderful white washed buildings and cobbled streets. Its really quiet and peaceful and feels safe (for Brasil anyway!) Every night in the square there is live music and stalls selling caipirinhas (best cocktail ever) made with every conceivable fruit you can imagine!! But perhaps the best thing about Paraty is the self service pay by weight ice cream parlour with about 35 different flavours and zillions of different toppings and sauces! We heard about this place before we arrived and our only regret is not have visited the place more often!!!!!
It was my 29th Birthday while we were staying in Paraty. I woke and went for breakfast where the hostel owners presented me with a cake they had baked that morning!!! Then checked email and I'd received 40 b'day messages (if I'd have known that buggering off to the southern hemisphere would result in this much love and affection I'd have done it years ago!!) Luckily the internet went down the following day which gave me a great excuse not to have to reply to everyone!! As for presents; Kirst knows I'm trying to travel light and don't want
to be weighed down with unnecessary crap, so for my present she gave me
a hug - how thoughtful she can be!!! Mum and dad sent me a text and my brother communicated to me via telepathy!!!!
So we spent the day on the incredible, hot, secluded, sandy Trinidad beach. Just a slight contrast from last year when I had the day off work cos we were all snowed in!! In the evening we had a pre-dinner caipirinha which turned into 5 caipirinhas and no dinner!! Needless to say I was pretty hammered and spent some time that night hugging the toilet bowl!! Anyway we didn't get back to the hostel til 10.30am and though neither of us has much memory of what we got up to, we're assuming it was a good night!!!
On the 9th Feb we sadly packed up, left the lilos floating on the pool, said our goodbyes and got onto a bus headed for Rio. We're feeling about as scared as we are excited!!! This is it - it's Carnival time!!!!!!!
