Paraty, Brazil

Paraty is laaavly! We arrived on Thursday after a rather long and bumpy bus ride from Ilha Grande - we stood the whole way as the bus was completely packed and had to hold on for dear life. Another taste of how the Brazilians drive!

Despite the journey, our first impressions of Paraty were great. A picturesque colonial town complete with horse and carts and cobblestone streets. We walked through the historical center as the sun was setting and preparations were being made for the Festa do Divino, a Catholic festival celebrated 50 days after Easter - our timing was pretty perfect!

We spent the next day exploring the town and walked up to the old fort; built to protect  the town from pirates! The views were incredible, and we listened in on somebody else´s tour so caught a bit of Paraty´s history too. We made some new friends at our hostel and went into town to join in with the festivities. The town was buzzing and there was a huge stage with local bands playing.. so naturally we joined in with the locals dancing and drinking late into the night!

Today we got the local bus along the coast to Trinidade, which had been recommended by an Italian couple we met. The journey itself was eventful. When we got on to the crowded bus, everyone began noticing an awful smell, which seemed to get stronger with the heat. It didn't take long for us to realise the source of the problem was Sam... he'd left his damp swimming shorts in a plastic bag at the bottom of his rucksack to fester for a good few days! Consequently he stunk out the whole bus for an hour, as we got held up by roadworks and clung on as the bus flew over bumps and around hairpin corners. In addition to our woes, another passenger spilt motor oil which began snaking it's way across the floor on to everyone's feet!

When we finally got there, feeling a little worse for wear, the beaches were perfect! Well worth the journey. We ambled through rainforest to the Piscina Natural we'd been told about, which was a natural pool created by large volcanic rocks. A perfect way to relax before facing the bus ride back..

Emily, Jason, Kelly and Sam in the natural pools

Tomorrow we´re heading to Sao Paulo for a few days before moving on to Florianopolis for more beaches...