Paraty (meaning river of fish) is located on Brazil’s southern Costa Verde (Green Coast). It was founded in the 17th century by the Portuguese as a port to carry the huge gold deposits mined in the interior to Rio de Janeiro and return supplies and African slaves to the mining area of Minas Gerais. Gold extracted by slaves in Brazil funded the Portuguese empire in the same way that silver extracted by slaves in Bolivia funded the Spanish empire.
Times change, of course, and Paraty’s new claim to fame is tourism. Wandering around the historic center is like taking a step back in time with its cobbled streets, colonial architecture, and weather-beaten churches. The only thing missing (from a locals’ perspective, at least) are the tourists. The open-air restaurants and sidewalk cafes are quiet and listless, while the harbor is bursting with brightly colored schooners that no-one wants to hire. Even this does not appear to faze the laid back locals, though, who wait patiently for the good times to roll around. And that occurs, apparently, when the Rio crowd comes to party at the weekends and the period between Christmas and Carnival. But for now, you would be hard-pressed to find a more relaxed, idyllic town to explore – or a more idyllic location than Costa Verde. The village is surrounded on three sides by thick, dense tropical rainforest, while the Bay of Ilha Grande literally laps gently at the doorsteps of the village shops. Indeed, 17th century Portuguese engineers built Paraty in such a way that at full moon high tides could enter the town and clean the streets. Then, as the tide receded again, the town’s garbage was neatly swept out to sea. I’m presuming the town has come up with a more environmentally friendly waste removal system now, but the flooding still occurs. It’s a pleasure to amble along these historic streets and squares, poking around the shops, and relaxing with a caipirinha or two. Christi and I eat a rather tasty dinner of garlic shrimp and rice at Candeeiro and listen to the local samba music while the stars shine and the moon smiles blissfully down upon us. (Note caipirinha translates as ‘a country girl’. It’s amusing to listen to Christi craving ‘a country girl’!).
Blog post by Roderick Phillips, author of Weary Heart – a gut-wrenching, heart-wrenching, laugh-wrenching ride.
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