Paraty (BRASIL) - beneath the southern cross

Paraty (Brasil)
22 JUNE - 26 JUNE 2015

The Costa Verde is about as spectacular as you'd imagine this part of the world to be. Lush emerald green jungle that cascades from mountains into an island studded bay, whose waters also shimmer emerald green. Where the jungle meets the sea is basically where Paraty is situated. A small colonial town whose beauty has also been very well preserved, the pedestrian streets of the town are lined with whitewashed buildings, one or two storeys in heights, colourful and brightly painted doors and a feel of boutique elegance. It's a Brazilian style of cool, interesting and chic, and yet still preserving its heritage.

Inga and I stayed at the Resort Croce de Sud, a beautiful placed perched on top of a hill with  fabulous panoramic views sweeping views of the Baia Carioca and the island Ilha do Aroujo.  Serenity here is at your beck and call. It's so easy to sit in the hammock on the verandah, have the winds sweep over you and drift off with sound track of small fishing boats heading out from the village below.

Resort Croce del Sud - Paraty - Brasil

Resort Croce del Sud - Paraty

Resort Croce del Sud - Paraty - Brasil

I'd been to this place once before, with Janelle and Jet back at the start of 2012. The owner somehow remembered me, although when I started talking to him it wasn't hard to figure out why. First of all he told me that it was a rarity for Australian visitors to stay at his place and secondly, I was the only returning guest that has come back from that far away. He was already prepared for my arrival and even discussed the little kangaroo that I'd brought for his kids on my last journey here.

Down the hill from the resort are two great beaches, Praia Grande & Prainha. Both beaches. The first actually being a little fishing village that has its own bars, restaurants and half decent accommodation, the other being almost completely deserted, except for a cool open bar which at the time of year we were there was unfortunately closed. Not that Winter in this part of the world is bad. If you can handle low 20's for Winter then this is the place to be. I think Inga found it relatively easily to find a place on the beach to occupy and soak in the southern rays. As for me, being brought up in Australia, we're almost fearful of the sun. I don't mind being out in direct light, other than the boredom, its the idea of sun cancers that stick in my head the most. All those now infamous ads over the years are so ingrained in my fabric that I'm sure they've become somewhat of a nuisance to Inga at those moments when she just wants to sunbake (...but not on my watch...).

Praia Grande - Paraty - Brasil

This restaurant had THE BEST selection of hot sauces out of any place I've been - it was incredible...then randomly, just bottles of champagne, ready to go - Paraty - Brasil

We were located around 10kms out of Paraty itself but being on a direct bus line it made things relatively easy in terms of coming and going into town. Not that we spent a lot of time in Paraty, there's plenty of other things outside of the town such as waterfalls, water slides, boat cruises on the bay, etc. Definitely a town worth visiting but also an area worth discovering because of its natural beauty.  Coming to the end of our trip I would say that it ranked in the top five areas that we had encountered in terms of pure natural attributes - putting in the same class as places such as Torres del Paine, El Chalten, Salar de Uyuni and Iguazu Falls. The only thing missing is it doesn't have that stellar attraction, that 'stand out' feature that draws the tourist hoards, which in a way can only be a good thing, because as long as this area remains relatively under the radar is as long as people like me can enjoy it in its current state. Selfish....yes....but sometimes you have to be.

Paraty - Brasil

Paraty - Brasil

Paraty - Brasil

Paraty acted as the last real turning point for us. We'd been travelling for a couple of days short of 3 months at this point but now we were heading back to Rio for just a few more days of sunshine and to catch our penultimate flight to Buenos Aires. Even thought we didn't want to think about it at that point, the flight out of Buenos Aires was going to be the great unknown.  Perhaps it was going to act as the full stop on what inevitably would be a lifetime highlight, or, it was going to be just a comma, a short hiatus that was going to lead us on to a great many other things. Of course, writing from my position now I know exactly what's brought us from then until now, but back then, it was all undecided and was still left to be played out.

Ilha Grande (BRASIL) - Serene emerald green

Ilha Grande (Brasil)
19 JUNE - 22 JUNE 2015

A sweet, small coincidence occurred when we hit Ilha Grande. We'd been traveling close to three months by then and wandered into a small bar in the area of Abraao on the island. As we entered a pair of eyes looked up from one of the tables and we recognised the person as being one of the guys

that had also completed the Death Ride with us in Bolivia some two months earlier. I enjoy those oddities, those happy coincidences. It shows you that the world is still not big enough to be able to hide and disappear from everyone, well, unless of course it's intentional. Over the years of traveling I'd had events like this punctuate my travels. Sometimes with people that were well known to me, others just random acquaintances. When you think of the chances of those encounters and wonder about the odds you really do get amazed that they happen at all.

Ilha Grande - Brasil

Ilha Grande - Brasil

Crystal clear beaches, luscious Atlantic forest, emerald coloured waters. When we turned up at Conceição de Jacareí to board our ride across to Ilha Grande there was none of that. We boarded a pontoon with an outboard motor that was open to the elements, and then, just headed out into the Atlantic. Pressed down by heavy clouds, relentless, annoying rain and some choppy water, our little vessel of hope cut through the mediocre waves as the spray soaked all on board. It literally felt as though we were heading to the edge of the known world. The shoreline disappeared from behind us and nothing visible in front, there was a certain unease to the situation. Sometimes you just need to place your trust in the people in charge and accept, or at least think, that what is happening at this exact moment is totally normal. The funny thing was, just a few days later on our return journey, under blue skies and calm seas, we could easily see the shoreline and were a little dumbfounded that the journey out to the island felt like a tunnel to the abyss.

Ilha Grande - Brasil

Ilha Grande - Brasil

Vila do Abraão, Angra dos Reis  in the State of Rio de Janeiro is just a small town. Basically a combination of hotels, restaurants and business set up for water activites. It has a population of about 2000 inhabitants and is the largest on an island that has so far remained relatively untouched. The reason for that, up until now, was that it had at one time been a leper colony and also housed a prison where the 'baddest of the bad-asses' of the Brasilian penal system would be dumped. Since the mid-90's its been opened up to tourists and thankfully, to date, has stringent development restrictions that protect it from development. I hope that will remain the case. The island has an abundance of all things - beauty in spades, both flora and fauna. The beaches are untouched, unspoiled, mainly accessible by boat or those intrepid enough to hike the island trails. I say 'intrepid' as rumour still has it that there are still booby traps scattered around the island that were place there to prevent prisoners from making their escapes. It could be just urban legend, but would you take the risk?

Do you think the post came first or the bench?

That's how far the mainland was away 

This is a place where you could easily spend a week or longer, and its in those times of contemplation that you do wonder whether a simple life would be satisfying. Sun, sand, water, tranquility. You ask yourself, 'could I do this every day?', obviously some people do and are satisfied, or even happy. It's in those moments that the eternal thought of 'opening a bar' comes to mind. I wonder how many people have thought of this method as being their out to happiness in such idyllic locations. When it comes down to it though, 99.99999% of the time its those 3-4 days that fill the cup of prospective sea-change. Still, there are those that do it, and they seem happy making caipirnhas for people like me.

Rio de Janeiro (BRASIL) - Carioca landscapes between the mountain and the sea

Rio de Janeiro (Brasil)
11 JUNE - 19 JUNE 2015
26 JUNE - 01 JULY 2015

The Portuguese first cruised into Guanabara Bay on the 1st of January, 1502. What a New Year's Day that must have been. Rolling over the waves of the Atlantic, the beams of sunlight hitting the seamen through their portholes, swimming in their own seas of semi-consciousness, green wine mixing with copious amounts of port, it was no wonder that when they made the turn into the bay even the best and brightest called it a river. In fact, Rio de Janeiro should have been known as Baia de Janeiro - but hell, what's in a name, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, 'apparently'.

Dramatic mountains of emerald green rising directly from the sea and the molding of the urban landscape around those immovable features makes Rio a visually stunning city. Of course, like many places around the world, be they cultural, historic or geographical, the part of the city that encompasses the Tijuaca mountains, to Guanabara Bay, down to the coastline that includes Copacabana, Ipanema, and all the other great beaches heading south, are UNESCO Heritage listed. I get the feeling these days that UNESCO Heritage listing is a bit of laugh, apparently 'Vienesse coffee culture' is also on a 'list'....BUT...with that said, the outstanding universal value contributed by the Carioca landscapes between the mountain and the sea are undeniable.

Rio de Janeiro - Brasil

View from Corcovado - Rio de Janeiro - Brasil

Cristo Redentor - Corcovado - Rio de Janeiro - Brasil

Cristo Redentor - Rio de Janeiro - Brasil

Some cities have a power, an allure, a vibrancy. If they were people you would call them charismatic. Places of charm and energy (New York), romance and beauty (Paris), seductive vivacity (Buenos Aires), and then within that group, but also standing aside, you have Rio. This place is special in its own right.  Rio takes hold of you immediately and as you move eastwards from the airport to the coastline and as you do the small 'dot' of Christo on top of Corcovado draws you into its arms. You see the powerful conical shapes of Pao de Acucar (Sugarloaf), Urca, Caro de Cao and of course the famous mountain top of Corcovado. All those iconic images come into focus and you can't help but be drawn into its powerful allure.

Nestled between the mountains and the sea the urban landscape bends and is warped by the immovable objects in its way. The beauty of the city is undeniable and this, along with the more than acceptable weather, formulates the lifestyle and temperament of the people.

To be part of this environment even for a week changes your whole mindset, even for the shortest period of time. Inga and I occupied a small apartment on a street named Rua Djalma Ulrich. Located a block back from Avenida Atlantico and therefore one block back from Copacabana beach, it was the perfect location for us, beach, sand, sun, surf. It's a hell of a lifestyle to throw yourself into.

 Rio de Janeiro - Brasil

Pao de Acucar - Rio de Janeiro - Brasil

Copacabana beach from the Porto Bay - Rio de Janeiro - Brasil

For me personally, there's no argument to be made between Copacabana and Ipanema -  its the former that wins hands down. Of course, Ipanema is beautiful in its own right, the sunsets there are fantastic, but its just not Copacabana. What the beaches do have, and what you get pulled into, is the beach life culture. All activity revolves around what occurs on the sand, or just off it. From early morning, pre-dawn, the early morning fitness freaks are already making their way up and down the running paths of Copacabana and Ipanema. As the morning lengthens and the rays start to peak over the mountains of Pao de Acucar, the mix of runners, cyclists, walkers and alike morph into a continuum of  mobile fitness obsessed ornaments. Of course there are shapes, sizes and oddities but the fact that you live most of your life half naked here means that you need to also do as much as you can to take care of yourself - that part is obvious.

The beach itself is a hive of activity during the day.  Those that occupy the sand attract those that are trying to make a quick dollar by selling absolutely everything and anything, from hammocks to fried cheese, to sunglasses, to passionfruit caipirinhas. Those that sell are relentless in their pursuit of acquiring your Reals, and gradually, one by one, you get broken down into parting with them. For us it was the mobile caipirinha vendor that had us reaching for our wallets. And the product - WHOA - literally rocket full. At the best of times a caipirinha is cachaca mixed with lime juice, ice and brown sugar. The way that the guys on the beach made it was something altogether different. Within two drinks you were transported to an alternate universe where Barry Manilows 'Copacabana' was on endless play and where Borat's mankini all of a sudden seemed to be kind of 'legit'.

Rio de Janeiro from the air - Ipanema

Ipanema - Rio de Janeiro - Brasil

The entrance to Guanabara Bay - Rio de Janeiro - Brasil

Ipanema - Rio de Janeiro - Brasil

Of course, Rio isn't just about the beaches, there's a lot of other mind blowingly stunning places that need to be experienced in this part of the world. It's a virtual cornucopia of stunning vistas. First there's the most famous 'hill' within the most famous status of the big J-man in all of the world.  Cristo Redentor is a 30mtr high cultural icon. Not just of Rio de Janeiro but of Brazil. As recognisable as the Eiffel Tower or the Opera House,  its pride of place on Corcovado overlooking the city, arms outstretched, is a treasure for humanity. That is not an overstatement. Unsurprisingly included within the list of the New7Wonders of the World, this overwhelming symbol of Christianity occupies a position that is dramatic, wonderful and special on its own right. Standing at the base of Christo the city of Rio unfurls itself before you. From the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema, to Lagoa de Freitas, to Humaita, Botofoga, out to Sugarloaf and then Guanabara Bay, on a sunny day the views here are priceless .

Cristo Redentor

Cristo Redentor - Corcovado - Rio de Janeiro - Brasil

 The view from Sugarloaf mountain - Rio de Janeiro - Brasil

The view down the beaches to Copacabana and Ipanema from Sugaloaf

Cristo Redentor

View of Rio from the air

In much the same manner, the oddities of Pao de Acucar are an incredible drawcard. Rising nearly 400mtrs directly out of the Atlantic ocean, these granite and quartz mountains provide the perfect support cast to a vista to a scene that already has a plethora of riches. The peak is accessible by a glass window cable car, which once again, as you'll come to expect in Rio, provide such gorgeous scenery that its hard to absorb everything at once. Its easy to spend a few hours at the top of Sugarloaf, looking down the beaches, across to the mountains and out to the bay.  You also grasp an idea of the views that domestic travelers have when arriving in Rio. Most flights swooping low over the mountains, dropping in over the bay in front of Botofogo, turning sharply by Sugarloaf and then landing on the runway that juts out into Guanbara Bay - its a hell of an introduction.

Sugarloaf - Rio de Janeiro - Brasil

Sugarloaf - Rio de Janeiro - Brasil

Escadaria Selaron - Lapa - Rio de Janeiro - Brasil

Escadaria Selaron - Rio de Janeiro - Brasil

Lapa - Rio de Janeiro - Brasil

Escadaria Selaron - Lapa - Rio de Janeiro - Brasil

Rio literally has an embarrassment of riches. We spent many days on the beach or at the rooftop bar/pool the Porto Bay Hotel, which to me, has one of the greatest views over Copacabana. At night it was places like Lapa, or visiting the Esacadaria Selaron, or heading to one of the many churrascarias (like Rio's or Mario's), or in fact heading to an outstanding restaurant like Aprazivel in Santa Theresa.

 Lapa - Rio de Janeiro - Brasil

 Ipanema - Rio de Janeiro - Brasil

 View to Ipanema from Pedro de Aproador - Rio de Janeiro - Brasil

Sunrise on Copacabana - Rio de Janeiro - Brasil

Sunrise on Copacabana - Rio de Janeiro - Brasil

It's easy to fall for Rio, it is a beauty, but also, it's the way of life that captures you also. If you don't watch out then you may find yourself spending a lot of time here, which isn't going to be a bad thing.

Jericoacoara (BRASIL) - Jijoca de Jericoacoara

Jijoca de Jericoacoara (Brazil) via Fortaleza (Brazil)
06 JUNE - 11 JUNE 2015

Paris, New York, London, Sydney - they're omnipotent in the consciousness of the mind of the traveler. They're the beacons that somehow draw you into their gravitational frame of reference. Somehow you feel compelled to visit and inevitably there's something that captures the imagination. They're locks. That's a given.

Other experiences of mine have been happy discoveries when 'sailing the seas of consequence', places like Buenos Aires (Argentina), Hallstat (Austria), Antigua (Guatemala), Caye Caulker (Belize), Cape Town (South Africa), Amalfi (Italy), El Tunco (El Salvador), El Chalten (Argentina) - there's probably a few more to add AND they're not so hidden. These places are well known but it was the unspecified consequence of chance and choice that delivered me to these locations without preconceived notions of what would exist, usually, but not always, being the route to take for the happiest of surprises....and then, you have a third category,  he 'randomly referred locations'.

I've found that the randomly referred location has also brought me a lot of joy over the years. Whilst those have been few and far between, mostly as travel discussions centre on the well traveled and traversed locales, some do happen to appear out of the blue. In this category I add Vang Vieng (Laos), Chefchaouen (Morocco), Huacachina (Peru) and Jericoacoara (Brazil).

Usually the randomly referred locations come in the form of legendary or fabled stories. I recall Vang Vieng being described to me as an Apocalypse Now type of setting, random bars located in the Lao jungle where drugged out hippies floated down the river on rubber inner tubes looking for their next giant water slide....(and guess what)...that was more or less the case (back then, FYI). In the same manner "Jeri" was sold to me as a hippie hangout, 'kumbaya' sing alongs on mountainous sand dunes overlooking the sea. Streets paved of golden sand and not a closed toe shoe within 50kms...(and guess what)....well, I'll get to that in the moment.

Our flight out of Foz du Iguaza was via Brasilia, landing in the city of Fortaleza early in the evening, a city of around 2.5 million people and the fifth largest in Brazil. Whilst this acted purely as a transit destination the city, or rather the beaches, were more than pleasant, and we spent a nice day working out the logistics of how to get to Jeri whilst downing beach side caipirinhas. This my friends was also the trigger for my downfall - once again....

 Fortaleza - Brazil

Fortaleza - Brasil

Whilst in Fortaleza we stayed in a nice beach side hotel called the Seara Praia. The top floor had a rooftop spa, nice views down the coastline and bar service. This as they say in the classics was the 'Return of the Mack', or something akin to that, you know insert whatever moniker you want for making a comeback. I do believe that it was another errant Tom Collins, or at the very least, a drink with a bit of squeezed lemon that commenced proceedings, but 2-3 weeks after shaking off awful stomach troubles whilst in Puno (Peru), whatever it was that was somehow still lurking in the nasty crevices of my intestines decided to come back for a second bite. I knew it immediately too. I knew what trouble existed just over the horizon. In that moment I tried to rationalise it as just some acid reflux that I'd easily step out of but come the next day, the very moment when we started our 5.5hr journey by minibus to Jeri, I was layed out on the back seat and painfully riding out every bump on that God forsaken highway to nowhere. Now, I've done that same road a few times since then and can say that its not nearly the pot holed riddled bomb pit that I make it out to be, but bouncing in the back of the van with that ultra sensitivity to vertical movement in the hope of delaying the upcheck reflex - man oh man, that was a nightmare.

 Jericoacoara - Brazil

Jericoacoara - Brazil

Jericoacoara - Brazil

From Jijoca to Jericoacoara the only method of transport is via 4*4. All the roads are sand and there's just no other way. Quite the pleasure ride into wild if at peak fitness at will but somewhere on that road, I believe it was when we stopped to view some pissant lake (which was probably quite nice), the ghosts of Tom Collins' past came back to me. On that day I left a piece of me out on the dunes of Parque Nacional de Jericoacoara - there's just some thing in life that you can never get back.

It took me a few days to get into the idea of Jeri, that was purely for the fact that a lot of that time I was occupying a position on the 'bed of recuperation'. Inga however was like a duck to water, what more does a Latvian girl want than sun, getting a sun tan, beach life and sand wherever you go?

When I finally recovered myself I found Jeri to be quite the location. Probably not exactly the trippy hippie commune set in the sticks of Northern Brazil but how can you go past streets of sand, sand floors in restaurants and bars, and a saloon where the locals do actually tie their horses up out front. The place was and is quite beautiful with God's additional gift of magical sunsets being granted almost upon request.

Jericoacoara - Brazil

Jericoacoara - Brazil

Jericoacoara - Brasil

Jericoacoara - Brasil

If the beach wasn't on the agenda for the day then there were other opportunities aplenty. One of those day we did a quad bike tour around the area that took us to dreamlike places like Paradise lagoon (both Lagoa Azul & Lagoa Paridiso), place where the water is disarmingly clear and you can pick your own hammock in the water, swaying in or just above the azure water. If this place isn't an advertisement for 'tranquilo' then I don't know what it.

Lagoa Paridiso - Jericoacoara - Brasil

Jeri has a lot going for it, a relatively small community of 16000+ people, sand, beaches, bars, relative isolation. If anyone is interested, here's my vote to you for a randomly referred location.

Fortaleza airport - on the way to Rio - Brazil

Getting there

We got to Jeri utilising www.fretcar.com.br 

Book from Fortaleza to Jericoacoara - there will be a transfer required in Jijoca. The site covers that, so don't be surprised by the request for two tickets, it's essentially Fortaleza - Jijoca, then Jijoca - Jericoacoara

The site is in Portuguese, so if you're unsure then go to a Fretcar agent in Fortaleza, either the airport or on the beach in Meireles.

Time wise you're looking at 6-7hrs one way.