"STEPS OF OUR GLORIOUS PAST" Parati by RafaelTheSecond

I am sure that in a first glance you will think I am crazy, that this is not the Paraty you were reading, and this is not the place where you are planning a trip to the past, to see historical buildings and experience of the most complete Barroc Destination in Brazil!

My Story with Paraty is an old one...This place is my shelter of piece, this place is a sample of the glorious past of my country, this place is simply the hidden paradise where I enjoy life with my friends and this place is my tool of work. So many things to do, so many things to experience, so many things to see...

Here you can understand what Brazil is really like, the variety of landscapes, the mix of the races...past and present come across with yourself every moment.

Paraty still preserves the charming and slow life of many centuries ago where cars, smog and stressing life simply do not exist. n Paraty you can still see people carrying their stuffs with charriots...In Paraty you have the sensation that you will come across with a pirate in the next corner...

Paraty is historical, Paraty is natural...Paraty is primitive.

Paraty has poetry and every little shade of the Matriz Square is a reason for you to compose poems, the poetry of the birds, the force and poetry of the flowers in the garden...the great pleasure to see children playing innocent games, not giving so much important for the nowadays NITENDOS...Paraty is simple and magnificent.

It is my place where I meet friends, where I get to know different people in every visit...The isolated islands and beach villages, the mistery of the thick forest of Bocaina, and the legends of a GOLD "entreposto"....Yes, Paraty used to be a very important port to send our minerals to Europe, avoiding the risky sea of Rio where many pirates were crazy waiting for the next portuguese ship covered with emtals coming from the high mountains of Minas Gerais...

PARATY IS THERE TO SURPRISE YOU!

Marcone and I working in Paraty

It is hard to explain the magic of being in Paraty, in its cobbled stone streets and and corners with houses and its old spanish balconies, the starry skies, and people passing buy, the cool breeze of the river and the strong wind of the sea; streets where the main navigators in the world have walked years and years ago; from james cook to Jacques Cousteau. To understand the magic of Paraty you really have to be there!

Stories of Pirates, stories of slaves, stories of gold rush, stories of smugglering, stories of romance, stories and stories, and you can have your personal story as well. Paraty provides you all to ways to be in your life forever.

Paraty has more than 400 years of History and it is still making History. It used to be the main harbour where all our richness departured to Europe, that is why paraty was highly protected by the colony, the portuguese forces were very present, there were a road coming from the golden mines in Minas Gerais to the port of Paraty, you today you can see it as well as the colonial farms, and the exuberant landscapes that the first travellers had seen. But it does no mean that the pirates kept on trying any kind of invasion, and they got hidden in beaches like Trindade and also Ilha Grande (later you will see that the pirates really had good taste) and through our forests they got friends of the indians and tried many attacks to the main city of Paraty. During the 17th century Paraty was very cosmopolitan and international, even the famous Captain Drake came here searching for fortunes.

It is a colonial town with old churches, very old houses and the streets are all preserved, no cars are allowed to pass through the historical centre, they still keep that old custon of going to the square in front of the main church and talk and talk, there are bars which help to give the bohemian spirit of the place!

There is a church which is specially famous in paraty, the Santa Rita Church, you can see that church in every picture of Paraty, this beautiful church was built in 1722 by the slaves. Now it is a Museum of Barroc Art as well,.

Paraty is a colonial town just like Ouro Preto in Brazil, Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay, Cuzco in Peru or Taxco in Mexico, but it has something special. The magic of Paraty continues bringing people from all over the world since Paraty was a busy harbor. You can sleep in a house of 300 years and and continue writing the history of Paraty.

Paraty is part of the United Nation’s World Heritage, so every corner and every place of the town is highly protected and preserved.

In this place you can have culture and you can have fun in tropical islands with stunning desert beaches, there are more than 100 islands that you can choose to stay all they long, you go to the harbor, you rent a boat, you ask the ownwer to leave in you in a desert island and tell him what time he will pick you up, but do it when the weather is very good, because we never know about the storms, and for any problem, the boat cannot go back to rescue you and you will have to wait for another day! So in this case it is recommended to have a tent with you just in case.

There are 44 beaches in Paraty, the wilderness is everlasting present in most of the beaches you can go, the main beaches are Trindade, Cachadaço, Praia dos Ranchos, Praia Vermelha and Jurumirim.

You can also explore the waterfalls in Cunha, it is about 30 minutes drive from the Historical Centre; you will see thick forests and mineral water swimming pools. The path called Estrada Real can provide you a trip to the old farm houses where they produce the famous “spirit” cachaça. They are all territory of the Parque Nacional da Serra da Bocaina, one of the most comple National Parks in Brazil.

• Pros:A trip to the Past and almost always a romantic adventure!
• Cons:Too hard to leave, you fall in love with Paraty soooo easily!
• In a nutshell:It is one of the places that you think...I WOULD LOVE TO LIVE HERE!