Waterfalls, Beaches and Cobblestones
Finally we’ve arrived at a beach, I mean what’s a holiday without some beach time, and Parati has beaches, at least 43 of them. Now it felt like a holiday, we donned some snorkelling masks and went searching for fishies. And had our first taste of Brazilian food, oh yeah we’re in Brazil now, the land of beans and rice (or rice and beans)! Our first meal comprised of grilled fish, Pirão (fish stew), Farofa (toasted manioc flour), Feijão (beans) and Rice, not bad, not bad at all. But beaches is not all that Parati offers, there is also countless waterfalls, Cachoeira da Pedra Branca (picture above) might seem small compared to Iguazu Falls but it’s definitely as beautiful, and you can have a swim in it as well to boot, well you probably can at Iguazu as well, but at your own peril. This was truly a magical place, although meditating under the fall might be for a zenmaster far more experienced than me, but it turned out to be a good massage at least. But the offerings of Parati doesn’t stop there, Parati center dates back to 1500 and has maintained it’s old buildings and “cobbled” roads. As some books say, you do know a town is authentic when it hurts to walk around it’s cobbled roads. The small white colonial houses made you feel like you’ve stepped 500 years back in time, and the massive uneven stones lining the road made quick movement virtually impossible, especially in flip-flops. And it was time once more for some Rice, Beans and Fish…