Paraty

We took a bus from Rio toward Sao Paulo, stopping at Paraty on the western coastline of Rio state. This is a coastline of forest-covered mountains with many inlets, bays, and lush islands. It is called the "Green Coast", or Costa Verde in Portuguese. My climbing guide Marcio during my last Rio trip told me about mountain bike advantures in these coastal mountains, part of the Serra do Bocaina chain. It is amazingly beautiful with many sailboats and beach resorts, especially around the little town Angra dos Reis. We hung out for the New Years Eve party in Paraty, a colonial port town whose cobblestone streets are washed by tide daily. It was a county fair atmosphere with lots of food and rides, but also many capoeira performances. I also went with Fernando to Angra dos Reis to visit a distant cousin of his living there as a construction worker. There I talked to a little boy in the family who was amazed that I spoke a few words of portuguese, he said "voce fala minha lingua!"