Christmas Bar-B-Que On The Beach

Paraty, Brazil: 23 13.8S, 44 41.8W

Editor: The first group of photos are from Ilha Grande, Brazil. The second group were taken in and around Paraty, Brazil.

We left Angra and sailed to a different anchorage on Ilha Grande. The weather had cleared up and the trail that links all the villages was dry enough to allow us to hike to the next bay through dense foliage and bamboo groves. It's always a treat to see plants growing wild that you've only seen in nurseries. There are lots of birds but most are heard and not seen. We did see this one small bird that was brightly colored in red, green, blue and yellow! With the arrival of the weekend, once again our pleasant anchorage became crowded with power boats and small sailboats, though by Sunday mid-day they were all gone. After four days on Ilha Grande we continued on to Paraty.

We've been anchored off the town of Paraty for almost a week. Founded in the 1650, Paraty became Brazil's second most important port during "Gold Cycle" of the 17th and 18th century. A stone highway, known as the Gold Trail, more than 1,400 km long was built by slaves and linked the gold fields in Minas Gerais to Rio de Janiero and Sao Paulo. Paraty became a commercial crossroads and the port through which the gold was shiipped to Portugal. In 1966 Paraty was declared a National Monument for it's beautifully preserved colonial architecture. The historic old centre and the many small islands and beaches in Paraty Bay have made tourism it's major industry though it still retains it's charm. The large mountains that surround the bay add to the scenery but also attract rainstorms almost every afternoon.

An interesting feature of the old town of Paraty is the construction of the streets. They are paved with the ballast that came over in the ships that went back loaded with gold. At extreme high tides the streets flood and they are designed to drain easily with the tides retreat.

There is a small beach close to our anchorage that provides good fresh water from a spring. While stocking up on water the other day, one of the local marina's staff was having their Christmas bar-b-que on the beach and invited us to join them. Only two people spoke English but that didn't prevent us from partaking in the fun, music, and food. As we've found with most Brazilians we've been able to meet they are very gracious and open.

Only two days to Christmas and Mark is missing Santa and snow. Though we don't see all the Christmas mania in the local shops, the trees in the parks are nicely decorated with large gold balls and the trunks wrapped in brightly colored cloth and all lit up at night. We've no plans for Christmas and it will probably pass by as just another hot and humid day in the tropics.

We are now once again watching the weather forecast and looking for a good opportunity to continue onto Porto Bello, about a 4 days sail from here.

Wishing you all Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for the New Year.