Mel’s Blog: Paraty bliss to Sao Paulo :|

Paraty, Brazil to Sao Paulo, Brazil

I had the best day out visiting the Islands in Paraty. There is something about being on a boat, in the middle of the ocean with the sun shining that seems to resonate me. Perhaps it was diving from the boat into the depths of the cool refreshing ocean and not being able to see the bottom or maybe it was rising for air, feeling the water warm closer to the surface and seeing the streams of light starting to break through. If I could live a life where everyday was like this one, I would be very happy.  I can see myself running a guest house somewhere warm by the sea.  ‘It’s only good for a holiday!’ remarks Nick

… I need to find a guest house in the sun, by the sea, within a commutable time to a busy, chaotic city and then we could all be happy. ‘Best day ever!’ Mary announced, although there seems to be a pattern emerging as she has described two other days the same since. I must admit I will miss Paraty and all its charm as we head to Caraguatatuba, 2.5 hours further south.

I am slowly adjusting to the Brazilian timetable. Our first bus ride into Paraty ran like clockwork, yet a couple of bus rides down the line and this appears to have been the exception rather than the norm. We arrived at the bus stop in good time for the schedule departure, but it was immediately unclear which bay the bus might leave from – thought we managed to narrow that down to one of 5. The sun was at its hottest and the humidity was high. I felt the sweat running down my back, having only walked 200 metres. The girls sneaked their way into a first-class lounge (an air-conditioned room with chairs) to get some respite from the heat while Nick and I waited with the bags. In any case, if we took all our backpacks inside the ‘lounge’ it would be a dead give away that we didn’t belong. An hour and half later our bus showed up and 20 minutes later we departed. The air conditioning on the bus is such a welcome relief that I didn’t stay angry for long. At times I felt like I had placed the safety of our family in wrong hands as the driver was taking every bend down rather steep hills like he was training for formula one, and yet despite this, the actual journey still took an extra 40minutes that planned! Still, we arrived in one piece. Arriving later than expected left little time to do more than check into our air-conditioned apartment (a special treat for our wedding anniversary) and a trip to the supermarket for some supplies for dinner.

I don’t feel like we stayed in Caraguatatuba long enough to do it justice – we had booked only two nights and for a change, booked further ahead with three nights following in Soa Paulo.  Given our late arrival, it really only left one day to explore Caragutatuba, which we spent at the National Park on a ‘medium difficulty’ hike. The hike was recommended for 10+ but we convinced them that our little munchkins would be up for the challenge, which they were. The girls managed to keep pace, climbing over the fallen logs and scrambling up the rocks as quick as the rest. Although, Lucy did take a couple of unplanned dips into the running stream whilst trying to complete the river crossings. She was a good sport about it and used the excuse that she was already wet as a reason to later go for a swim – fully clothed.

Today, we arrived in Sao Paulo after another eventful bus journey. We were subject to an initial 30-minute delay to the bus arriving in Caraguatatuba, and after a lot of (probably wrong) phone assisted translations, I believe they were questioning if Lucy was my daughter and they refused to let us board. After convincing various people I was not a child smuggler, we found that our seats had been double booked and the coach was full. An hour later we were placed on another bus and after a little more confusion over seat allocation, we were able to relax and enjoy the ride, which was much smoother than the last.

Nick was so pleased with his booking in Sao Paulo – he thought he had found such a great deal! He had booked a budget hotel rather than a hostel, with air conditioning for only £25 per night – we might finally be able to make it through a day under budget. His enthusiasm however, quickly faded as the Uber pulled up at our destination. The street was covered in graffiti and not the kind that may be considered art. There was a series of dilapidated buildings on either side of the road and homeless people of all ages loitered on the street. It was very confronting, and it bought the reality of life for some in this city to light. A part of what I wanted for the girls to take away from this trip was the understanding that the life they live is privileged and they should have a deeper understanding of those less fortunate.  Of course, this was never to come at the cost of their safety. We asked the Uber driver and again at the front desk if the area was safe; both assured us that although it looks bad, it is OK and that there are police stations at either end of the street and many tourists stay around here. Given it’s not a dangerous part of the city, I wonder what those parts look like. We have decided will stay and see how we go. But watch this space and we will keep the GPS tracker on.

Mel, 18th January 2020