Parati

Just like Marlene and Joao promised, this city was AWESOME. It was even more fun and interesting I think because of the two girls I went with, one was Sarah- a girl I met through Brazilhostel that is just really fun and cool- she would take us out to the clubs and to party in Lapa all the time. She is studying in Rio, from Mexico, but had lived in France the last 3 years. Naturally we became friends. The other girl was her roommate Louise, a carioca (actually from the city across the bay Niteroi) but she always identified herself with Rio, also going to school there. Louise was just as much fun as Sarah, and kind of our life saver since both of us are foreigners. She was strong, and straight forward but a total goof once in a while and I loved her for that. We spoke Portuguese the entire time, and it was great. She taught us slang and corrected us, which was awesome. We would constantly be attracting attention from waiters, for some reason- especially this one guy on the beach we were convinced was high. He almost didnt give us the bill saying that he would miss us if we left.

The first day there, we took a scooner boat and saw a few different beaches, lagoa azul, and other points of interest. The water was calm and clear, perfect. We ate fresh fish on the boat which was delish- and took a bizilion pictures. There was this really cute baby on the boat, it was the son of a french couple that Sarah made friends with. We took a boat to Trinidade, a neighboring city with better beaches. It was smaller, everything one story, artisan work all over, hippie vibes but the beaches were cool. We had pizza and beer for dinner at a placed called crazies, and REALLY crazies, it was cute, sort of italian-like, wooden everything checkered table clothes everything in the open air, a wooden structure and awning roof. We chatted and laughed it up. We ate and drank a LOT and only paid the equivalent of 5 dollars per person, including tip. Did I mention I love Brazil?

I made the unfortunate mistake of conversing with a HIGHLY drunk older Brazilian man (40) who offered me his seat on the bus back. The girls had to rescue me from him. He was with his dad, who was really cool and interesting, giving me good tips about Parati and Trinidade, he told us about the natural pool that we should go see. Only, his son was annoying, and there were a few times I had to pull away because he was getting so close to my face. Louise was pissed, it was funny and weird and just, unfortunate. Had I noticed that he was not wearing pants (just a whitey tightey bathing suite) I would have not accepted the seat.

That night we explored Parati the historical part of the city, which is all two to three story whitewashed colonial buildings that comes alive at night, with bars and restaurants and stores opening. During the day its strangely quiet. It was the kind of place that made me want to sit at a table outside and drink wine and talk "smart talk" as isabela called it. The lighting at night was amazing: flickering candles and soft street lamps highlighted the wood frames painted in bright accent colors against the otherwise white buildings with dark terracotta roofs. It produced a certain charm, romantic and sophisticated, serene and nostalgic colonial vibes, I loved it.

The next day we went back to see a natural pool in Trinidade. We had to cross through a trail through the forest and over two beaches to get to it. It was an area enclosed by rocks the size of Volkswagens- very cool, slightly disappointing. There were a LOT of people, and the water was pretty cold, not as clear as some of the other beaches. The room we slept in was only accessible by a ladder in the room of our downstairs roommates. It was bizarre, but kitsch and fun- it was just one night. Louise had trouble sleeping because of a traumatic experience involving a cockroach coming into our room. We made her kill it, she was the bravest. It was a great trip, Parati is a must-see place- the patrimonio (fatherhood) of Brazil.