Took the proper ferry back from Ilha Grande which was a big boat with proper loos and a third the price but less colourful than the small boat we arrived in. We bounced along the coast road in a minibus taking the curves at the customary breakneck speed. It is most scary when the drivers use a mobile phone whilst driving as they hold the phone with one hand and wave the other around. Similarly it is best not to engage him in conversation as this also involves hand waving.
It was an hour and a half drive with views of rain forest clad hills and the sea and in Paraty we picked up a rep and dropped off by a cobbled street where a man from the hotel picked up our cases in a barrow. Unfortunately it was the wrong hotel but the guy at reception was very helpful and when the apologetic rep returned for us he shouldered one heavy case and helped with the other skipping over the uneven cobbles like a true local. That afternoon we explored the cobbled streets more gingerly. This is an old portuguese colonial town with beautifully preserved and restored houses colourfully decorated on the cobbliest streets i have ever seen. It is quite touristy by local standards but still charming and not as spoilt as many european resorts.
It originally developed for exporting gold in the 17th century and is at the start of the old 1700 km gold road inland. the coast road from Rio was only built in 1964, before that it was pretty cut off except by sea.
Yesterday we took a jeep tour to some local waterfalls along the river and visited a couple of distilleries to see how they make the ubiquitous sugar cane liquor, cachaca, and of course to taste it. It varies from hubcap cleaner to whiskey-like to liqueur-like if sugar and spice added and we could see why the caipirinha cocktails we have had have been so variable depending on the quality of the cachaca. We have had the strongest one yet here and i was reeling after 2 sips!
We ate a national dish,feijoada which is like cassoulet but made with black beans, served with the usual mound of rice and fried manioc flour, enough for 4 but we couldnt waste any. Had a quieter day strolling in town today and by the pool as tomorrow have 6hr bus trip to Sao Paulo!