Our journey to Paraty seemed to never end. After 12hrs on the night bus we had only got as far as Sáo Paulo, Brazil's largest city. Big cities had never appealed to us and with a population more than twice that of London, this city is a monster. We intended to catch another bus straight to Paraty, but all the seats were already sold. We had to catch a bus to Ubatuba, another town on the coast, then catch the final bus to Paraty. This accumulated to 24hrs of non-stop travel. When we finally arrived, we were exhausted.

In comparison to Bolivia or Peru we were finding Brazil to be very expensive. We were spending roughly x10 more money now than earlier in our trip. But there are ways to keep the costs down. Brazil has some great self-service restaurants where you Pay-Per-Kilogram. You simply walk around the buffet, filling your plate, then pop it on a set of scales and pay for your food dependent on it's weight. If you have a small amount of light food you pay far less than if you pile your plate up high with heavy meats. It can be a very economical way to eat as long as you control yourself! After a quick shower we headed out for dinner and found a great Pay-Per-Kilo restaurant with an excellent selection of good food.

The next day we explored Paraty. It is a quaint little town with cobbled streets (closed to traffic) and elegant colonial buildings. The town is on the coast with some of Brazil's best beaches within a stones throw. Steep jungle clad mountains create a fantastic backdrop to the town and out in the bay are dozens of lush green islands with pristine beaches. It's a beautiful place and it was a shame we only had one full day there.

We walked north to an old fort which provided brilliant views of the town and the many islands off the coast. There were a couple of good beaches too, lined with a few tempting beach-bars. We stopped for a beer and enjoyed the tranquility of the place. In the main square a stage had been setup with live music, so that night we grabbed a few more beers and joined the fun. New Year is just a few days away and it seemed like Brazil was waking up and beginning to party. We thought ahead to Rio de Janerio, the biggest party town in the world, and what will be in store for us on New Year's Eve!

Check out 'Brazil - Paraty' at http://gallery.me.com/peterjprice/102065