João is from São Paulo, Brazil. He came to the U.S. just temporarily, to learn English. That he is still here 11 years later despite his whole family being in Brazil is partly due to the fact that we travel there at least once a year (see earlier post). My first of many trips there was in December 2000. We spent most of the time in São Paulo, where his family is from, but also traveled to two wonderful areas of Brazil: 1) a rural area where the states of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais meet, and 2) the beaches along the coast between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
Hills of Visconde de Mauá
1) The area around Visconde de Mauá is rural, with low mountains and incredibly lush vegetation. It’s green like you rarely see green. To get here, you have to take a “road” that is not long, maybe 9 miles at most, but is full of holes, so you can’t really “drive.” Instead, you have to maneuver your car very, very slowly, placing each tire in a small space in between the holes. It was something like I had never seen before. (However, I have heard that that road has been paved since then.) At the end of that road, we were rewarded with a winding drive above the hills and finally into the tiny town. The area was settled by German immigrants, so we stayed in a rustic but very comfortable chalet ($70/night) run by German-Brazilians and enjoyed dinner in their fondue restaurant. The area is so beautiful and quaint– we took walks, found waterfalls, went horseback riding by the river and behind farms, bought handmade souvenirs in the funky shops, and took in the beauty of this tropical version of mountains.
Our chalet & the black cat that was always right outside, Visconde de Mauá
2) We then went east to the serra– the mountains that sharply descend to the ocean– on our way to the coast. What a beautiful drive! We then settled in for a few days in Paraty, Trindade, and Ubatuba. There were a couple lowlights that result from traveling in a country that is still developing in some ways, but all in all we had a spectacular time in this beautiful stretch of coastline.
Paraty, Brazil
Our hotel in Paraty
Paraty is especially nice. It’s an old colonial town, so there are nicely preserved cobblestone streets and colorful colonial architecture. There isn’t really a beach there, so you have to take a boat to visit white beaches on small nearby islands, like this one:
Island near Paraty
Trindade is a small beach town where you can find tiny shack restaurants selling freshly caught fish, gorgeous quiet beaches, and hikes in the hills, full of bromeliads and other tropical vegetation, with views like this:
View from a hike in the hills around Trindade
Finally, Ubatuba is a small beach city with lively Brazilian culture and more action, including outdoor markets and capoeira performances on the streets. João spent a lot of time there as a child because he has uncles there who build the traditional painted boats used by the locals, and though we didn’t see them, it’s always nice to travel with someone who knows the places well. It’s been 10 years since this fun trip, and I look forward to seeing the coast of Brazil again soon!
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