Mata Atlantica

This week we have been to the Mata Atlantic coast of Sao Paulo State. We explored two places; the small historic town of Paraty and a tiny village called Trindade a little further a long the coast which is a magnet for surfers. As we drove down the highway Sunday afternoon the weather had turned more typically wintery, temperatures dropped from the 30 degree highs of the week and the grey clouds above us occassionally depositied rain. The most dramatic part of the journey was the descent from the coastal mountains down to the sea. The narrow windy steep road would put any Italian Alps incline to shame. Suffice to say we made it down in one piece without connecting with any on-coming buses !!!

We arrived in Paraty just as the weekend Cachasa festival was coming to an end. Remnants of the party were everywhere to see as were a few of the people still in celebratory mode. Paraty is also experiencing a boom in construction. Our Pousada was build so recently the street was not even on our GPS. This caused some circling of local roads and asking of directions from many people before we finally located our destination. Settled in we ventured out to find refreshments. Paraty did not fail. We were enticed into a local restaurant by an eager host and the sounds of live music.




And there we stayed for the rest of the night being serendaded by fine musicians singing a range of Brazilian songs to which Mirella seemed to know most of the lyrics. The food was abundant and delicious as usual and I was encouraged to try the traditional drink of cachasa, which let me tell you tastes like a margarita. Not wanting to get too drunk on my first evening I took to taking delicate small sips.


Paraty has a beautiful historical centre made up of small narrow cobbled streets many of them flood when the weather becomes much more inclement. At which point the transport changes for horse and cart to canoes and boats.


Tourism seemed the main focus. There are many shops selling souvenirs and local products. It is also a mecca for artists. We visited the gallery of Patricia Sada http://www.patriciasada.com.br/atelier.asp and has luck would have it she was there. There were many colourful boats in the harbour available for trips to the islands and tours to see tropical fish in their natural environment.


For me the highlight was being in such a different environment. The tropical forest that hugs the coastline was once bigger than the Amazon and populated by many plants and creatures, including jaguar and tapirs. At night-time the sounds fom the cicadas and others animals and birds created quite a cacophony, especially for someone more used to the ocassional twit-twoos of an owl. On the third night we move to an even smaller village, called Trindade, what you might call a one horse town. Sleeping so close to the ocean the evening chorus had the additional percussion from the crashing waves on to the nearby beach.


On our final day we awoke to a beautiful sun shiny day and decided to take a stroll along the beach to find a natural pool where you can see the fish swimming. It was quite a trek along beaches, over rocky outcrops and throught the forest. There were many flowers blooming, including brightly coloured red birds of paradise and orchids. Having passed over the golden sands we finally reached our destination. A couple of local fishermen were tending to their boat as we walked down the last few steps their friendly dog skipped over the rocks to greet us.


There was time to take a quick dip in the pool. Unfortunately the weather had been very stormy and the waves were disturbing the water making it impossible to see the fish. The swim was very refreshing after the long walk, just what I needed to cool off, however breakfast was calling, after a few minutes enjoying the sea and the views we set-off back to Trindade.

On our drive home to Campinas we stopped off at an organic farm for something to eat. Santa Barbara can be found on the Dos Tamois Road near Jambeiro. It is a tranquil oasis that appears seamingly from nowhere. The theme is Austro-German, although the name lends itself more to California. Whilst eating a delicious meal overlooking a lake populated with ducks and geese we watched many small birds swooping before us from the trees to the bushes. Amongst them were two species of hummingbird. One had dark black and turquoise feathers and the other was caramel and yellow in colouring. After many attempts to capture the swift hummingbirds hovering in front of us I managed to get this picture.