Gym's Ramblings: Paddling into Paraty

On Sunday morning we woke to a bright beautiful morning. We were at anchor a couple of miles off the pier at Paraty. It had been a calm sea again all during the night and the morning was no different. The tender would take us to the main pier next to the town which is home to about 30,000 people.

There is so much history in Paraty. The older part of town is well preserved and well maintained with numerous shops and small hotels housed in colonial buildings along narrow cobblestone streets. It is a miracle that the town has survived in such good condition but it took until the 1970's for a decent highway from Rio to be built over the mountainous terrain that surrounds the area. So, the place was only recently discovered by the masses.

The town started as a seasonal fishing village for the indigenous peoples of the area. In fact, Paraty means "river of fish" in the native people's dialect. Then 30 or so years after the Portuguese claimed Brazil, gold was discovered in the interior of the country and Paraty became the starting point for the Caminho do Ouro (Gold Trail). All of the gold found inland was transported by slaves and pack animals 1200 kilometres down the Caminho do Ouro, to be shipped to Portugal. Unfortunately, ships bound for Portugal often ran into pirates who found it easy to hide in the numerous sheltered bays and coves near Paraty and the Portuguese built a newer Caminho do Ouro starting in Rio de Janeiro. Then Paraty fell into a bust cycle. It was later revived when coffee and then cachaca, the Braziian liquor, was produced in the area and exported from Paraty.

The other compelling part about the area is the fact that much of the old growth Atlantic Rainforest has been preserved and there are numerous protected areas including a national park, a state park and a couple of other protected areas near the town. The area is also referred to as part of the Costa Verde (green coast) because of the lush green shoreline.

Note: Cachaca is the basis of the Brazilian National drink called Caipirinha. It is officially made with Cachaca instead of rum, sugar, lime juice and ice. The cocktail officially calls for 4 lime wedges and two teaspoons of brown sugar muddled together in a tumbler, then crushed ice added to the top of the glass and finally, a healthy shot of Cachaca.