The Costa Verde

The Costa Verde

With the Olympics fast approaching and a new life waiting for us in Vietnam we decided a relaxing week exploring the coastline to Rio was needed before the reality of a job began.  Having no pre-conceived notions of what we would find in Brazil everything we had seen of the country had been a beautiful surprise and the incredible Costa Verde (green coast) of southern Brazil blew us away.  For the entire journey thick rainforest covered the peculiar pinnacles of the Serra do Mar Mountains as they dramatically plunged into the blue water of the Atlantic.  The road hugged the coastline showing us the golden sandy beaches and small fishing villages that occasionally emerged through the foliage offering us spectacular views for the duration.  Having learnt our lesson from the past few weeks we managed to co-ordinate our beach visits with the weather and made the most of the overcast days with some strenuous hiking through the rainforest.  After thirteen months on the road it was strange to suddenly see our final destination appear on the local map. Thoughts of work were kept at bay as we began to see more adverts for the Olympics.

Ihlabela

Bonete Beach

After a last minute change of plan we headed towards Ihlabela (beautiful Island) from Sao Paolo which soars out of the sea across a narrow straight from the mainland.  The extinct volcano towers over the surrounding area rising to 1370m and with 85% of the island protected by UNESCO it offered an exotic backdrop to the beaches that lined the island.   Thankfully we arrived in off season (the island is the getaway for the rich of Sao Paolo) so the beaches were often deserted and the twisty road that connects the island was quiet.  After a few days enjoying the sun and sand as well as the freezing cold water the clouds rolled in and so we decided to walk to Bonete beach, named by The Guardian as one of the ten best beaches in Brazil.  Whilst Hannah rested her ankle I embarked on what turned out to be a hilly 28km march led by Sarah and Brendon (who competes in Iron Man competitions) along rocky trails and through thick rainforest in 85% humidity.  As the three hour mark approached and I consumed my 9th granola biscuit desperately searching for fuel reserves we finally rounded the corner to find the beach nestled in a small cove.  It was undoubtedly beautiful but with little confidence that a boat would arrive in the large swell we quickly ate lunch and in a twenty minute turnaround headed back to civilisation to catch the bus before dark.  For our final night on Ihlabela we decided a few bottles of rum were needed to enjoy the free music on offer on Playa Grande.  I can remember little more of the evening than a fish BBQ and the concerned faces of the locals as four Brits careered around dancing to some classic 90’s Indie covers.  Eventually common sense prevailed (as well as a problem standing upright) and we staggered off to get the bus home feeling content that we had at least done ourselves proud.

Paraty

Paraty

Feeling sorry for ourselves the following morning we left the hostel at 7am (who decided that a second bottle of rum was a good idea is a hotly disputed question) and we set off on the fifteen minute ferry ride back to Sao Sebastiao.  Taking the bus north we headed to the small town of Paraty in Rio State where the centre has remained fundamentally unchanged since 1650.  The town centre was without doubt one of the most beautiful we have been with colonial white buildings adorned by bright borders and original cobbled roads running along the coast of an island studded bay. Recognised as a National Historic Site the former Portuguese colony was an important post for trading Brazilian gold and the money seems to have lingered with the expensive restaurants and boutique hotels.  We spent a great few days relaxing on the beach and lounging in ‘weigh restaurants’ whilst staying in a quaint hostel run by the friendliest (and most productive Latin American) owner.  It was a perfect end to our travelling as we bought our final inter-city bus tickets to complete a journey to Rio de Janeiro and the 2016 Olympics!