Well, mine aren’t, anyway. I know it and I plan accordingly.
I have no idea how long we stayed in Paraty in 2009 (Four days? The entire Carnival week?), where we ate and shop, and what we did exactly.
I did remember the historical centre, narrow cobblestone streets, a beach where we ended up covered in mud (the local way to celebrate Carnival) and long walks along a main road. I also remembered flooded streets after several thunderstorms and beaches that weren’t that great by Brazilian standards.
Basically, I wasn’t idealizing our stay and I was fully aware of what I was getting into. Paraty isn’t an off-the-beaten-track hidden gem, it’s a tourist spot. It’s also a small town with limited options and it’s hard to get around without a car.
I booked an Airbnb for four nights—long enough to enjoy without getting bored.
At first glance, Paraty hadn’t changed much, especially the historical centre. There were more banks, services and franchises than I remembered—Havaianas, Kopenhagen—as well as two big supermarkets just outside the town, within walking distance. There were more tourists as well, mostly from South America and Brazil. Surprisingly, there were also tons of hostels and backpackers, which is rare these days.
I had forgotten how hard it was to walk on Paraty’s unique “cobblestones”—we’re talking uneven small boulders here, very slippery and hard on your feet. Nobody walks fast in Paraty. You just can’t. Besides, you’re too busy taking pictures or spotting crabs hiding in the cracks under cobblestones.
This is also a town where streets are flooded and it’s perfectly normal every full moon at high tide—it was designed this way to clean the streets centuries ago. Today, it’s a great picture opportunity for photographers and a fun maze to navigate—find the raised sidewalk, the wooden plank or just wear your Havaianas.
Streets also flood when it rains, and it rains quite often in Paraty. This is a bug, not a feature. Oh well.
When you’re tired of wandering around the historical centre, you can head to the beach, just don’t expect much. This is the kind of beach where you’re supposed to sip something and listen to Bob Marley, not swim. Another popular option is to take a boat tour. I bumped into the NYC hairstylist I met in the Rio-Paraty bus one evening, and I joined him and his two friends on their gay cruise fantasy. They picked the pink boat that played Madonna songs—we had a great time despite the stormy weather, and the water was really warm.
I took way too many pictures, ate the best brownie I’ve ever had, walked everywhere and got soaked a few times.
I was just starting to relax when suddenly, it was a full moon and I decided to go to Trinidade on a rainy day.
