After a fun time in Rio de Janeiro celebrating Carnivale, I headed to a small beach town 4 hours south called Paraty for some R&R - because sometimes you need to take a vacation while on vacation! Paraty is known for its historical old town in the center of the city with adorable cobblestone streets, churches, and great cafes and restaurants. Its also known for its beautiful beaches and dozens of islands off the coast where you can take boating trips, snorkel, hike, and explore. Though it rained the majority of my time here, I still took advantage of a boating tour, had a few really great meals, and wandered around the old town.
This episode features a conversation I had with a Turkish expat named Ersen from Istanbul. After getting off the bus ride from Rio, I walked into the Turkish restaurant he cooks and serves at and ended up staying for a couple hours eating and chatting. He had been traveling in South America for a bit before calling Paraty home base, and he plans on doing more traveling throughout South America very soon.
This episode also discusses challenges I had along the way, as well as the not so glamorous side to traveling and backpacking cheaply. It's frustrating at times, but it truly helps build character and keeps you thinking of alternatives on the fly when Plan A may not work out. After all, a wise man once said that it's not about the ~destination~ it's the ~journey~ ... enjoy this one!