Grotesque heads from Chavin de Haunter archaeological site

During my last day in Lima I went to the Museo de Larco, named after Raphael Larco Hoyle, a native Peruvian who lived from 1901 to 1966. There are a number of museums in Lima, but the Larco museum is the nicest in terms of size, quantity and diversity of artifacts, and for the beauty of the building, displays, landscaping and associated upscale café.

Ancient Peruvian Pottery in Pristine Condition

Rafael Larco lived in Lima and worked as an agricultural engineer on his family’s sugarcane plantation. His college and graduate studies were all abroad, and when he returned to Peru he arrived with the eyes of an outsider. He was heavily fascinated with the ancient history and archaeology of Peru, and during his explorations he began to make many discoveries about the country’s previous ancient cultures. He became the recipient of many archaeological artifacts and began to recognize the necessity of a museum that would house and protect them. He envisioned a museum similar to what he had seen in the United States during his college days.

Peruvian Weavings, Ancient and Astounding

Rafael Larco received hundreds of archaeological pieces from Alfredo Hoyle, his brother-in-law in 1925. Victor Larco Herrera, a founder of the first museum in Lima and Larco Hoyle’s brother-in-law, urged him to form a new museum in Lima, one that could guard all the archaeological relics that were continually being extracted by clandestine excavators.

Larco Hoyle agreed, and decided to establish a museum in honor of his father, Rafael, whom he admired and loved so much. He created a museum from all the pieces he had inherited, plus those from two large collections – 8000 pieces from  Roa and 6000 pieces from Carranza – areas of Peru.

Weaving Implements from Ancient Peru

He also purchased other smaller collections from the Chicama Valley, Trujillo, Viru, and Chimbote. Within a year, he had established a large collection – approximately 30,000 pieces -  and the display cases were installed in a small house on the Chicliln estate.  The Rafael Larco Herra Museum opened its doors to the public on July 28, 1926, Independence Day.

Highly Professional Peruvian Pots from Long, Long Ago!

Peruvian archaeology was still in its infancy at that time, and Larco Hoyle recognized this. He began to classify the collections. His approach to classifying Peruvian archaeology was through academic research. It was his work in the 1930s that identified many distinct Peruvian cultures, such as Viru, Salinar, Cupisnique and Lambayeque. His major focus became the culture of Mochica. In 1946, Larco Hoyle, the director of the Larco Museum, developed the chronology of Peruvian cultures that is still in use today.

The landscaped grounds at Museo de Larco

After perusing the well maintained and excellently exhibited museum, I wandered around the sculpted grounds and over to the restaurant located within the premises. The entire place was a delight to experience. The coffee was delicious and as I savored it, I could not help but let my mind drift over the centuries of artwork and pottery I had just observed, and wonder at our place in this world….

The Cafe at Museo de Larco

Does This Pot Depict an Ancient Astronaut?

Another Highly Intrigueing Piece of Pottery…and there are many more!

Ralph Larco, the Man Himself

One Last Incredible Piece of Pottery…a Floating Ark?

The Old Church in Barranco

Friday, February 24 – Caught a tour bus this morning which departed from the DoubleTree Inn, just a short walk from the Backpackers Family Hostel where I was staying. Lima Vision Tours was taking eight of us on a half day trip. Our first stop was in Barranco, the southern section of Lima just below Miraflores along the Pacific coast.

Statues of Poet and Musician in Barranco

Barranco is considered the artistic, jazzy blues and hip-hoppy-bohemian part of town. It is very colorful with a variety of brightly painted houses that look almost from a 60’s era, mixed in with colonial cathedrals, water fountains, bronze statuary, heavenly flower gardens, wooden bridges, the old church of La Ermita, and a lovely long staircase down to the beach.

Old Electric Train Car

In the evenings there is supposed to be incredible music playing at many of the funky and upscale jazz bars and hangouts in town. I didn’t experience that part, but I’ve heard wonderful tales.

It also has the Museo de la Electricidad, which explains the history of electricity in the Lima area and the system of electric-powered rail cars that used to connect downtown Lima with all the outlying areas. With the advent of the automobile, it was demolished, though an old car still stands outside the Museo as a showcase of yesteryear.

Me on the Hold-Your-Breath Wishing Bridge

The famous foot bridge called Puente de los Suspiros has a superstition that goes with it – if you hold your breath and make a wish when walking across for the first time, that wish will come true. That would be sweet! Believe me, I didn’t hesitate to hold my breath and walk across! Now I’m waiting to see if it works!

Ancient Ramp Leading up to a Demolished Pyramid at Pachacamac

After about 30 minutes being shown around the town, we boarded the bus and headed to the main attraction – the ancient site of Pachacamac. Pachacamac means Mother Earth, or Earth Mother, and the name is in honor to the richness and blessings of a highly fertile valley. To this date 17 pyramids have been discovered in this valley, all belonging with this one site, meaning that this area was heavily populated and highly successful with agricultural and fishing industries.

Temple of the Sun from a Great Distance

As we approached the main pyramid – The Temple of the Sun – we could see its height from a great distance – it stands over 500’ high and less than a quarter mile inland from the shoreline. The height over and proximity to the ocean would have provided not only a commanding view of the oceans from the top, but great advantage in preparing for the arrival of approaching seafaring vessels.

Ancient Pachacamac Highway

The bus spent the first hour driving us around various parts of the site, which covers many square miles. We stopped at springs and canals, ramps up to where a pyramid once existed, cross-roads of streets built of stone, enormous pillar foundations where once stood an immense building, and an overview of the entire valley which is so large there is no way a camera can even remotely do justice.

Temple of the Sun

Finally we drove up the hill to the parking area to visit the Temple of the Sun. The initial part of the walk up the pyramid passes alongside a wall that is over 20’ tall in itself,  and has remnants of ancient red paint still showing.  Further up the walkway there are steps to the first level, then another, until finally after many levels you reach the top and turn to view the ocean.

Island View from the top of Temple of the Sun

Below, the coastal area between the pyramid and the ocean has been turned into a recreation facility, with tennis courts, swimming pools, soccer fields and hotels. Out to sea there are a series of islands that are the subjects of an old tale, about a woman and her son escaping on the back of a dolphin. Looking inland, it is easy to spot many other hills that look suspiciously like pyramids but have not yet been unexcavated.

Looking East, Developed City Lines up Against Protected Archaeological Area

And way in the distance, when you view the line in the sand that demarks the city build limits and the archeologically protected area, it is easily recognizable that the areas already built upon were once an ancient pyramid.

In purveying the entire valley, which is immense, one begins to get a bit overwhelmed at the size of not only the population that once lived here, and of the amount of building they did, but also of the complex infrastructures they must have had which are no longer visible.

Lower Temple Wall with Red Paint Pigment

It makes one begin to compare what is left from their culture, to what might be left in our culture 1000 years later if we were to have some sort of a calamity that wiped most of us away and left only the lower 20% of most of our buildings. How would some newcomer to the ravaged, decomposed ancient scene ever be able to know of our technologies? What of them would be left to give them any clues, especially after a thousand or more years of environmental changes and weathering?

On the Flat Top of the Temple of the Sun

These square pyramids are solid. There are no tunnels, no hidden chambers, no internal world of any kind. The top is flat, and is supposedly where the Kings and priests lived and conducted ceremonies. There were various rooms on the different levels that housed or “officed”others who had lower ranks but were integral to the workings of the empire.  The pyramid was constructed wholly of an adobe like material made from the desert sands, muds and clays.

Me at the Top of Temple of the Sun

It is the oldest known building material in the world, other than stone, and can last indefinitely depending upon the climate. The coast of Peru is known for its absolute dryness – it is said to never rain. This is the main reason why so many ancient adobe pyramids, up to several thousand years old, still stand.

The Vast Archaeological Landscape, Looking from the Top

The Temple of the Sun is a most impressive adobe step pyramid, not only for its size and location next to the ocean, but also because it clearly dominates over all the other pyramids throughout the delta plain. It lies in the delta basin just a few miles south of the Lima delta basin, and completely dwarfs the other two I had visited in Lima.

Base Wall at the Temple of the Sun

Back on the bus and arriving back to Miraflores, I walked again around the area, visiting the Inca shops and marveling at the beauty of the parks and the freedom and acceptance of the feral cats that live in them. The entire area resonates with peace and a live-and-let-live attitude. It was serene and comforting, and caused me to consider what it must have been like to live there many thousands of years ago, when Inca and pre-Incas populated the coastal delta plains.

The New Living Atop The Old

Huaca Huallamarco

February 23, 2012 – While in Lima, I made a list of all the museums and archaeological sites I wanted to see in the city. The next places I wanted to see were two museums that housed archaeological artifacts, but I walked all over trying to find them and eventually gave up.

Instead, I re-targeted, and took another long walk to Huaca Huallamarco, a truncated pyramid structure within the city and less than 2 miles from Huaca Pucllana.

Ongoing Excavation and Reconstruction

Huaca Huallamarco is still under excavation and reconstruction, and is smaller than Hucllana. It is less tourista and has a small museum in which nothing is translated to English. It also has no informational handout literature. But the site itself is fascinating.

Similar in structure to Huaca Pucllana and from the same time period, this pyramid – Huaca Huallamarco – is thought to embody female energy, and it’s male counterpart is thought to be Huaca Pucllana.

Unearthing Jumbled Bones at the Top of the Pyramid

The concept of one pyramid housing female energy and another housing male energy was interesting to me. At the top of Huaca Huallamarco while observing the view,  I noticed a group of people on tour. One of the women was seated and dangling a pendant over the surface of the stone floor, with several onlookers gathered around her. She was watching for the clockwise or counter-clockwise rotation of the pendant. I recognized this activity, and went over to talk with them.

Jumbled Bones and Artifacts

They were on tour from Slovenia to specific energy spots in the world. A number of energy spots had been identified to them by a geru-type leader they follow back in Slovenia. The geru’s name was unfamiliar to me and now I cannot find it in my notes. But this group of travelers were certain that this place – Huaca Huallamarco – was one of the healing energy spots of the world, and had come to experience it.

Slovenia Group and Myself

After learning that, I tried to open my own sensitivity to it, to see if I could sense any particular vibrations. It did seem a calm and peaceful place, and had a warmth and serenity to the area I had not experience at Huaca Pucllana. However, that may have been attributable to the fact that very few tourists were there, and it was in a quieter part of the city than was Huaca Pucllana. Nonetheless, I thought the concept quite interesting and even possible that these deeply ancient pyramids could indeed still emit energy forces that might have an impact on the surrounding area, or people in the vicinity.

Ongoing Excavation

Excavation taking place was exposing skeletal remains in quantity, along with tools and ceramics. I watched awhile as the archaeologists worked, remembering my own archaeological work in Salango, Ecuador in 1984. That coastal site exhibited signs of continual occupation for over 5000 years, and the area was so littered with skeletal remains you could see them eroding out of sand dunes as you walked down the beach.  The skeletons here in Peru had generally been mummified and buried in pits, or found as a stack of bones under rubble such as the current excavation is unearthing at Huaca Huallamarco.

Coffee and Quiche - Yum!

On my walk back to the Hostel I passed a lovely coffee and pastry shop, “San Antonio Pasteleria.” Of course, I had to sample the fare. I can attest they were delicious and the time out for a coffee and a rest was most welcome, after walking so far in the heat.

I took another late afternoon/early evening walk down along the Miraflores Parkway above the coastline.

From the Miraflores Park looking down the coast

This time I went all the way down to Larco Mar, a large shopping/dining center about a mile south from my Hostel. Larco Mar is flashy, modern, and swank – gorgeous restaurants with fantastic views looking west out over the Pacific Ocean, serving gastronomical cuisine that Peru is so well known for. The shops are as fine as any large upscale city in Europe or the U.S. and you can buy almost anything, maybe even more, than I’ve seen in shops back in the U.S. Pretty impressive!

Larco Mar Shopping Center in front of High Rise Condos

Overall, it was a day of contemplation…ancient pyramids possibly still exuding male and female energy over the region, and modern day Lima built on top of it all. The ancient and the new, male and female, all intermingled. Slightly mind-boggling. It was only the second day of my trip to Peru, and the very beginnings of mind-boggling archaeology.

A Restaurant with a View at Larco Mar

Larco Mar Shopping Center with High Rises

Sunset from Larco Mar Restaurant

Coastal View of Sunset from Larco Mar

Children's Playground in Miraflores Park

Landed in Lima with no problemas, and was picked up at the International Airport by Abdias, the taxi driver-reception desk worker for Backpacker’s Family Hostel, my first hostel experience in Lima. He whisked me from the Airport to the Hostel in about 30 minutes, got my room and a good night’s sleep.

Workout Station in Miraflores Park

Backpacker’s Family Hostel is located in Miraflores, a beachfront section of Lima that is almost indistinguishable from somewhere in Miami or San Diego. Very modern, very clean, and very esthetically appealing. A gorgeous park runs continuously all the way down the coast along Miraflores, featuring special little points of land with various names, such as Love Park.

Paraglider riding uplifts over Miraflores cliffs

Along the park route are tennis courts, work-out stations with various exercise equipment, children’s playground areas, benches, sculptures, para-gliding launch pads, flower gardens, a lighthouse, areas where roller-bladers are performing stunts, trees that support tight-rope walker stations, and lovely green grass areas where people have picnics and lie around wrapped in each others arms. Quite lovely, the whole parkway! A real feel-good experience to walk along and see it all.

Huaca Pucllana with Lima skyscrapers in background

This trip for me was mostly focused on the archaeological sites in Peru, which are known to be extensive and substantial. The first site I visited was only a couple miles from the Hostel. It’s name is Huaca Pucllana, and is thought to have been occupied for over 10,000 years by at least 4 different groups before the Incas. It is made from what appears to be similar to adobe – the mud of the region. It is a truncated step pyramid that is still being excavated and restored.

View from near the top of Huaca Pucllana

The meaning of the word ‘Huaca’ is similar to ‘temple’, although it means also ‘center’ or ‘government seat’ or ‘headquarters’. It was the headquarters for the ruling party at the time, and its elevation provided a view over the surrounding flat, fertile agricultural delta lands and nearby ocean.

From the top of the pyramid it is easy to see how the additional elevation above sea level would have been a necessary advantage to help observe the surrounding populace and farmlands. Also, it provided advance notice of incoming ships, whether your own fishermen, or foreigners approaching your shoreline.

Looking up at Huaca Pucllana

A garden at the base of the pyramid currently grows vegetables and fruits of the same type that were grown for thousands of years here at this very site. Seeds have been found, as well as pottery etched with pictures or formed in the shape of various fruits and vegetables.

Burial Pit with 2 Mummy Replicas

This being the first archaeological site I visited in Peru, I was impressed by the size of it. Trying to wrap my brain around the entire miniature mountain being created totally from mud bricks is still difficult to perceive. But there it is – enormous and still standing after many thousands of years.

At the top of Huaca Pucllana are uncovered holes in the ground that were burial pits for mummified corpses. The arid conditions preserved quite well the bodies, and many of these are now on display in sealed, temperature/light/humidity controlled glass cases in various museums throughout Peru.

Restaurant at the base of Huaca Pucllana

Also on display with the corpses are the numerous artifacts that were buried with them, such as pots, woven blankets, tools, foods and other items.

There is a highly acclaimed restaurant at the base that requires a reservation due to its popularity, and is rumored to be one of Peru’s gastronomical delights, though I cannot attest to that as I have not dined there myself. But it was packed, which speaks highly for it.

Making Building Bricks

Along the guided tour was a display which gave a depiction of how the mud bricks were made. The statues look so lifelike that you might not guess which is the real human and which is not, except for the giveaway loincloth   The whole tour was fascinating and a real eye-opener for me – I had no idea that the massive city of Lima had been built on top of ruins of other cities that had existed for over 10,000 years in exactly the same place! This revelation was just the beginning of my eye-opening journey through Peru’s ancient past.

Guide and Group in front of Huaca Pucllana

Group member posing with statue

Trying to show the size of Huaca Pucllana

I am flying to Peru, departing Palm Springs in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, Feb. 21, and plan to return on April 3^rd.  While in Peru I will be seeing many of the ancient archaeological sites there, and learning as much as possible about the history of the land and people in those short 6 weeks. Unfortunately, Machu Pichu has recently been closed due to devastating floods in that region just a few weeks ago. Since I won’t get to see it this time, I’ll just have to go again … maybe one of you will want to join me on the next trip?

One facet of interest on this trip is the Temple of Fertility, called Templo de Fertilidad, located in the town of Chucuito, near the city of Puno on Lake Titicaca. The carvings, which have been thought to be phalluses, may actually be mushrooms! They LOOK like mushrooms, and though some of them may have been defaced into phalluses years, maybe even decades or centuries, after they were made, it’s possible that they were originally sculpted to honor the hallucinogenic trips of the head on the shoulders, rather than the wishful trips of the head in the crotch! In any case, I’m off to see what I can learn about MANY sites, not just this one. I have some observations about several other archaeological sites, also, which I shall also be checking into.

When I return, I will be posting my adventures right here on this Blog site. Sign in for a free subscription to stay tuned, if you haven’t already. This should be an interesting journey!

Meanwhile, have a wonderful Spring! Best Wishes to you all!

Sayward

P.S. – While in Peru, I will be available by email, in case you need to contact me.

Waiting for the Bus in Paraty

May 24^th, 2011 – Took a last walk through parts of Paraty I’d not seen before. There was a lot of construction going on in the building of a stone path out to the jetty. It will be an attractive addition to the town when it is done.

Back at the Hostel I savored my last Brazilian breakfast and coffee – how I will miss the coffee! There is nothing like it in the U.S.! Paid my Hostel bill and headed to the bus station, where I asked a young man to take my picture.

The bus was very comfortable – nicely padded seats and leg cushions! The route runs along the coast and turns inland at Ubatuba to climb over the mountain range and drop back down onto an interior freeway system. The coastline was stunning and lush with eucalyptus forests, pines, bamboo, banana trees, and large flowering plants that were almost trees themselves!

At Sao Jose dos Campos I exchanged buses, and caught one at 3:30 p.m. going directly to the Guarulos International Airport. It arrived at the bus stop right on schedule and had only 10 people on it! The ride to the airport was calm and beautiful in the late afternoon sun on the fast, lightly trafficked toll highway.  This was decidedly the best way to have gotten to the Airport – the other idea of going into Sao Paulo itself and catching a subway from there to the Airport would have been much more difficult – it was a suggestion that had been made to me by one fellow I had asked a few days back.

Wandering through the Airport I spied a great little Japanese restaurant tucked back away from the heavily walked areas. I ordered the combination plate – 17 pieces of fresh salmon, tuna, octopus and rolls – Yum! Plus a beer! This was the capper to my last travel day in Brazil, and a preparation meal for the long flights ahead.

My flight departed Sao Paulo on time. It was an American Airlines Airbus, and served a good dinner and an alright breakfast. I might have gotten 3 hours of sleep. When we landed in Dallas, the weather was gorgeous. It was astonishing to learn that there had just been a series of three tornados that had ripped through the city during the time I was flying from Sao Paulo. There had been golf-ball sized hail, extremely high winds, over 100 flights had been cancelled, and over 1000 people had slept overnight in the Airport on cots! What a disaster!

My on-going flight had been cancelled, of course, so I spent the entire day in the Airport watching CNN report on the tornados that had ripped through Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri. Unbelievable destruction and loss of life.

The shuttle service that was to pick me up in Los Angeles and deliver me to Palm Springs, accepted my cancellation. Amazingly, American Airlines was able to re-route me directly into Palm Springs on an evening flight. During my day at Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport, I heard numerous stories regarding the flight delays the hurricanes had caused. One woman told me that some folks she knows had been waiting since Monday to catch a flight, as there were storms here on Monday, too, that caused canceled flights. That’s 3 days living at an Airport! I overheard another woman say that there were over 85 people on stand-by waiting to get on one flight! What a mess! But, to the credit of all the folks everywhere, all was calm and under control. There was a sense of peace in the Airport, and I took it with me on my flight back to Palm Springs.

The travels in Brazil were a big eye-opener for me. Learning the history was a revelation – it helped me understand the larger picture of how the current world became developed. Would I go back to Brazil? In a heartbeat! And next time, I’d definitely spend more time in Paraty!

My Last Meal in Brazil With My Journal

Early Morning Beach Walk in Paraty

May 23^rd, 2011 – This was to be my last full day in Brazil. Breakfast was a little late being served at Hostel Che Legaro, but finally it was all on the table by 8:30 or so. After breakfast I set out for a walk in a contemplative mood – this would be my last relaxing day, as the following day would be all about traveling back to the U.S. I would be leaving Paraty in the morning, taking several buses to get to the Airport in Sao Paulo, and catching a flight at 9 p.m. for Dallas, where I would connect through to Los Angeles, and be picked up by a shuttle service to arrive back in Palm Springs. I decided not to think about it, and to focus on my last day in Paraty.

Paddling to a Small Island

I crossed over the waterway footbridge and walked up the beach to a kayak rental shop where I checked on the price. He didn’t have the type of kayak I was looking for, so he suggested I try the shops over the hill along the beach to the north. It was a short walk up the cobblestone street over the hill – stunning views – that descended down on to beach town of Jabaquara. The beach was quiet – no one out on it yet. The main street running along the beach was lined with many Hostels, Hotels and Pousadas.

On a Private Beach

The Hostel that rented the kayaks had the style of kayak I was looking for, and I rented it for 2 hours. I paddled out to and around an island where I watched fishermen setting out their nets, cormorants drying their wings, and a large heron eyeing me closely. From there I paddled a long stretch of water to a distant, privately owned beach. Leaving the kayak above the wave break, I explored the beach front a little, then ate lunch – apple and nuts. On the property just back from the water was a stone home, driveways and paths that spoke of an era my grandparents would have known. It was idyllically serene.

Above the Private Beach

From there I paddled back to the beach I had launched from at Jabaquara, and returned the kayak. Oozing with calm and peace, I spread myself out on the blond sand beach and baked in the sun awhile.

As I lay there I was thinking how pictures cannot capture the texture of the sand, the scent in

Fisherman Setting Nets

the air, the sensuousness of the breeze on the skin, the warmth of the sun penetrating to the bone, the brilliant green of the hills, the vibrant abundance and euphoria emanating from all the surrounding plants, trees and flowers. No picture I could take could capture what I was experiencing – you will simply have to come to Paraty!

Birds of Paradise

Later in the afternoon I walked back into Paraty, checked my bus ticket for the next day to see if there wasn’t a later bus I could take that would still connect me on to the Airport in time – there wasn’t – and back to the Hostel Che Legaro for a shower and later on, another evening walk before bed. It had been the biggest gift of the trip, to have spent those last two days in Paraty. I could not think of any other place in Brazil I’d been to that I’d rather have been for my last days. The trip to Brazil had turned out better than I could have dreamed. Now I just had to make all the proper bus connections to get back the States.

Paraty in the Evening Sun

An Old Canon Still Defending the Fort of Paraty

A Section of the Fort at Paraty

Inside the Fort on One of the Cobblestone StreetsEvening Sea at Paraty

Dawn on the Waterway

May 22, 2011 – Woke with the dawn and went out for a walk down along the waterway, over to the beach and on to the pier, around the perimeter of town, and back via the main street. What a charming town this is! Originally built as a port from which to ship gold back to Europe, the fort was designed to protect against the pirates. Another fort port is up the coast a few hundred miles, so the pirates didn’t know which port was being used at which time. Now the historic fort is used as the high end shop and restaurant area – nicely done!

My Hostel on the Waterway

Back at my Hostel, I had breakfast overlooking the waterway, where I watched a cormorant swim at least 80’ underwater and schools of very large fish swimming past. Though the water is a muddy brown color, it still has fairly good visibility.

Our boat trip was to begin at 10:30, so the group of 8 passengers – all from our Hostel – walked out to the pier together with the skipper. Normally the boat would come up the waterway and pick us up at the dock of the Hostel, but the tide was so low this morning there wasn’t enough depth for the boat to come up the waterway.

Early Morning Fisherman with his Nets

As we approached the pier, a horrible fight was going on between a young woman and an older man – perhaps her father. The police were there keeping the “domestic” under control, but the screaming and crying and raised fists were the first I’d ever experienced in Brazil!

Walking down the length of the pier we saw dozens of tour boats ready to take tourists to the various islands for the day – it was astonishing how busy it was! We boarded our small, hand-crank engine boat, and it putt-putted out into the flat water ahead of all the other tour boats still loading at dock.

Along Waterway Looking Back at Paraty

Our first stop was an island where we anchored just offshore and snorkeled for at least 45 minutes. The water was crystal clear and lukewarm.  The skipper tossed some small bits of bread into the water and INSTANTLY a group of fish appeared and ate it! They looked like Pirhana to me, but he called them some other name…hmmm.

The Pier

From there we putt-putted over to another island beach and anchored offshore again. This island had a restaurant with beach tables and umbrellas – Lovely! I had brought my health food with me – apples, cheese, carrots, nuts and crackers – so I was already set for lunch. After more snorkeling and sunbathing I fell asleep on the sand. It felt divine to relax in the sun to the sound of the gentle waves lapping at the water’s edge.

Several Boats at the Pier

About 1 ½ hours later, we putt-putted to another beach, and our skipper took us on a short walk into the jungle to show us where the Germans built a factory 150 years ago to make a highly potent alcoholic drink from sugar cane. The large water wheel that powered the pressing of the cane is still standing, though quite overgrown by jungle. The Brazilian who owns the land is interested in preserving this historical landmark and is not planning to develop it, according to the skipper.

OnBoard Our Boat

Late afternoon was underway, and our skipper putt-putted the boat back to Paraty and up the waterway, where we disembarked at the dock of our Hostel. We arrived just as the sun was going down. I grabbed my duffel bag and headed over to a different Hostel – the first one had horrible sheets and flimsy bunk beds made with aluminum frames – scary. I had arranged my new Hostel – Hostel Che Legaro -  during my early morning walk.

Me on the Boat Roof

My new room was not a dorm room – I now had a double bed, fresh cotton sheets that felt like sheets should, a great bathroom and a wicked-good shower! After showering I headed down for a delicious dinner of fresh fish.

Making the extra effort to get to Paraty was well worth it. The entire coastal area is stunningly beautiful, peaceful and as close to paradise as I have perhaps ever been.

Looking Back at Paraty

This is a town I could see myself living in. It is situated half-way between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, so if one wanted to visit a bit of city life there’s plenty not far away. Meanwhile, there are hundreds of small gorgeous islands to explore, fishing, snorkeling, swimming, sailing, kayaking, diving, beaches, fresh fruits and veggies, delightful restaurants and shops, incredible views of mountains circumferencing the town, and clear blue water to gaze upon.  Paradise looks like Paraty!

Another Tour Boat Passing Us

Vacation Homes Along Island Beaches

First Island Snorkel Stop, Looking Through Boat Window

Bread-Eating Fish

Onward to the Second Island

Getting Off At Second Island

Ahhh, Sweet Paradise!

Some of My Boat Mates

Reboarding Our Boat

Third Island Stop

Old German Water Wheels

Hand-Crank Boat Engine

Heading Back to Paraty

Restaurant Island - Boaters' Only

Approaching Paraty

Coming Up the Waterway to Our Hostel

The End of a Grand Day

Parque Gazebo and Swimming Pool Building in Coxambu

May 21^st, 2011 – The breakfast buffet was a lavish spread laid out on glass plates in tiers on a long, white tablecloth. The dining ware was equally elegant, which made the whole experience quite impressive. And, at last, I was not dining alone – there were at least 25 others at breakfast, most of them probably in their 70s. The one strange thing I noticed is that the breakfast music that was playing was “Smile, though you are in pain, Smile, though ….”  A bit of a curious choice, I thought.

One of the Many Mineral Water Jug Filling Locations

I was excited to get down to the Parque to see the hot mineral waters and discover whether this was a place I might be able to hold future health retreats for Brazilians. I was looking for hot soaking mineral waters, but to my astonishment I learned upon entering the Parque that these mineral waters ARE FOR DRINKING!

Swan Lake in the Parque

There was a large pool house where people could swim in the mineral waters, but the water was not heated, and there was a separate admittance fee to use the pool house after you had already paid to get into the Parque. It was a bit of a disappointment, but I decided to walk around the Parque anyway and see the rest of it since I was there.

Chairlift Hill Above Swan Lake

The Parque is the central feature of Coxambu, and has a small lake with swans in the middle with a single seat chairlift that hoists people above the lake to the top of a hill overlooking the Parque and Coxambu. I took the chairlift to the top, and on the ride up I saw a wild Toucan in a tree just next to the lift!

View From the Top

The views from the top of the hill were magnificent! Once down the chairlift I walked back towards the Hotel, and passed the Rodoviario on the way. Upon checking when the next bus left for Sao Lourenco, I was told it would be LEAVING IN 5 MINUTES!!! I raced to the Hotel, grabbed my bag and raced back to the Rodoviario and boarded the bus just as it was driving away from the Rodoviario! That was a bit close!

Chairlift Ride Back Down to Coxambu

Sao Lourenco was the next mineral water town I wanted to visit, again to see if it might work as a health retreat location. The bus pulled into Sao Lourenco just before noon, and I could already tell from the drive into town to the Rodoviario that I didn’t want to even bother spending any time checking it out. Coxambu and Sao Lourenco were the first two towns I’d been to during my entire journey through Brazil that I did not care for. And now I had only 2 full days left after this day to enjoy the rest of my trip – what was I going to do? I was in a dilemma! I stood at the Rodoviario and looked at maps and schedules.

Parque in Coxambu

I decided I really wanted to go to the coast and spend my last two days at the beach. In the 15 minutes it took me to figure that out, a bus left that would have taken me to a connecting bus on to Paraty, a coastal town that Niki, the South African woman I had met back in Belo Horizonte, had raved about. She had spent a week there when she first arrived to Brazil and couldn’t recommend it more highly.

Coxambu Parque Tour Bus

I went back and forth between two ticket windows talking with each ticket seller about buses and schedules, and there was no bus in either direction that could get me to another connecting bus to Paraty by the evening. The ticket agents each called other terminals for me to verify bus departure times, and did all they could to help find me a way to make my destination. But nothing was working.

Mineral Water Fountains

Finally, after debating all the options, I decided to take a 2+ hour taxi ride to Barra Manus – a taxi would get me there in time to catch a connecting bus to Paraty and arrive at the seaport by evening.

The ticket seller at one of the booths helped me secure a good taxi. Ticket sellers are licensed to make taxi recommendations with licensed taxi drivers, a system which is supposed to spare non-Portuguese speaking travelers from getting ripped off. It worked. He quoted me $R200 in comparison the $R500 another independent taxi driver quoted.

A Gazebo-Covered Mineral Water Fountain

After thanking the young ticket sellers profusely for all their assistance, I was off again, this time in the front seat of a taxi with a driver that spoke minimum English. It could have seemed like a very long two and a half hours to Barra Manus, but it didn’t. He was a kind, likeable man, very thoughtful and considerate. And the scenery was stupendous!

Parque Walkway Along a Mineral Waterway

The road wound through the verdant mountains between the states of Minas Gerais, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. It twisted and cris-crossed back and forth over the borders along the high peaks, and eventually descended down into the flatland of the state of Rio de Janeiro. We arrived in Barra Mannus one hour before my bus departed to Paraty, so the pressure was now off. I finally began to relax – I was going to make it to Paraty after all!

Swan Shaped Paddle Boats For Rent

During the bus trip to Paraty I began to realize how tired I was. I was falling asleep while sitting upright in my seat, and I would suddenly wake myself up with a little SNORT! How embarrassing!

We finally deboarded the bus in Paraty at 9:20 p.m. It didn’t take long to walk through the streets to the Hostel del Rio on the waterway. Checked in to a dorm room, and before long was sleeping soundly, finally at my coastal destination for my last two full days in Brazil. What amazing fortune to have made it to the coast! There was a full-day snorkel tour of the islands happening in the morning, and I was already booked!

Swan Lake Reflection

Old Steam Engine in Train Museum

May 20^th, 2011 – My trip was down to the last 4 days before catching my flight out of Sao Paulo back to the U.S. I had missed two other steam train rides that I had hoped to take – one early in the trip at Curitiba, and one at Mariana. Now I had one last opportunity to ride an old steam train into the small gold mining town of Tiradentes, which means tooth-puller, and was named after Joaquim Jose da Silva Xavier, who lived from 1746 to 1792. He was a leading member of the Brazilian revolutionary movement known as the Inconfidencia Mineira. The movement’s goal was full independence from the Poruguese colonial power and to create a Brazilian republic. When the independence movement plan was discovered, Xavier was publicly hanged. After the republic was formed he has been honored as one of Brazil’s national heroes.

Model of Early Donkey Engine

Breakfast was abysmal at the Vila Hostel, and once again I was the only one staying there. I raided the almost empty fridge, sucked a couple raw eggs and strolled out to enjoy the beautiful morning in the lush, green back yard. Packed up my duffel bag and stashed it in my dorm room, left the Hostel and walked to the well-maintained train station. A Museum about the history of the train era and gold extraction in Brazil was housed within the station.

Boarding the Train to Tiradentes

As I was perusing through the Museum while waiting for the train to begin boarding, hordes of screaming 8 to 10 year old school children flooded into the Museum, all ticketed to take the train to Tiradentes. Every single one of them had a digital camera and they were flashing photos like mad as they dashed around and leapt from one old train engine to another. There were several school teachers accompanying them, though not controlling any of them in any way.

Leaving Sao Joao del Rei

The train began to board and I chose to sit in a car near the rear of the train. Shortly after doing so, I realized my mistake – the rear cars were loading up with all the wild and screaming children. I quickly moved forward about 4 cars to one that had older, quieter folks, like myself. Fortunately, I was still in time to find a window seat. The windows slid up and down and all of them were open which made it easy to stick the camera out to catch train shots as it went around bends.

Conductor Punching Tickets

The ride to Tiradentes was flat and went through lush green countryside, with lakes in the foreground, mountains in the background. Occasionally the smoke from the engine’s smokestack would drift into the windows – ugh! It was filled with small black particulate matter, and later I learned that the train was burning oil, which stunk to high heaven when it wafted by. But for most of the ride the air was clean and breathable. The countryside was gorgeous!

Through Lush Green Scenery

The old-time train whistle was great to hear, and it tooted as often as it could, at every crossing, at every passer-by – it kept pretty busy! As we pulled into Tiradentes, there were over a dozen horse-drawn taxi carriages ready and waiting to transport people into town. I chose to walk, as the town was just a couple blocks from the train terminal and I wanted to exercise the legs.

Horse Drawn Taxi Carriages

Tiradentes is a beautiful town with a river running through it, mountains all around, and it sits fairly high with commanding views. The highest hill in town has a Basilica perched atop, and the cobblestone streets that splay out below are lined with high-end tourist shops and restaurants. I thoroughly enjoyed this town – it was elegant, peaceful and surrounded by stunning landscapes in every direction.

Turning the Train Engine Around

Before I had headed into Tiradentes I watched the group of train engineers turn the engine around to ready it for it’s return to Sao Joao del Rei. It was quite an operation. Many of the passengers stood and watched the engineers get the engine onto the turnstile, rotate it around and back it up to hitch it to the train cars. Interesting to see.

Taxis at the Tiradentes Plaza

I caught the 1 p.m. train back to Sao Joao del Rei, and it was totally empty of school children – they had all returned by bus. Arriving back into Sao Joao del Rei, I had quite a time finding the Rodoviario, but upon finally locating it I learned that there was a bus that departs every day at 3 p.m. to Coxambu, my next destination.  I didn’t want to stay another night and almost full day in Sao Joao del Rei just waiting for the next day’s bus, so I decided to try to catch this bus – but it was already getting late. By the time I got back to Vila Hostel, it was 2:50 p.m.!

Basilica at the Top of Tiradentes

I grabbed my duffel bag, quickly paid my Hostel bill, asked the desk girl to call me a cab, and dashed out the door to the other side of the road. I stuck out my thumb to start hitching a ride to the Rodoviario, in case my taxi didn’t show in time. A woman was pulling out of a parking lot just next to me, and I asked her for a ride to the Rodoviario, but I think she thought I was a rather strange person, and chose not to.

Wooden Sculpture at Artist's Shop

I was feeling a tad frantic! The next car that came driving down the road I started waving at with both arms and hailed it down as though it should pull over – AND IT DID!  The driver was a sweet older gentleman and upon quickly explaining about trying to catch a bus at the Rodoviario that would be leaving in 8 minutes, he offered to take me there!!!

The Artist at Work

He drove a luxurious car with plush leather seats. I jumped in and off we went. Fortunately, he knew the shortest route to the Rodoviario, and though we were slowed by having to wait for a couple red lights, he ran the third red light (no one was coming) and dropped me off at the Rodoviario at 2:57 p.m. Gushing many grateful thank yous and waving good-bye, I dashed to the ticket counter – it was closed! But – the ticket sales woman saw me and remembered me from earlier. She came out from the ticket office and walked me over to the gate, where she explained to the bus driver that I could still board the bus and pay for the ticket once I was onboard!!

The Artist's Poster

I still had to buy another ticket to go through the gate to get to the bus, so after quickly purchasing that ticket at a kiosk I passed through the gate and boarded my bus to Coxambu! The bus was full – I was the last passenger through its doors!

Once we pulled out of Sao Joao del Rei, the bus assistant came down the aisle and collected fares from those who had not yet paid. Fortunately, I still had the name of the town I was going to and the fare cost written on the paper the ticket office woman had originally given me. The rest of the ride was a breeze as the bus wound its way through gorgeous scenery along the old trade route to Coxambu.

Artist's Gallery Shop

The bus arrived to Coxambu at 6:30 p.m. I walked to the nearest hotel and booked a room. The hotel was made entirely of marble – quite grand. It also had a Spa which I used immediately. First, the steam room, and then a 40 minute massage. Ahh, what luxury!

It was the end of a wonderful, crazy day. Before heading off to bed, I watched a large group of hotel guests dancing to a live jazz band in the large lobby area of the hotel. Nearby was a fireplace dancing with flames, while outside everything was frozen solid at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. It felt like a great accomplishment and relief to have made it to Coxambu, the city known for its mineral waters, and to have a secure, warm place to stay on a frigidly cold, dark night.

Pulling Back into Sao Joao del Rei Before the Surreal Scramble Began