Laranjeiras

I know, I know.  I'm having such a terrible time here in Brazil you're all hoping that something good will finally happen to me.  I thank you all sincerely for your kind sentiments my friends.  It's wonderful that you're travelling with me all way and are able to feel my pain.  Well unfortunately your good wishes have not materialized as my most recent shenanigans have been particularly agonizing.  You'll know what I mean when you observe the picture below.

Introducing the coast around Laranjeiras or "Orange Trees" approximately half way by car between Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.  Here we paid a visit to a certain very close relative of Iris who happens to have a luxury holiday home in these parts.  Well boo-hoo-hoo, poor us!

After breakfast our distinguished host took us for a tour of this exclusive resort's private beaches.  I simply do not have any superlatives left to describe the stunning coastal scenery of Brazil.  The pictures are left to do the talking.

You must understand, my friends, that today was an extremely hot day so after the walk back from the beach we desperately needed some way of cooling down.  Well just our luck that I host just happened to have a pool in his back garden that he had forgotten about and stumbled upon by mistake.

For a rare change, some of us preferred more active pursuits that involved floating over water rather than being immersed in it (see background), but most were happy with usual treatment.

I myself went for a paddle around to check what was good for plundering after night fall.

On my return, caipirihnas in the pool were in order (don't worry Adi's parents, she's drinking coconut water)

not to mention a little erotic fiction beside the pool, from the back

and the front,

before taking lunch on the veranda.

A quick shower later and we were off to Parate, a Portuguese colonial gold-mining town some 300 years old and characterized by typical Portuguese colonial architecture.

We passed the main church,

the town square,

and strolled down some of the town's quaint streets.

The taxis were stuck in a time-warp but were effective on the cobbled streets none-the-less.

Some of the locals were also stuck in the 17th century,

others were a picture of coolness,

or beauty.

After church,

we went to find sin (aval lama cashaca?),

before cooling off our visit with an ice cream - Elena, look this way!

Back at home we finished our dinner with passion fruit tart by torch-light.

What a wonderful day! We sincerely thank our distinguished host whose generosity is unsurpassed.