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On Overselling…
Whilst Jericoacoara is undeniably beautiful, it can also be a lonely place for someone travelling on their own. It’s also a place which has seen so many tourists, that now its inhabitants only live to sell and find new ways of removing as much money from your wallets as possible.
Here’s a few tips for some of the vendors…(which I did give feedback to)
I’m a tourist. I’m going to buy things, it’s only natural… I’m going to take a tour or two. I’m going to eat out at restaurants. I’ll hire a chair and an umbrella to sit under at the beach.
BUT when you incessantly and aggressively approach me to buy things, I tend to react by not buying anything at all, out of spite.
I know that I have to catch a buggy to go anywhere outside the town. I’m not blind, or stupid… But you probably need to sell the destinations a little more, and not the ride itself. I loved the places that the buggies took me to, but no one told me about these in town. It was too much ‘Get your buggy here… buy a buggy ride’…
I had some pretty poor service at some of the restaurants, the kind of service where you want to just go out the back and get it yourself…
I think I stayed in Jericoacoara two days more than I should have as the non-stop selling wore me down after a while. I spent some great time here alone in nature, with my thoughts , amazed by the dunes and the beaches, with pen and paper in hand.
If i had the chance to go back to Jeri again, I would do it, as the beauty of it is amazing. But it would be for a different style of holiday…
Passeio de Paulinho
When in Jeri, a town of sandy streets, you’re faced with a few limited options for transport – on foot, horse or mule, quad bikes and the dune buggy.
Needless to say, many take the buggy option. I bumped into Paulinho on my way down to the beach and he offered to take me round (a ‘passeio’) at a discounted price (as I was by myself and normally the buggy’s seat 3 plus the driver)
While you’re no longer allowed to go onto the dunes themselves as it’s a National Park Reserve, it’s a great experience to drive where permitted. There’s plenty to see around Jeri, but it takes a bit of driving to get there…
We arrived at Lagoa Azul (there’s always a Blue Lagoon everywhere!) and I had to swim across a channel of water to get to an island where they have set up a cute array of restaurants.
Tables are set in the water, so you can eat and drink while fish sim about your ankles and nibble at your toes. You can also jump in a hammock, submerged in the water and relax as people wait on you, serving you with whatever you’d like to eat and drink.
(My kind of paradise!)
Nearby Lagoa Paraiso (Paradise Lagoon) is a similar experience with a few more lunch items to choose from at their larger bar.
Schooners Aplenty at Paraty
The boat never really leaves when it’s meant to. If the opportunity for more passengers and money presents itself, then the crew eagerly take it.
Soon we have enough for a respectable departure, and we set off amidst cloudy uncertainty in the weather.
But 20 minutes into the cruise, or ‘passeio’, the sky gives up its fight with the sun, and lets it stream down around us.
Suddenly we stop, drop anchor, and it’s time for a snorkel while hordes of fish of all descriptions surge around the swimmers.
João picks up his guitar, and starts singing slow Brazilian tunes for the rest of the passengers as we dry off and head to the next lagoon or ‘praia’ (beach).
At the end of the day, after numerous stops around paradise and a fantastic seafood lunch, the schooner makes its way back to the picturesque port of colonial Paraty.
We dock, and all too soon, the day spent adrift is anchored back to reality once more.
Tales of The Brazilianaire 