Paraty to Sao Joao del Rei --- 26 Jan 2006
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This morning in Paraty we got on bus to Rio's main bus terminal and at 4:00pm got on another bus to
Sao Joao del Rei, where we arrived at about 10:30pm. We took a taxi to the Pousada Sao Benedito
and were glad to find that this guesthouse had a room available. Our room, in an old colonial building,
was barely large enough to fit in two single beds; no other furnishings, no exterior window, no private
bath. Our room was off the family's living/dining room, where they were watching TV but soon
retired after our arrival. The charge for the room including continental breakfasts was 20 Reais
(US$10) per night.
Our main reason for going to Sao Joao was that it is was an important colonial mining town. It has a
large number of colonial buildings, including a good number of highly decorated churches and some
fine museums,. With a population of about 75,000 it is a regular Brazilian town with few tourist
shops and is not overwhelmed by tourism Sao Joao del Rei is an easy half-hour drive from the very
colorful small colonial town of Tiradentes, extremely popular with upscale Brazilian tourists.