After a colorful and illuminated midnight sail out of Rio's Guanabara Bay, the Caledonian Star dropped anchor at 8 AM this morning off the colonial city of Paratí. When gold was discovered in the mountains of Brazil in the17th century, a stone road was constructed from the gold mines to this protected bay. Paratí flourished with the export of mineral wealth until a new road to Rio de Janeiro redirected Brazil's gold in 1725. The colonial architecture of Paratí survived, so much so that UNESCO has declared this a World Heritage Site. Our guests were treated to a fantastic zodiac trip from our anchorage past numerous granite islands laced with tropical vegetation. Here naturalist Lyall Watson points out a bird colony along the way. Walking the cobblestone streets of Paratí was a thrill taking us back 2 1/2 centuries in time. In the afternoon we landed on a secluded beach and swam in the warm Atlantic waters.