Through the streets of Cananeia

After spending a few days exploring the Guaraú region in Peruíbe, as I mentioned in my last post, it was time to hit the road again, heading further south along the São Paulo coast. In fact, to the very southernmost point.
We headed to the city of Cananeia, a place I’ve always wanted to visit, especially for its historic and old village, with charming, colorful houses reminiscent of the city’s Portuguese colonization. The city, by the way, was founded in 1531, just 31 years after the Portuguese invasion of Brazil.

So there's no shortage of old buildings full of history. I was looking forward to strolling through the charming streets, but I couldn't do that until we had settled in - or rather, found somewhere to park the motorhome and camp. And we did it on the Beira Mar avenue, which, despite its name, does not border the sea, but a river. A river that is so wide and long that it is known locally as Mar Pequeno.

And this setting was perfect for waking up surrounded by nature.
Cananeia doesn’t have beaches within the city itself, as it is an island bordered only by the river’s branches. However, within its territory, there are beaches located on Ilha do Cardoso, with many tours departing daily from the historic center to these destinations.

I only spent a few days in the city and didn’t get the chance to go on these tours, but I did manage to explore the historic center on foot and capture the beauty of the local architecture in photographs. The old, often poorly preserved façades reveal the true age of the buildings.

I also walked to the port of Cananeia, where the fishing boats are docked, and visited the Municipal Fish Market. Everything there is very calm—there’s barely any traffic—and it’s fascinating to see how, after so many centuries, the place still seems untouched by excessive “progress.”There’s no asphalt, the streets remain narrow, the boats are still small... Life is still peaceful and serene.

During my walk, I stopped to chat with some new friends, who were strategically lounging sleepily right next to the fish market.

I also ended up accidentally stumbling upon the Cananeia Museum, and it turned out to be a pleasant experience, especially because I was wandering alone, exploring the city streets—a favorite thing of mine to do while traveling.
The museum was extremely well-maintained, and the highlight is a stuffed great white shark, which was caught in Cananeia in the 1990s and is now on display for visitors. Personally, I find it ridiculous to kill an animal just to turn it into a tourist attraction, but, well... it was the '90s, and in hindsight, almost nothing from that decade seems to make much sense now.

I wrapped up my tour by strolling through the streets of the historic center and enjoying a beer in the central square. The plan for the next day was to wake up early and head to yet another destination—but I’ll share more about that in the next post.

See ya :)

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