Hi Andrew and Kay,

If beach collecting interests you, you could combine a little relaxation
with some collecting at the historic (and scenic) town of Paraty, on the
coast in between Rio and São Paulo, easily reachable by car or by bus.
Last year, I found lots of small shells - bivalves, dentalium, murex,
nerites - on several of the beaches walking distance of the historic
center (I was not on a shelling trip per se). You can rent a boat to take
you out to one of the islands in the bay (I did not do this myself) where
I bet you would find more material by snorkelling.  I don't know if there
are any restrictions in the area.

Feel free to contact me off-line, also for general tourism information in
some of your other destinations.  Have a great trip!

Alex
Berkeley, CA

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