Imaging Brazil 339: Red Carpet on Stairs in Minas Gerais, MG (2011)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

339: Red carpet on stairs

The bus journey from Belo Horizonte to Diamantina takes about five hours, over a distance of almost three hundred kilometers. The ride takes you through arid, mountainous regions, called the ‘sertão’. On the way, the bus driver stopped at a number of places along the highway; the most important stopover was in the town of Curvelo, about halfway the ride. There the driver had to drive a tourist tour in order to reach the intercity bus station. The same route was taken again in the direction of the highway. Not far from Curvelo, along the highway, I noticed this red carpet. This runner covered the stairs to a higher church building. The churchgoers are here still regarded as very important people!

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2011, 2017

Imaging Brazil 312: Mountain Landscape in Minas Gerais, MG (2011)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

312: Mountain landscape

Minas Gerais state is one of the largest Brazilian states: its land area is similar to that of France and Switzerland combined. The state, with the centrally located capital of Belo Horizonte, is rich in mountains and rocks, which contain huge amounts of minerals. Iron ore, precious metals, precious stones and semi-precious stones are still extracted. The mining towns were very wealthy in the past, and it is still visible to the richly decorated houses and churches in these towns. When I was on my way to Diamantina, less than three hundred kilometers from Belo Horizonte, we drove along a fascinating mountain scenery, with rocks richly spread over the vast slopes and valleys.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2011, 2017

Imaging Brazil 305: Bus Mirror in Minas Gerais, MG (2011)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

305: Bus mirror

Between 2006 and 2011, I made a number of long bus trips with various groups of university students. These students attended annual meetings, spread across the immense country. Especially the coastal cities in the northeast were very popular for these meetings. The students attended workshops, presentations and discussions, and in the evening they participated in various parties and music programs. I didn’t have to attend these meetings, but I gratefully took advantage of their invitation to get to know the country better. My final bus trip with these students was in November 2011: a meeting in Campo Grande, capital of Mato Grosso do Sul, near the border with Bolivia. A journey that lasted over seventeen hours. The picture shows a side mirror of our bus.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2011, 2017

Imaging Brazil 295: Sunset at Gunga Beach, AL (2010)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

295: Gunga Beach sunset

When I was accompanying a group of students on their way to João Pessoa, a day was spent on the beach of Gunga in the state of Alagoas. Following my visits in 2008 and 2009, it was the third time I stayed at this  beach paradise. Just like the first time, the bus driver had to use all his experience and agility to guide the bus over the bumpy and paved secondary road. Most students immediately searched for the nearby beach pavilion and ordered a large amount of beer right away. This was not my intention, I preferred a long beach walk, with a camera in my hand. Late afternoon, we enjoyed a breathtaking sunset.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2010, 2017

Imaging Brazil 282: Countryside Landscape in Pernambuco, PE (2010)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

282: Countryside

The state of Pernambuco has a very varied landscape. Arid areas are alternated by rolling fresh-grown sugarcane fields, and palm plantations in the coastal region. When I was on my way from Belo Horizonte to João Pessoa, the capital of the neighboring state of Paraíba, Pernambuco was crossed. The drought had left its traces in the landscape: dry grasslands, with scattered groups of palm trees that are more resistant to drought. Two men rode on their cart through the sun-burnt landscape.

 

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2010, 2017

Imaging Brazil 274: Three on a Bike in Pernambuco, PE (2010)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

274: Three on a bike

A bus trip in Brazil can be tiresome. Especially when you have to travel very long distances. In that respect, taking the plane is a better, but a much more expensive alternative. The hours seem to take longer on the bus when you drive in the dark. But during the day, you will notice that the time seems to go faster. You can enjoy the colorful and varied landscape for many hours, having a privileged look at the daily life along the highway. Especially when the bus has to go through villages and small towns, there is a lot to see. Like that time when my eye caught these three boys on a bike in an unknown village in the state of Pernambuco.

 

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2010, 2017

Imaging Brazil 271: Sunset in Pernambuco, PE (2010)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

271: Sunset

A flight is very fast, but you only have sight from high altitude, if there are no clouds below you, and if you do not have your seat next to the wing. Traveling by bus is very tiring – especially if you are on your way for a few days -, but you are rewarded with excellent views of breathtaking landscapes. Mountain landscapes, green hills, infinite sugar cane fields, long coastlines, vast plains, dry and bare fields, and many more. In addition, you can also enjoy the colorful sunrises and sunsets, like a sunset in Pernambuco, when I was on my way from João Pessoa (Paraíba) to Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais).

 

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2010, 2017

Imaging Brazil 270: Lone Tree in Bahia, BA (2010)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

270: Lone tree

During my bus trips to the northeast of Brazil, we always had to cross the giant states of Minas Gerais and Bahia. In July 2010, I accompanied a group of students on their way to their annual meeting in João Pessoa, capital of Paraíba state. A bus trip of more than forty hours. It takes at least twelve hours before the state limit of Minas Gerais with Bahia is reached, and another twelve hours to reach Salvador. Despite the many hours, it is very interesting to see the multicolored and varied landscape from open bus window: from mountains and  green hills to arid plains. The photograph shows a lone tree in a landscape hit by winter drought.

 

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2010, 2017

Imaging Brazil 198: Children along the Highway in Alagoas, AL (2008)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

198. Children along the highway 

JULY 2008: Children along the highway

It’s no secret that there is much poverty in the large northeastern region of Brazil. There have recently been intense attempts by the federal government to eradicate absolute poverty of the regional population, with visible results. Nonetheless, poverty is still clearly visible there, even to the eyes of tourists and travelers who use the highways. At some locations, houses and huts have been built not far from the highway, and the local people seem to be undisturbed about the speeding fast traffic. A few people try to take advantage of the raised bumps at the city limits, and then try to sell vegetables, fruit, sweets or handicraft to drivers and passengers. Children also seem to have grown up with life along the highway. These children enthusiastically waved to us when our bus passed by their little house.

 

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2008, 2016

Imaging Brazil 185: Bridge on the São Francisco River, PE (2008)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

185. Bridge

JANUARY 2008: Bridge

It was a long and adventurous bus trip from Belo Horizonte to Fortaleza, capital of the state Ceará. On the way to Fortaleza, which lasted no less than four days, we visited the beach resorts of Porto de Galinhas, Praia de Pipa, and Canoa Quebrada. The return trip was much shorter, only two days. From the capital, the highway across the arid landscape of the state of Ceará was followed. The bus drivers insisted to leave early in the morning, in order to reach the border with the state of Pernambuco before sunset. The highway Ceará was known to have frequent raids happening, especially at night. It was very hot that day, we had put all the windows wide open for some ventilation. The landscape was surprisingly interesting and varied, and I shot hundreds of photos of it. The sun was about to set, when we finally reached the São Francisco River that formed the border with Pernambuco. There was a bridge under construction, but the bus was – like the cars and even trucks – transported by ferry across the wide river. We had to wait patiently for the arrival of the ferry, before we could continue our way home.

 

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2008, 2016