Mandala das Águas.



The country inn Mandala das Águas sits at the gateway to the Matutu Valley between the Lion's Head and Parrots' Peak. The views are specular and so is the food served in a dining room surrounded by nature. No need for a lot of words here as the photos truly tell the story.










The place is full of little surprises as art objects of spirit and fun mix with nature and people into a marvelous harmony. Just wandering around even an ordinary light bulb became for me a true photographer's delight.









And, then there's the family. What can I say other than I'm sure grateful to know them. Tarik, Hixon, Marcia, Sophi, Bambi ... and friends.












See more of the Mandala collection here.

Magical Matutu



The Matutu Valley of southern Minas Gerais, Brazil is one of those magical places, almost mythic like a Rivendel or Shambala or a fantasy kingdom. It keeps drawing me back to reconnect with the land, the places and the people. And, of course, there is always a new batch of photos.


The magnificient Mantiqueira mountains, the magical temples, churches, pioneer buildings, shops, trout farms, and wonderful people all make this a place not to be missed.









The plants and flowers are spectacular.











And this time there was a great day of horse riding up on the Maçieira with Guilherme França and friends.





See the full collection here.

Fibers of the Earth



I've previously presented the work of Fios da Terra and my good friend Nina Michaelis at Fibers of the Earth. Now she has a whole new line of products, ready for Nov 2007. Check them out. Whatever you buy helps not only Nina but a whole group of traditional weavers in southern Minas Gerais, Brazil. Here's Nina at work in the Matutu Valley



and here are a few of her current products:









For more information you can contact Nina at ninamatutu@gmail.com
and you can see more current products at Flickr

Or, you can visit her and stay in her sweet little chalet.

MORE FROM MATUTU



The natural beauty of Matutu seems to inspire everyone toward art. Making beauty is a major vocation in the life of many people -- it appears everywhere. I came under the same artistic spell. Building the previous post inspired me to do another one, presenting some of my previously published (and unpublished) images. Here are a few favorites from Matutu.

First, where exactly is Matutu? It's near Aiuruoca, Minas Gerais in the center of the triangle described by Brazil's three largest cities -- Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.

Second,what makes it so special? Many things, but consider this simple statistic: within 30 miles of Aiuruoca there are 8 named mountain peaks and 28 major waterfalls. The town itself is over 300 years old going a back to the early days of the gold rush and today many think that it's the fusca (Brazilian VW Beetle) captital of the world. Here's my photo album about it.

OK. Here are the images. Click on them to get descriptions and larger sizes.















































If you'd like to visit Matutu and you're looking for a lovely pousada
(bed and breakfast) to stay at you might check out these places:

Mandala das Águas

Pedra Fina