Imaging Brazil 231: Selling Pans in Guarapari, ES (2009)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

231: Selling Pans 

APRIL 2009: Selling Pans

The beaches at Guarapari in the state of Espírito Santo are by far the most popular in the state. Because of the large numbers of mineiros (residents of the neighboring state of Minas Gerais) in Guarapari, the town is jokingly called a mineiro colony. And indeed, if you walk around in Guarapari, you’ll meet many mineiros. The shopkeepers and restaurateurs  offer many products from Minas to the tourists. To make the mineiros feel themselves at home. And where are tourists, there are also vendors. Also on the beach. They offer a wide array of merchandise: sunscreen, soda, beer, T-shirts, swimwear, snacks, souvenirs and even cookware, as seen on the pictures.

 

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2009, 2016

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IMAGES OF BRAZIL: SELEXION 2008 – 006

A selection of photographs taken in Brazil in 2008.

Part 6:
Praia da Pipa (RN) – Atlantic Ocean
Praia da Pipa (RN) – Stand-up paddling
Praia da Pipa (RN) – Crab
Canoa Quebrada (CE) – Flatbottom boat on the beach

Praia da Pipa (RN) – Atlantic Ocean

Praia da Pipa (RN) – Stand-up paddling

Praia da Pipa (RN) – Crab

Canoa Quebrada (CE) – Flatbottom boat on the beach

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2008, 2016

IMAGES OF BRAZIL: SELEXION 2008 – 005

A selection of photographs taken in Brazil in 2008.

Part 5:
Praia da Pipa (RN) – View from lifebuoy
Praia da Pipa (RN) – Sailing boat
Praia da Pipa (RN) – Life jackets
Praia da Pipa (RN) – Sailing boat

Praia da Pipa (RN) – View from lifebuoy

Praia da Pipa (RN) – Sailing boat

Praia da Pipa (RN) – Life jackets

Praia da Pipa (RN) – Sailing boat

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2008, 2016

Imaging Brazil 212: Selling Hats at Praia do Francês, AL (2009)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

212. Selling hats

AUGUST 2009: Selling hats 

Praia do Francês is a popular beach near the city of Maceió, capital of the state of Alagoas. Many tourists that visit the city, also will visit the beach. They can make use of the transport facilities offered by the hotels or travel agencies, or by public transport. My travel to Maceió was organized by a travel agency, and a trip to this beach was included. On the very first day, and was followed by a short city tour in the capital. Our local guide wanted to keep all of us as close as possible to his preferred beach barrack; probably he gained some commission with each snack, meal or drink sold to his tourist group. He told us of the big dangers we would meet if we were wandering too far from the barrack. Despite his warnings, I wandered around, since I have been here one year before, with some friends, and we hadn’t met any problem then. One the way, I met various people selling various kinds of merchandise. Like this boy, who was selling straw hats.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2009, 2016

IMAGES OF BRAZIL: SELEXION 2006 – 005

A selection of photographs taken in Brazil in 2006.

Part 5:
Bahia (BA) – Crossing a river
Olivença (BA) – Ocean waves
Salvador (BA) – Fortress
Salvador (BA) – Beach chair

Bahia (BA) – Crossing a river

Olivença (BA) – Ocean waves

Salvador (BA) – Fortress

Salvador (BA) – Beach chair 

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2006, 2016

Imaging Brazil 176: Cat with Yellow Eyes at Praia de Pipa, RN (2008)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

176. Cat with yellow eyes 

JANUARY 2008: Cat with yellow eyes

On our way from Belo Horizonte to Fortaleza, by bus, we had visited three paradisaical beach resorts in Northeast Brazil: Porto de Galinhas in Pernambuco, Praia da Pipa in Rio Grande do Norte, and Canoa Quebrada in Ceará. Each of them is more than worth visiting: breathtaking views, a beautiful beach, a calm ocean, cozy bars, restaurants and souvenir shops. We spent the night on the bus, while the two bus drivers carried us to another destination. Early in the morning, we arrived at the beach resort, took some breakfast, and went to the beach. Many of our large group visited the nearest beach barrack with cheap beer and stayed there all day. I joined a smaller group that preferred to walk around, to enjoy more of the location: we made long beach walks, we wandered along the narrow streets in the nearby village, and discovered many shops and restaurants. At night, all of us went to a hostel to take a shower, and then made another walk in the village until midnight. Then it was about time to enter the bus for another night ride. When we were walking in the village, I discovered this cat in a stoic pose. The flash light reflected in the eyes, turning them yellow.

 

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2008, 2016

Imaging Brazil 167: Paragliding in Canoa Quebrada, CE (2008)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

167. Paragliding 

JANUARY 2008: Paragliding

In January 2008, I participated in a special bus trip from Belo Horizonte to Fortaleza. A unique adventure of spending five days on the bus, thereby visiting the beaches of Porto de Galinhas, Pipa, and Canoa Quebrada. Canoa Quebrada – once a small fishing village – is a very popular beach location in the state of Ceará. The village with colorful sand cliff coasts at the Atlantic Ocean was ‘discovered’ several decades ago by French filmmakers,  and by hippies, and it has become an attractive beach resort with plenty of entertainment. When we had spent the evening prior to the final stage to Fortaleza, we visited a traditional bar with Brazilian music, followed by a visit of a nightclub with electronic music, and a bar with reggae music. During the day there was also much to do  and to see: we regularly noticed brightly colored buggies driving around,  and occasionally a para-glider circling over our heads. The shape of the parachute and the silhouettes of the two dangling below looked strikingly similar to the symbols of Canoa Quebrada: the crescent moon and the star.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2008, 2016

Imaging Brazil 162: Penguin in Niterói, RJ (2008)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

162. Penguin

AUGUST 2008: Penguin

Even in winter, you can visit the beaches in the state of Rio de Janeiro. During the long weekend in August 2008, I stayed in a hostel in Copacabana, with a dozen of friends from the university. One day, we planned to visit Itaipu Beach, within the Oceanic Region of Niterói. From Copacabana, we had to take the bus to downtown, and from there we went to the Hidroviária to take the ferry across the Guanabara Bay, to Niterói. We then had to take another bus until the final bus stop at a few hundred meters from the beach. The entrance road to the beach was guarded by the police, but they allowed us to walk to the beach. When we were enjoying some cold beers and several seafood snacks, we suddenly heard someone shouting. ‘A penguin! There! near the shoreline!’ Some people immediately run towards the poor creature and put it on a beach table. It soon was covered by a beach towel, to keep it warm. The emergency number was called, but it took more than an hour before a member of the fire brigade (completely in uniform despite the heat) arrived and carried the penguin away. That winter, more than four hundred penguins were rescued at Niterói. Some months later, they were transported back to South Brazil, where they regained their freedom.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2008, 2016

Imaging Brazil 158: Souvenir Vendor at Gunga Beach, AL (2008)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

08. Souvenir vendor

JULY 2008: Souvenir vendor 

Gunga Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in the state of Alagoas. It is not easy to reach Gunga: either by a ferry boat from Barra de São Miguel or via a private secondary road that has an entry at the highway. In July 2008, when I was joining a group of students from Belo Horizonte for their annual meeting in Maceió, the state capital, our bus had to enter the private road. The dirt track contained many large holes and large stones, which made it hard for the bus driver to maneuver swiftly. Most of the students were too tired to walk along the beach and took their seats at the first barrack on the beach. I also felt very tired, but I still had some energy left to walk around and take some pictures of the paradisaical beach. White sand, green palm trees, crystalline water, a clear blue sky, on a warm and a sunny day. I really imagined myself in a paradise! I was accompanied by two friends, and we met one of the many beach vendors that try to sell their merchandise to the beach-goers. This vendor was gentile and very talkative. His merchandise consisted of small bottles that contain images of colored sand. We observed that his beard had a strange shaving pattern. He noticed us looking at his beard and explained us that it shows his name. He was about to shave it the following day.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2008, 2015

Imaging Brazil 157: Shallow Pool at Praia do Francês, AL (2008)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

157. Shallow pool 

JULY 2008: Shallow Pool

Praia do Francês is a popular beach near Maceió, capital of the state of Alagoas. The beach – literally translated as ‘The Frenchman’s Beach’ – is located at about thirty km south of the capital, near the city of Marechal Deodoro, named after the first president of Brazil. The wide beach attracts many Brazilian and foreign tourists. Numerous barracks host various restaurants and bars. In addition, ambulant vendors stroll along the beach, sometimes meandering between the people, in their hope to sell their merchandise, that range from cold drinks and seafood to sunburn cream and souvenirs. At the moment of this picture, two children were enjoying the shallow pools, left behind by the retreat of the Atlantic Ocean after high tide.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2008, 2015

Imaging Brazil 130: Sunset Water Mirror in Florianópolis, SC (2007)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

130. Sunset water mirror

APRIL 2007: Sunset water mirror

Florianópolis, capital of the state of Santa Catarina is one of the three Brazilian state capitals that are located on an island. The capital is located in the center of Santa Catarina Island. From there, the distance to the northernmost part of the island is about 30 km. Next to the internationally renowned beaches at Jurerê, the fortress of São João da Ponta Grossa protected the island and the mainland from hostile invasions. After having visited the fortress, we visited the nearby beach: Praia do Forte. We were there just in time to witness a colorful and amazing sunset. Parts of the beach just had become dry after the high tide; the sun-colored clouds in the sky were mirrored in the remaining pools.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2007, 2015

Imaging Brazil 128: Rainbow man in Rio de Janeiro, RJ (2007)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

128. Rainbow Man

OCTOBER 2007: Rainbow Man

Our group of twenty students was hosted in a cozy hostel between Copacabana and Ipanema. We only had to walk about half a kilometer to reach either Copacabana Beach or Ipanema Beach. On the final day of our long weekend in Rio, we were surprised to see so many colorful people on the boulevard that parallels Copacabana Beach. Soon we discovered that the Rio Gay Parade (‘Orgulho Gay’) was about to start. It was a hot and sunny October Sunday. Many people enjoyed the beach and were visibly amazed by what they were seeing around. People with feather boas, bright colored shirts, skirts, shorts, and sunglasses. Some of them also used colorful wigs, like the man on this picture. We should call him Rainbow Man.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2007, 2015

Imaging Brazil 112: Dirty Hands in Atins, MA (2007)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

112. Dirty hands

JULY 2007: Dirty hands

We had spent 55 hours by bus, to bridge the huge distance of more than 2500 km between Belo Horizonte and São Luís, capital of the state of Maranhão. Another five hours were spent by bus to reach Barreirinhas, gateway to the immense dune landscape of Lençóis Maranhenses. Four more hours were spent by boat to reach Atins Beach, at the Atlantic Ocean. Our feet really hurt when we stepped on the hot sand. It was as if our flip flops were even melting! But that didn’t stop us from reaching the shoreline and giving our feet a refreshing bath. To our big surprise, our feet sank deeply in the moist sand, almost ten centimeters! There was another surprise that clumps of clay were found on the shoreline. Two students immediately recognized the substance, and started to smear the clay on their hands. According to them, this clay type is very suitable for ceramic handicraft.

 

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2007, 2015

Imaging Brazil 108: Descent of Man in Atins, MA (2007)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

108. Descent of Man

JULY 2007: Descent of Man

In July 2007, we visited the state of Maranhão. We stayed in Barreirinhas, which is considered the gateway to the immense Lençóis Maranhenses dune landscape, from where we joined a boat ride on the literally lazy Preguiças River. Our final destination was Atins, at the Atlantic Ocean, four hours away. It was a hot day, but the ride on the water was really enjoyable. When we entered the sandy paths and streets in Atins, we almost immediately jumped from out feet. The sand was terribly hot! We all felt a bit tired after a 55-hour-long bus ride from Belo Horizonte and another 4-hour boat ride. One of the bus drivers was really feeling exhausted. For him, it was impossible to walk straight. He then trudged toward me, and I couldn’t resist taking a picture of him. His pose remembered me of the stories of the early humans on earth, several hundred thousands years ago, when man made the first efforts to walk straight….

 

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2007, 2014

Imaging Brazil 103: Ipanema Sunset in Rio de Janeiro, RJ (2007)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

103. Ipanema Beach 



OCTOBER 2007: Ipanema Beach

Almost everyone knows Rio de Janeiro’s two most famous beaches: Copacabana and Ipanema. Both enchanted beaches have been sung by renowned artists, painted by dozens of painters, and photographed by millions of tourists. I belonged to the latter group, when I returned to Ipanema Beach once again. Sunset at Ipanema Beach is really breathtaking, and inviting for taking many colorful images. This picture was taken on a sunny day in October, when it is spring in Brazil. The high tide had left some shallow pools on the beach that reflected the twin mountain peaks of the Dois Irmãos (‘Two Brothers’) at such a colorful sunset. In 2007, the Dois Irmãos were in the news, because of the slums expanding on their slopes; it was feared that this postcard image will become a thing of the past…

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2007, 2014

Imaging Brazil 102: Beach Balls in Jacaraípe, ES (2007)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

102. Beach balls

JANUARY 2007: Beach balls

This photograph was taken at Jacaraípe Beach, just north of Vitória, capital of the state of Espírito Santo. From Belo Horizonte, the distance is about 600 km, little more than eight hours by bus. Pretty close, when compared to the distance Belo Horizonte-São Luís for instance: 2800 km. I would visit São Luís some months later that year. Jacaraípe Beach is not very known among Brazilian, and virtually unknown among foreign tourists. Foreign tourists gather on the beaches in Rio de Janeiro, or on beaches along the northeastern coastline. Brazilian tourists prefer beaches like Búzios, Cabo Frio, Guarapari, Guarujá, Porto Seguro. Therefore, this beach ball vendor had nothing to sell on this summer day in January. Besides the light and colorful balls, he also carries his loneliness. Every day. Whether it rains or not. Even when there are not many tourists on the beach. A tough life….

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2007, 2014

Imaging Brazil 101: Bicycle on the Beach in Vitória, ES (2007)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

101. Bicycle on the beach

SEPTEMBER 2007: Bicycle on the beach

The flat coastline at Camburi Beach in Vitória is ideal for cyclists. In recent years, cycle lanes have been paved. You will notice that most bicycles are quite different from the solid European ones: Brazilian bikes are more suitable for any kind of terrain. More Brazilians possess bikes for short rides; they also are discovering the advantages of taking the bike to school, to the bakery, or even to the beach! However, bicycle racks were not that common in 2007. The only alternative was a young palm tree. In this case, a perfect solution. I was quite curious if the owner had locked his bicycle with what kind of locks. To my big surprise, it was only locked with a simple bicycle lock. It was not tied to the tree with a big chain. Dutch insurance companies would disapprove this, and there would be a big problem in case the bicycle had been stolen. Therefore, at a first glance, you might consider Camburi Beach as a secure place to park your bicycle, without the necessity of heavy chains and locks.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2007, 2014

Imaging Brazil 100: Ipanema Surfers in Rio de Janeiro, RJ (2006)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

100. Ipanema surfers

DECEMBER 2006: Ipanema surfers

When speaking of Ipanema Beach … The sunset at this world famous beach is also very popular. Even though I already have seen more than ten sunsets at Ipanema Beach, I still enjoy every sunset as if it were the first of my life. This sunset is a game of warm colors which create an enchanted spectacle. Many tourists will stay until the end of the sunset, clap their hands as a gratitude for another bright day, and then return home. However… Not everyone will wait with much patience, as these two surfers show. They prefer to keep on practicing, keep on surfing until they meet complete darkness. Real diehards.

 © Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2006, 2014

Imaging Brazil 095: Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro, RJ (2006)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

095. Ipanema Beach

DECEMBER 2006: Ipanema Beach

We had returned to Rio de Janeiro, to Ipanema Beach, one of the most popular beaches on the planet. Many tourists, who visit Rio, arrive here to lie down on the beach all day and have them deeply tanned. Especially during Carnival, the beaches in Rio ware one giant, colorful patchwork of sunbathers on their towels or cangas. But late in the afternoon of a normal December day, even Ipanema beach was almost deserted. There was only one couple, enjoying the last sun rays of another bright, sunny day. They didn’t seem to be worried about the warship that is passing close to the shoreline, apparently on the way to the naval port in Rio.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2006, 2014

Imaging Brazil 044: No Fear in Vila Velha, ES (2005)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

044. No fear 

DECEMBER 2005: No fear

We still stay in Espírito Santo. At the famous beach ‘Praia da Costa’ in Vila Velha. It is a beautiful beach that is flanked by an endless row of hotels and apartment blocks. In this respect, this beach looks like Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. You can sunbathe, or enjoy a barbecue with your friends. With ice-cold beers of course. The young children, who weren’t familiar with beach life, got attracted by the ocean water. These two young girls had their very first beach day of their young lives. At first, they felt a bit uneasy, a bit scared for the fiercely-looking waves. But it took only a while until they had overcome their fears; they danced together in the water. They were really happy, much to our joy.

 

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2005, 2014