mineiro backroads 2


Status Motel, Araguari, MGMinas Gerais is famous for its rolly-polly tropical highland hills and extensive number of backroads, many in dirt. The state is the size of France or Texas, after all, and a country unto itself: with different landscapes, accents, customs, and cuisine.

In Minas “what developed was a distinctly Brazilian (as opposed to Portuguese colonial) culture, based on the rigid hierarchy of a slave plantation system that also incorporated a few flexible and adaptive aspects. The uniqueness of what evolved, like a land-bound Galapagos Islands, was encouraged by the interior’s isolation, an inland incubator away from the coast and most of its foreign influences.” – To Belém & Back, p. 27

What follows are some images and other quotes from the Belém roadtrip, including a few images from the eBook’s parallel picture essay.  [please hover over images for captions]


About Ben

Ben Batchelder has traveled some of the world's most remote roads. Nothing in his background, from a degree in Visual & Environmental Studies at Harvard to an MBA from Wharton, adequately prepared him for the experiences. Yet he persists, for through such journeys life unfolds. Having published four books that map the inner and exterior geographies of meaningful travel, he is a mountain man in Minas Gerais, Brazil who comes down to the sea at Miami Beach, Florida. His second travel yarn, To Belém & Back, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. For more, visit www.benbatchelder.com.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

2 thoughts on “mineiro backroads

  • Calator

    mineiro backroads – Backroads Brazil –
    Valuable info. Fortunate me I discovered your web site unintentionally, and I’m shocked why this
    twist of fate did not came about in advance! I bookmarked it.- calator.tel

    • Ben Post author

      Hello Calator, I’m delighted you found the site and find the info valuable. Please consider subscribing (with your email address at bottom of any page), I only tend to post about once a month.
      Safe travels!