wonder kids 1 4


if onlyI was invited by my local church to document a recent Family Day of its grade school called Betuel, at the church’s retreat in the interior of Minas Gerais.

The charm of Brazil’s untouristed interior is in full flower here.  As American poet Elizabeth Bishop characterized it a 1957 letter to Robert Lowell: ”…the innocent feeling of intimacy the people seem to have.”  In this post, the children are waiting to be paraded onto the field of hopes.  [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.

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