Gorgeous House in Brazil

My today post is about this gorgeous house in Trancoso, Brazil. 

It belongs to a former leader of a major international bank in Paris. The owner embarked on a world tour in search of the perfect place to live. 

He arrived in Trancoso in 2007 and fell in love with the Brazilian city where he bought this house, the former home of a potter. 

Relatively close to the beach, it has become the refuge of which he dreamed. Lucky him!

Photos by Ariadna Bufi via here: 

Have a breezy day,

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Africa through the Lenses of Nick Brandt

My photographer in light today is the wildlife Photographer, Nick Brandt, who photographs exclusively in Africa (Kenya and Tanzania). 

One of his goals is to record a visually poetic last testament to the wild animals and places there before they are gone at the hands of man.

He has captivated me with his serene, almost heavenly, look at the African jungle and its animals. With carefully thought out compositions and unusual aesthetics, it is impossible not to want to get to know more about the African continent and its wild life.

His first book, “On This Earth” (2005), was a vision of an Edenic paradise with lush landscapes and ethereal moments like a cloud of dust exploding over an elephant’s head while the scenes in his second book, “A Shadow Falls” (2009), become progressively emptier and drier. 

By the end, the trees have vanished and the water has evaporated...

You will not find action shots or telephoto lenses, the usual hallmarks of wildlife photography, in his work. He opts for tight and solitary portraits in sepia or black and white. The resulting photographs feel like artifacts from a bygone era.

“I’m waiting for the moment where the animal seems like they’re posing or where they’ve set themselves into a landscape like an Edward Curtis,” Mr. Brandt said.

He plans to release his third book in September 2013 and says the title will complete a sentence he started with his two earlier book titles, “On this earth a shadow falls…”

Photos: by Nick Brandt

For more of his work, you can visit his website here.

Have a breezy day,

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Sunday Quote: Look Deep into Nature

Have a breezy Sunday,

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Floyd’s Pelican Bar in Jamaica

Let's drink and eat at Floyd's Pelican Bar on this beautiful Sunday, shall we? Old school Jamaica come to life, Floyd's is a tiny homemade thatch-roofed shack on thin wood pylons on a sandbar surrounded by water. It is located offshore on a sand bank about a quarter mile out to sea and a 20 minute boat ride. It looks like ruins and not a bar at all – however, believe it or not it is one of the finest bars in Jamaica. 

Photos via Flickr.

This one of a kind restaurant has the freshest seafood available which is caught and made to order as you wait. Try the lobster served in ginger sauce over rice or the fried fish with a traditional Jamaican beverage like Red Stripe alongside it.

This exotic place is a truly unique and memorable experience, and a must see!

Have a breezy Sunday,

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Chinese 'Road to Heaven', Tian Men Shan

I must say Tianmen Mountain in Hunan Province, just south of Zhangjiajie City (previously known as Dayong City) is an absolutely ‘must see’ scenic area!

But...to get there, you drive up Tongtian Avenue (Avenue toward Heaven), which has 99 turns, symbolizing that Heaven has nine palaces. Then you take the Tianan stairs (also known as Tianti, or the Celestial/Heaven Reaching Ladder), all 999 steps and there's no platforms for stopping. Hmmm...heaven??

Alternatively, you can take the cable car straight from the city, which they claim is the longest cableway in the world with a distance of 7455 meters and a height gap of 1279 meters. Hallelujah!

This Chinese "Road to Heaven" is like a white dragon lying on the mountains, it is regarded as the most amazing mountain road in the world.The mountain road is only less than 11 kilometers but the elevation rises rapidly from 200 meters to 1300 meters. I read that it took eight years to finish with work starting in 1998, and finishing in 2006!

This incredible road is mainly used for mountain bike cycle races, definitely it is interesting and exiting to ride bicycle at Tianmenshan, and bicycle lovers would focus more on the beautiful sceneries along the road and the challenge to conquer such a mountain distance. (Note to myself: I am not sure if I will take my bike there though...scary!)

Photos via bestphotosite

If anyone ever made a hit parade on such roads, I think this Chinese road would be at the top of the list, don't you think?

Have a breezy day,

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