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Along the way to Visconde de Mauá, I quickly make good friends with our guide Fabio Eduardo Keller, a tall and lean white man, his square chin, and jaw covered in a five O'clock shadow. I was expecting the owner, but since Fábio and I are getting along famously, I soon forget about her. In his SUV, we pass through Pendo, a small nucleus formed with just one avenue, flanked with buildings of Finnish architecture packed with innumerable craftwork stores, clothing shops, pousadas, and restaurants. We then wind through the countryside neighborhood of Serrinha, which has a backdrop of a short, green mountain range. Suddenly, it opens up into wide-stretching meadows with heather, Cedar, Eucalyptus, and Pines trees, and an enormous variety of flowers. We talk about everything from ecotourism travel to religion to sports. Although he speaks English quite well, I speak with him in Portuguese, allowing him to feel at ease. Fabio majored in Biology and then moved to Itatiaia from Rio de Janeiro to work in his field. Yet, he couldn't make enough money to live. His friend wanted to start a laundry business, so he bought a Volkswagen Kombi to be able to transport the clothes. Yet, the business never took off. Still having to pay off the Kombi, he started to drive people around for money, somewhat like a taxi service. He then took this one guy, who was a guide of ecotourism, to do an excursion and realized that he could do a better job because he had a biology background. So, he took some tourism and English classes and went on from there. After we pass Serrinha, we catch a red clay, dirt road, and start climbing the Mantiqueira Mountain Range. Although the dirt road has rocks, it is nothing as compared to the Highway of Flowers leading to the Planalto. Actually, for being a dirt road, it is quite smooth. Nonetheless, one must take caution when driving and passing by other cars. And if it is raining, forget about driving on the road at all. After winding upwards, we stop at the top of the mountain range, get out of Fábio’s SUV, and look down at Visconde de Mauá. It's a small village snug between green undulating mountains with silhouettes of fading, blue hills behind them, situated next to a small river that snakes through the valley, patches of preserved forest checkers the hillsides. European immigrants colonized Pendo and Visconde de Mauá. Penedo is located at the foot of the mountain and Visconde de Mauá at the top, situated in the heart of the Mantiqueira Mountain Range. They both have pleasant temperature, cold, crystal clear waters, and the fragrant perfumes of the forest. A Finnish, Toivo Uvskallii, founded the city of Pendo in 1929. He bought a farm from Monks. With the land he established a big house, which was the future headquarters for the Fazenda Pendo that took in about seventy Finnish families that came here throughout the years. Indians first occupied Visconde de Mauá. In the beginning of the 19th century, gold was found and the Portuguese came with slaves to mine the rivers. In 1889 came the Italians, Austrians, and Germans. The Swiss immigrants that arrived there in 1908 were motivated by governmental advertisement by the President Herms da Fonscea to work in agriculture, farms, and ranches. The European influence is still present in the architecture and in the cuisine. Mauá, as the locals call it, is much more attractive than Pendo and much harder to reach. People that come here are in search of waterfalls. What is called Visconde de Mauá consist of three villages Mauá, Maringá, and Maromba. The only way to reach the villages is via dirt road. There are a few different routes. On top of that, all of the villages are connected by dirt roads. I've heard some people say that the dirt roads are maintained to help preserve the town, by giving visitors a big obstacle to arrive there. For sure, if these dirt roads were of concrete, this place would be inundated with visitors and would lose its charm.
The whole purpose of this excursion is just to get to know the layout of Visconde de Mauá. So, Fabio takes us by a two popular waterfalls called the Escorrega Waterfall and the Santa Clara Waterfall real fast. After this, we all get hungry and Fabio suggest a great restaurant named Trattoria in Maringá, on the Minas Gerais side of the village. After we park his SUV, we stroll through the log cabin village with terracotta roofs and cross a short, narrow bridge leaving Rio de Janeiro and enter into Minas Gerais. Once across the bridge we head up towards the right. Sitting on the corner is the restaurant, a big, circular, bungalow of a building. We check the menu before going in and the prices are very affordable. All the plates are between 15 and 25 reais (7-15US$). Fabio explains to me that Chef Mauro Jr., the owner, specializes in trout, which is the most popular food in this region due to its abundance. After we go in and sit down, Fabio goes to the counter and calls out for Chef Mauro Jr. When the chef appears, they shake hands and talk for a bit. When they finish, the Chef looks over Fabios shoulder and waves at us. Although deep in the country, the bungalow reminds me that I'm still in Brazil, yet inside the restaurant the tropical feel now mixes with an old European flavor. All the tables are arranged and focused around the counter, which sits in front of the open kitchen’s entrance, a narrow door. Chef Mauro Jr. is not hiding from his customers, and I see him walking back and forth every so often, busy creating his succulent inventions. Little black speakers on the walls around us are playing relaxing, new age instrumental music that set a tranquil atmosphere. To the left of the counter is a brick wall that is lined with various gourmet food magazines. I order the trout with white sauce and fried mango. When it finally comes, the wait is worth every minute. T he presentation is immaculate, a generous fillet of trout, white sauce poured to the side and fried mango carved into a flower shape placed on the opposite side. Curious about these three different flavors I've never eaten together before, I take a piece of mango, a piece of the trout and run it through the white sauce. Spectacular. Frying the mango brings out the sweetness. The trout, prepared just right, is not too salty. And the cheesy white sauce balances the texture of the trout and mango, creating a surprisingly succulent flavor on my tongue. The Piturendaba and Pitu Waterfalls sit at the bottom of the property of a Japanese man. It's just down the hill from the Hotel do Ypê and closer than the three waterfalls that sit above. I decide to visit the waterfall with my wife because Gute's Ecological Ride couldn't find anyone to climb the Agulhas Negras Peak with me. Just between you and me, even though the trip to Visconde de Mauâ was light, I am still feeling the aftermath in my thighs from the hike and climb of the Prateleiras Massif. If I went to do the Agulhas Negras Peak today, I would be regretting it. I think Fabio is right that those climbs are so severe; you must plan to have ample recovery time between them. I have allotted only two days, but you need more like four or five. After we open and close the front gate, we enter onto a steep, descending drive way. The drive way has two rows of long, curling grass that separates the tire lanes. The branches of tall, old, proud Pine tress stretch over our heads. To the left is a log cabin type house with a weathered terra-cotta roof. To the right, a little bit further down the hill, sitting on a plateau is a white, Colonial style house with all the traditional trimmings. Walking further, to the right and below the Colonial house is a field that leads back into a groove of thin, tall white trees. Then, coming into the left is the main house of the Japanese man. It is a larger version of the smaller log cabin. It too has a weathered terra-cotta roof. His garden is meticulously manicured with bushes and flowers planted in oversized concrete pots, the sides chiseled with elaborate designs. The backyard is in the process of being renovated so there are piles of dirt and rocks sitting in front of the ongoing projects, as shovels and other tools are tossed to the side. Once the driveway stops, we catch a small staircase that leads down a short trail surrounded by dense wood. At the end, the trail lets into the waterfall. The landscape is of closed forest that opens up only for a passage of a river. Three springs, of three meters, come together into one fall, forming a natural pool below of thirty meters, a mirror of water inviting you to take a dive. The side of the river is lined with dense wood and vegetation that is intermingled with all different types of flowers. We hoop from rock to rock until resting on one that sits in the middle of the river, taking in the fresh air and tranquility. The one attraction in the Park that draws people from all over the world is bird watching. During our excursion to Visconde de Mauá, Fabio had been so adamant about me going bird watching that I decide to take him up on his offer. We really hit it off the other day. Although he does the hikes to the Planalto, the trips to Visconde de Mauá, and a host of other activities, his real specialty is bird watching. To make things easier, we agree to go bird watching in the lower part of the Park. The ecosystem of the lower park, consisting of Coastal Rain Forest, is quite different than the Planalto or high fields. Large-sized frugivorous species and altitude species are super special and a few are only found in specific preserved areas within the region. The most rare species of all the birds are located on the Planalto, the high fields. It is July and the middle of winter in Brazil. This is the best time of year because it is the dry season. After September it usually rains everyday says Fabio. He goes on to tell me this time of the year is good because the mating season is beginning and the birds are making nest. So, now we can see lots of males and females together, which make for more birds. We decided to meet for breakfast at the restaurant of the Hotel do Ypê at six a.m. Being that this hotel has a bird observatory; it is an ideal place to begin. The walls of the restaurant are lined with large panes of glass and the observatory sits in plain sight off the balcony in the back. While eating, the guest can delight in watching a wide array of colorful birds pass by. After Fabio and I finish eating, we head to the back. There, I see how the hotel sets up the observatory, with various sweet drinkers for the hummingbirds that hang along with plates filled with sliced up fruit of watermelon, oranges, bananas, papayas, apples, and kiwis. Off in the surrounding trees are all the birds hanging out on the branches. It is like a who's who of bird species. Now and then, in orderly fashion, the birds come up and eat and drink. Fabio gives me some binoculars. I'm a beginner, so today he is just orienting me on what to do and look for. Every time he finds a new species he directs my attention to where it is and informs me of the name. I’m so close to a drinker and plate of food that the hummingbirds playfully zoom right by my ears. When they stop to drink, I can feel the vibration of their fluttering wings on my face and chest. Because it is winter and the forest is dry, there is little fruit and seeds for them to eat. So, the observatory is overflowing with species. Fabio says that makes this spot the best place to bird watch within the whole Park. During the summer, hardly any birds come here because the forest is fertile. After a couple of hours that pass by so fast due to the high volume of bird activity, I learn many species. Today there is a woodpecker, Brazilian Ruby hummingbird, Black Jacobin humming bird, Violet Capped Wood Nymph, Blue Dacnis, Blue-napped Chlorophonia, Red Rumped Cacique, White Throated Hummingbird, Green Headed Tanger, Golden Cheveroned Tanager, House Sparrow, Rufus colored Sparrow, Great Kiskadee, Red-Breasted Tucan, Black-goggled Euphonia, and a Saffron Toucanet.
It is now around midday and the weather is heating up, time for the birds to go into the cool forest and rest until they start to look for food at sundown. Fabio and I head back to the Hotel do Ypê because it is Saturday; every Saturday the Hotel do Ypê does a complete Brazilian cook out with live music right next to the pool. Yet, after we enter in the Park, Fabio gets an idea to stop at the Ultimo Adeus, or the last goodbye. It is a big rock surrounded by grass and vegetation that sits at the base of the mountain. It is meant to be the last look visitors have before leaving the Park. We walk onto the platform of the rock, and sit on the ledge. From there we get a panoramic view of the steep, wide Campo Belo Valley. Just as Fábio starts to look through his binoculars, and I bring mine up to my face, a question comes to my mind. The sounds of the Campo Belo River crashing down the rocks is a faintly, powerful roar in the background. As we look around in opposite directions I say, "Well, why is this region so popular and known around the world for bird watching?" "The Park is
good because it's preserved. It's a great representation of how Brazil
looked along the coast and inland before the Portuguese arrived here.
The Mata Atlantica, or Atlantic Forest that is."
Fábio and I remove our binoculars from our faces at the same time and look at each other, I with a blank expression and he with a big smile. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I never thought about it like that." PLACE AND
PEOPLE MENTIONED
Hotel do
Ypê.
Gute's Ecological
Ride
Fábio
Eduardo Keller
Trattoria
GENERAL
INFORMATION
HOW MUCH
WHEN IT
OPENS
ECOTOURISM
ACTIVITIES
INFORMATION
BEST TIME
OF THE YEAR
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Various
European families within the group of settlers, who were sent to the region
of Mantiqueira Mountain Range to cultivate crops by Dom Pedro II, moved
to the south of Brazil when the project fell through. The ones that
stayed decided to devote their efforts to tourism. They continued
receiving guest that came from Europe and molded their businesses out of
that clientele. The owner of the Hotel do Ypê, Luis Carlos
Bastos, grew up working in this long-standing tradition.
We
come down the hill and pass through Mauá. It is very simple,
nothing to it. It has one church, one football field, one police
station, a school, a post office, a pharmacy, a supermarket, and few tiny
bars. We then head to Maringá. It has a small area of
shops with buildings designed like log cabins with terracotta roofs.
In the shopping area are restaurants and exquisite craftwork shops.
Many young people and the young at heart walk around holding hands.
One interesting thing about Maringá is that it sits right on the
boarder between the state of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. Maromba
has narrow cobble stone streets and a few restaurants and craft shops.
The whole way through the villages I see pousadas and hotels tucked away
into little nooks and crannies, off the side and running parallel to the
dirt road is a small river filled with rocks.
Fabio
then takes me out of the Park and into this sunk-down marshland that sits
off the side of a highway. You wouldn't guess this place was special
if you weren't a bird watcher. He drives his SUV over the curb and
parks on the grassy shoulder of the road, overlooking the marshland.
He says that National Geographic set up here to study birds in this mini-ecosystem.
Now, I feel special, as though I'm on the cutting edge of bird watching.
The area proves to be a prosperous one, filled with lots of movement.
There I see a Brazilian Tanager, Siff-Turn Lap Wing, Roadside Hawk, Cattle
Egert, Chestnut Capped Blackbird, Yellow-Chinned Spintail, and a Water
Mark Tyrant.
