Fordlandia

Sr Eymar and his wife Cecilia

An old man when a boy was stamped three sepia-toned pictures that he carries with today in the safest pocket of his mind, after almost a century has travelled by.

He had to use flash to shoot a king-sized table placed on a dim dining room shouldering many piles of money at the freak of his family.



Although the object of his second picture was ten kilometers away, he did not need to change lens neither use a tripod. Light was good enough.
The subject was 2.5 million acre of forest that those piles of money had bought, except that burning in fire now.
- The picture that made the hell look like a spa will turn out just fine with the 50mm used before to freeze his family, friends and scenic scenes.

Weeks later he was fishing on a canoe. He could see huge palm trees planted by his grand-father blocking view to his home at the sound of a noise he had heard hours before.
He paddled out a few times attempting to anticipate the whole picture without success.

Now, on the ground and scared like never before he clicks the wedding of Lake Ormoc’s vapor and the smoke of the forest he dreamed one day go hunting with his uncle. David Riker* was a witness.

-"Nice couple but no future." Stupefied cabocos thought.
A large barge came into scene, carrying people and prefab parts, many were taking back in caskets.
Fordland was under construction!

At Surucua**, my friends go hunting, farming and fishing. Our cook-book was thick. There were different activities always at hand. Like Piracaia*** under the moonlight with friends.
“Variety is the spice of life”. Shaky said.

At Fordland, tapping different sides of the same tree was quite boring; tapping same side of 500 hundred rubber trees makes your soul struggle; No cook book was needed to print the three recipes. Alcoholic drinks are not allowed and the bar closes at 9pm.
You have to watch what you see and never neglect what you can not.

Dedicated to Dothidella ulei.
* Confederate who led M/S Ormoc up the Tapajos River to Bela Vista, later called Fordlandia.
** Small village up the Tapajos River; my birthplace
*** Party on the beach normally at night

Illustration: Naldo
Pix & tex: Gil Serique