TESTIMONIAL by Joe Jackson

In October 2005, I came to the Amazon to do research on a book for Viking Press on Henry Wickham, the Victorian wanderer who stole 70,000 rubber seeds from the Amazon in 1876 to give the British Empire the world monopoly in natural rubber. This was a highly specialized trip, calling not only for a wide knowledge of history, botany, and zoology, but also requiring the services of a Portuguese-to-English interpreter and local guide. This is a tall order for any guide, but Gil Serique was up to the challenge and, it proved, perfect for the job. Starting in Santarem, we hit Henry Ford's failed rubber plantations in Fordlandia and Belterra, the site of Wickham's first failed plantation at Piquiatuba, several villages along the Tapajos River that figured into the story, and visited examples of primary forest that would have approximated the conditions in Victorian times. We unearthed tales of riots in Fordlandia that had never been documented and solved a historical mystery concerning the origin of the seeds that created the British Empire's lucrative rubber trade. We stopped at Taperhina, one of the most famous sites of Victorian-era biological exploration, as well as at obscure villages along the river in which I stumbled upon ideas for subsequent books. The gathering of information in a quick and efficient manner is extremely important for any writer or journalist working on a deadline: Gil understood this, did his research ahead of time, and was able to squeeze what turned into an incredibly rich research journey into a mere six days.
The greatest stumbling block that I anticipated was the language barrier, but Gil was a natural interpreter, able to anticipate my questions as or before I asked them. It was as if there was no language barrier at all. Not only does Gil have wide experience in the logistics and pitfalls of guided tours, but he is intellectually engaged in solving the kinds of problems and challenges that writers, researchers, filmmakers and scientists normally encounter when traveling to a different country for creative work. Gil is both fun to be with and extremely smart, and within a day or two of my arrival I knew that I could depend upon him totally, more as if he were a collaborator in the work than a paid guide. That seems to be his ethic: he becomes a collaborator, and wants the project to succeed as much as anyone. I cannot recommend Gil highly enough for work like this, and I anticipate collaborating with him again in the future for research on a novel once this nonfiction manuscript is submitted. I would be happy to recommend his expertise to anyone.
Joe Jackson Author:
(nonfiction)
Dead Run
Leavenworth Train
A Furnace Afloat
A World on Fire: A Heretic, an Aristocrat, and the Race to Discover Oxygen
(fiction)
How I Left the Great State of Tennessee and Went on to Better Things
jwjackson@cox.net
www.joejacksonbooks.com

A must for those who likes Amazon History

TESTIMONIAL by Barbara and Bas

In search of a fantastic guide in the Amazon area?!!

Then you certainly must read on (other locations in South America are also possible).

We had a SUPER weekend when Gil took us into the jungle. Gil is an enthusiastic local with a passion for nature and people. His extraordinary knowledge of flora and fauna (lots of birds), combined with his amazing energy and knowledge of the English language, made our trip into a fascinating and very exciting event. He really knows how to get you involved in the jungle tour by using local guides for each location (so they can benefit from this as well!). Because of this we were able to see places where not many tourists have been before.

In short, the combination of the most beautiful flora and fauna and the explanation in very enthusiastic English with, of course, the necessary cerveja and caipirinha and a just a bit of altruism, is something you should not miss out on.

With Gil you know you will make an unforgettable trip!!

TESTIMONIAL by Alex Bellos

"In January 2003 I rented a boat with five friends to travel from Manaus up the Rio Negro to Barcelos. Gil Serique was our guide -- but really he was much more than that. From day 1 he was one of the gang. He was our friend and confidante. Funny, clever, engaging, eternally fascinated by the forest, imaginative, sensitive and tireless -- Gil made sure we had one of the best holidays we've ever had. If I go to the Amazon again, he's the first person I'd call. "

Author of Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life

TESTIMONIAL by Pete Mayer

"I HAVE TRAVELED ALL OVER THE WORLD. YOU ARE THE BEST GUIDE THAT I HAVE EVER HAD. YOU ARE FUN, KNOWLEDGEBLE, HONEST AND WACKY! YOU TOLD SOME GREAT STORIES AND TOOK US TO SOME INCREDIBLE PLACES. THANKS FOR THE ENJOYABLE TIME TOGETHER AND THE FRISBEE PLAYING!!"

TESTIMONIAL by Ruth Shurman

"Travelling for 11 days on the Rio Negro was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. The landscape was beautiful and varied, the animal and birdlife was stunning, and the riverside communities were fascinating, but above all it was our fantastic guide, Gil Serique, who made the trip so special. Gil's knowledge of every aspect of Amazonia is encyclopaedic, his enthusiasm is infectious, and his good humour and energy made every day a new adventure. He is a brilliant and inspiring teacher, and his concern and respect for the Amazon environment is reflected in the way he encourages others to value their surroundings too by using locals to guide us round their patch. Hours of hiking, piranha-fishing, frisbee-throwing, and caiprinha-mixing cannot tire him, and I'm confident he would be happy to tailor an expedition to suit any group of travellers as perfectly as ours suited us."

TESTIMONIAL by David Richardson

Gil Serique has been an extremely active volunteer here at the Center for the Preservation of Indigenous Art, Culture and Sciences -1492- 1992, almost from the commencement of the project . We have also followed his career as a professional guide and ecological activist here in the Amazon for approximately the last ten years.

We here at the Center consider him a close friend and will forever be indebted to him for his selflessness in sharing his extensive knowledge of our environment and assisting us in unifying and clarifying the indigenous influences on the forest for the better understanding of our regional and overall Brazilian society.

Various projects ideas that are now being carried on here at the Center our due to his personal efforts and creativity. His honesty and sincerity in his work as an ecologist and as indigenista are exemplatory.

His reputation as a naturalist/lecturer speaks for itself. He is always in great demand due to his expansive knowledge on so many different subjects that pertain to our environment and his ability and ease to transfer that information to a common level. To attain that level of understanding that he has obtained, demonstrates his passion for the forest and the Amazon. It has taken Mr. Serique years and years of self study (without the benefit of a structured educational system) to acquire the understanding of the rainforest that he has. It has all been through personal determination , discipline, and dedication that Mr. Serique has involved himself so deeply to gain the field knowledge he has of this region.

TESTIMONIAL by Beth Foster

"The week my son and I spent with Gil Serique and his crew was a wonderful, unforgettable experience. Every day was filled with adventure, discovery and fun; every detail of the trip seemed planned with our delight in mind. (It's not always easy to delight a teenager, but mine came home with a whole new outlook on life!) The boat was clean, roomy and comfortable; the food was plentiful and excellent; Gil himself was incredibly knowledgeable about the scientific and cultural facets of the Amazonian world. I particularly enjoyed meeting residents of the areas we visited; Gil seemed to have friends everywhere who found it as exciting to meet us as we did to meet them. Every aspect of our trip far surpassed my expectations. I would recommend this trip to anyone who wants a genuine (as opposed to "touristy") Amazon experience, and I'd be glad to talk to anyone who's considering retaining Gil Serique's services as a guide."

TESTIMONIAL by Mark L. Stafford

"I have had the opportunity to travel with Gil to several Brazilian sites. Each time I was impressed with Gil's abilities as an eco-guide. Gil has the desire and abilities to put together a great custom itinerary. Gil has an immense knowledge of Brazilian wildlife. His grasp of photography, camera angles and lighting helped me take home many trophy still shots and video. Thanks Gil, it was a pleasure. Hope to take another trip with you soon. I really want to see the Golden Conures in a future trip."

TESTIMONIAL by The Carltons

"This last March my wife and I had the opportunity to take a trip into the Amazon. Since we had never been to this part of the world before, we chose our guide services over the internet. Because of the way our trip was set up, we would be visiting two different parts of the Amazon; we therefore booked with two different guide services. The tours were as different as night and day! Everything that was promised by the other guide service was not delivered, while the exact opposite was true with Gil. We felt that we were totally taken advantage of by the first guide service out of Manaus and that we got much more than we bargained for with Gil. He was only concerned with giving us a great trip and it was totally driven by our interest. He not only impressed us with his knowledge of the wildlife and plants, but also his genuine enthusiasm at being able to share them. He is the kind of person that you would want to be friends with whether he was your guide or not. All of the facilities that were provided where of excellent quality, the people that worked with him on the boat and in the jungle were equally friendly and knowledgeable about their jobs. When you know that a trip like this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience a place of such magnificence, you want to have a person like Gil Serique to guide you through it! I guess the highest recommendation we could possibly give for Gil is to say that he would be welcome in our home any time. Feel free to email me about any questions you might have about his services that we received."

TESTIMONIAL by The Dodaros

Our family was fortunate to be able to spend a day with Gil Serique while we were on a very long cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to the Caribbean, Amazon, Africa, and Mediterranean. We organized a day excursion with Gil during our ship's call in Santarem. What a wonderful experience this was! Gil took fantastic care of our entire family (he even had to rearrange our outings at the last minute due to our ship changing it's time in port - but this was no problem for Gil). We were able to see so many things in the beautiful area surrounding Santarem - sloths, monkeys, iguanas, countless birds and beautiful plant life. Gil attended to every detail such as a wonderful riverboat; a friendly skipper of the boat; a fantastic cook; canoes to do our side trips through flooded jungle in; even a local boy who delighted in showing us his "backyard," which was truly the most beautiful place we have ever seen - a lagoon-type area surrounded by beautiful flowers and filled with giant waterlilies and majestic birds. We have travelled all over the world, to every continent with our three teenagers and grade-schooler and our entire family agrees that we have never had a better experience than we had with Gil in Santarem. It was truly magical, and Gil is now a dear friend who has taught us all a very valuable lesson in the thrill of loving the life we have been given.

Gil, if you ever need a reference please feel free to give our email address to anyone! We sincerely feel very fortunate to know you and hope that other people will get to have the same wonderful experience we had with you. You are a very special person! Your "family" in Ohio, Mike, Kim, Sara, Matt, Jason, and Maria

Mike, Kim, Sara, Matt, Jason & Maria
Ohio, USA

onthego6246@yahoo.com

TESTIMONIAL by Alan Dean Foster

"As a world traveler who has visited nearly 60 countries, I can unequivocally say that I never had a better or more relaxed time traveling anywhere than I did seeing Brazil with Gil Serique. Mr. Serique brings with him a unique combination of knowledge of flora and fauna and the local cultures together with the ability to handle travel arrangements from big city to back country that would stump the average travel guide. For example, not only does he know where to find the most beautiful birds and animals in Brazil, but also the best ice cream. I cannot recommend him too highly." 
Alan Dean Foster
Author of Star Trek, Star Wars, Alien....
www.alandeanfoster.com

I am too much honoured  having this book dedicated to me.