master guide by Tom Flanagan

Post Fordlandia Documentary

<

I love this. Thanks Alan!!

www.gilserique.com

"Master guide and naturalist Gil Serique doesn't just live in the Amazon...he lives the Amazon everyday of his life. From its teeming, vibrant cities to the tiny villages that hug its tree-shrouded tributaries, from the line of hyperactive ants hunting for food to the jaguar silently prowling the moon-kissed shadows while raucous macaws chorus overhead, no one knows the secrets of the great river and its surrounding countryside better than Gil Serique."

Alan Dean Foster
Author of Star Trek, Star Wars, Alien, The Drowning World

Taken from Cruisecritic.com ( I guess)

Exploring the Amazon floodplain by canoe

Wed. March 17th Saint Patrick’s Day – Santarem. Soybean processing plant next to ship. Met with guide Gil Serique and 4 others for our boat tour. On the tour we saw cormorants, tiger herons, egrets, ducks, black skimmers, pink and gray dolphins, water buffalo!! Took a canoe deeper into the more shallow area of the flood plain to see the giant water lilies and water hyacinth. Gil served nuts, pineapple and toasted cheese sandwiches, water, beer, soda, and caipirnha. Sailed back to a small pier in the middle of town. One group took a cab back to the ship. We stopped at a souvenir shop then back to the ship in pouring rain. Soaked again. Cannot say enough good things about Gil. He is knowledgeable about local flora and fauna, enthusiastic and personable. Would recommend him in a heartbeat. (this is so cool)

access website clicking here

Gil Serique(supreme guide) at Fordlandia

Taken from Cruisecritic.com

Cruising by the meeting of the waters in Santarem

Day 17 (Monday, April 13) Santarém, 9:00AM to 7:00PM

Today we had a river boat and Lake Maica tour with a famous local guide, Gil Serique (www.gilserique.com). This was another outstanding tour. After driving from the cruise pier to Richard Hemmington’s pier downtown, we boarded a riverboat and motored off to enjoy yet another meeting of the waters. From there we proceeded to explore Maica Lake, viewing considerable wildlife (gray and pink dolphins, tree sloths, and many types of rare birds) along the way. It was fun to continue on when the boats for the Princess ship tours turned around to return to the ship! We still had a lot of touring to do!

Gil is a real character; he is extremely enthusiastic about birds and his excitement is contagious, even to those of us who are not serious birders. He provided a substantial snack of local foods that was plenty to us for lunch. At the time of year we visited, the water was quite high, which allowed us to explore the flood plain (which represents only about 5% of the Amazon Basin) by canoeing. While half of our group canoed with Gil for about an hour, the rest fished for piranha (which Gil later cooked for us). During our canoe ride, we saw big bats and both the Greater and Lesser Potoo. Gil gave each of us an autographed copy of his book on birds of the Amazon Basin, as well as t-shirts and tote bags for the ladies and kerchiefs for the men (all of which feature a Hoatzin). Gil asks that you bring him a t-shirt/Frisbee from your town.

http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=76532

Click to access my site

Gil Serique (supreme guide)

both; text-align: center;">

Another environmentalist bites the dust in Brazil..how many more will??

Maria do Espirito Santo Silva and José Claudio Ribeiro da Silva, leader of Project Agroextrativista Praialta-Piranheira were killed early on Tuesday (24), 50 km from Nova Ipixuna, southeastern Pará, in the community of Maçaranduba.

The threats against the couple's life of gatherers began around 2008. According to relatives, strangers roamed the house of Mary and Joseph Claudius, usually at night, firing shots into the air. Sometimes, they came to target the animals owned by the couple. The timing coincided with the intimidation of the leaders extractive complaint against loggers in the region, constantly progressing area PAEX to extract timber species such as walnut, jatoba and angelim.

To Athanagild Matos, Director of Regional CNS Bethlehem, the death of Jose Claudio Da Silva and Maria is an irreparable loss. "They leave us a lesson, which is the ideal of the Amazon Forest: allow the 'forest people' can live with quality, sustainably with the environment, " said Matos. "We are in contact with federal prosecutors, federal police and other institutions. We support strongly the investigations, that this crime does not go unpunished, "said the Director of the CNS.

Pink Dolphins under serious threat II

A vulvae of a pink dolphin being sold at Ver-o-peso market in Belem.

Six fishermen were caught by the Environmental Police at Cacau Pereira a community 25 kilometers from Manaus. They had captured 15 pink dolphins that they were going to kill and use as baits. Read also http://gilserique.blogspot.com/2009/07/pink-dolphins-under-threat.html

In time the authorities released 13 of the 15 animals.Two others were seriously injured and were taken to Institute of Amazon Reseach (INPA), one died due to serious injures by harpoon.

The criminals were registered fishermen.

Rainbow day...old sail...golden time

Gil Serique jybing

Home sweet home

We are now on the move to Alter do chão. The place is surrounded by an amazing igapo forest where Flora will attend ecology classes from the native species.

On the ship

Pure adventure in the Tapajos National RainForest

One slings our hammocks like spiders weave their webs; We light a fire like fireflies do, you gotta get the guts like all animals do. Welcome to the real thing!!