M/S Pacific Princess in Santarem

Chatting with group on the Amazon Floodplain

Wild cocoa

Juliana(a tourism student) came along

Fishermen in the Amazon

A three-toed sloth

Gil Serique windsurfing on the Tapajos River

Yello-geaded caracara at Maica river

a flock of Black skimmers in front of Santarem

Gil Serique at work (very rare)

Tipiti(squeezer) used for making manioc flour

Making manuic flour near Santarem

Tapping a rubber tree

The Meeting of the waters in Santarem

Gil Serique's home seen from the river

Calabash gourd collecting later from a rubber tree

Gil and two dear friends

Meeting of the waters in Santarem

Sapucaya nut

a crowded boat of cruise ship passengers fishing for piranhas

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Gil serique at work(very rare II)

kid with his puppy in the Amazon

chilling on the boat

Registering

a pigmy anteater

at the pier in Santarem

yellow-billed terns at maica river mouth

view of Santarem and meeting of the waters

a black collared hawk

Maria sieving manioc

bird eye view of maica river during dry season

a male three-toed sloth

a muscular pink dolphin

Alexandre Padilha Health Minister

I missed this one!!

Species tourists love

Three-toed sloth

pink dolphin

Osprey

Osprey on the Tapajos river

The Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching 60 centimetres (24 in) in length with a 2 m wingspan. It is brown on the upperparts and predominantly greyish on the head and underparts, with a black eye patch and wings.

The Osprey tolerates a wide variety of habitats, nesting in any location near a body of water providing an adequate food supply. It is found on all continents except Antarctica although in South America it occurs only as a non-breeding migrant.

As its other common name suggests, the Osprey's diet consists almost exclusively of fish. It has evolved specialised physical characteristics and exhibits unique behaviour to assist in hunting and catching prey. As a result of these unique characteristics, it has been given its own taxonomic genus, Pandion and family, Pandionidae. Four subspecies are usually recognised. Despite its propensity to nest near water, the Osprey is not a sea-eagle.

M/S Pacific Princess

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Group picture after tour in Santarem

Gil:

We so much enjoyed your tour in Santarem. We especially enjoyed the return
seeing how the other Princess cruisers were crammed into tour boats with no
room to move around.

We are attaching the small-size version of the group photo. If anyone wants
the bigger version, let us know.

Since you specifically asked us for feedback, we share these thoughts with
you. Others may add their own comments in other emails.

We liked:

1. The small boat and van to have a personalized trip with a very small
number of people.

2. The leisurely trip up river before all those other boats and having the
up-stream area to ourselves to quietly enjoy.

3. The short trip on shore into the "jungle" so see some flora and fauna.

4. The guided tour that included naming all the birds, fish and things we
saw and the books to help us keep our memories fresh and our photos well
labelled.

5. The snacks of fresh pineapple and fried fish, nuts, pineapple, and
beverages: water, sodas (better in individual cans), beer and caiparinhas.

6. The tour of the "village" to see how the mannioc and rubber trees were
used.

Barbara & Bert

Footprint guides

Click to access my personal website

Gil Serique
80 R Adriano Pimentel, T093- 9973 8951, gilserique@gmail.com. Enthusiastic, larger than life English speaking tour guide who visits the creeks, flooded forest, primary forests and savannahs around Santarém, including the Tapajos National Park. Good on conservation.

LONELY PLANET BRAZIL (Santarem)

LONELY PLANET BRAZIL (Santarem)

clock to access my website

Gil Serique (%93 9179 0678; www.gilserique.com; Rua
Adriano Pimentel 80) A lithe groovy guy who speaks
near-perfect English and leads unique personalized tours
to FLONA, nearby wetlands and elsewhere, when he feels
like it and is not otherwise occupied windsurfing or chilling
in his decaying river-view apartment. He happens to be
one of the area’s top naturalists, and is a fount of historical
information about his beloved Santarém.

www.gilserique.com

BR 163...It is paved or almost!

Sign on BR163 aka Santarem-Cuiaba

The magnitude of the distances used to be an obstacle, today just another sign on the road.

Gate to Belterra

Gate at Belterra

A Bull dozer rests at the gate of Belterra, the second city found by Ford company. Previouly part of an amazing tract of rain forest whose remaining slice is now the Tapajos National Forest. Currently a quite peaceful town where rubber tree plantations turned into cattle pasture and soy bean field. The pavement of BR 163 poses a major threat to peace and harmony. The only green that will shine there will be $.

Rest in peace

The reason I froze this scene is because it reminded me an old wish to be buried near a nice forest where my ashes would be of some use. A wish that I share with many people from the Amazon, including the ones that were supposed to be resting in this small graveyard whose ashes fertilize a soybean field.