Dec 19th Update

Saudedades Meu Amigos!

As I write, I sit at my desk at home in Canada even if it is a brief stay before I go back to work.  My last few weeks have been unforgettable as I went for a hike in the jungle, adopted a young family and visited a local tribe of Kayapo indians. Enjoy my pics most of which are credited to the right honourable Peter James Hyde Figuiredo, Founding member of the Wild Amazonian Death Adventure Club.

Wild Amazonian Death Scorpion

Peter and I drove deep into the jungle and walked up this river to some waterfalls...

Yours trully crossing the caimen and piruana infested waters...

Me picking wild Amazonian Death Bananas which were very delicious!

Crossing one of many bridges which consist of large rainforest trees split in half, laid side-by-side over the creek with a road built over... This is the truck I was issued for the remainder of the project in Ourilandia.

Peter and I slipped into a Cocoa Grove and liberated a cocoa pod.

The seeds are covered in a sweet syrup and I found them quite delicious.

When we got back to town, Ulisses had arranged for us to tour a local indian tribe's village...




The gate, on a muddy trail 40 km south of town...

After finding the Chief, paying him $200R ($100 Can), picking up his son, his son's wife, a stove and bedding, we drove about 40 KMs to their village in the jungle. Pop. 400 +/-

The children quickly showed up to help carry things to their huts.

Unloading the son, his wife, the stove and bedding, etc...

The kids were an unforgettable part of the visit...

Communal cooking area

Homemade soccer ball made out of melted plastic...

Indigenous Woman with parrot

Woman with crying child - until I dug out a bag of candy...

One of many beautiful kids...

Everbody is a star...

Uncle Whatsisname took my bag of candy and made sure all of the kids (and elders) got a fair share... (These are traditional henna tatoos)

Kids came running for candy!

Beadwork

The chief's father... what a gem!

As we toured the village, I met up with Bep's father, who I had met in town several weeks earlier.  I promised his son Bep my bicycle. (and when I couldn't find him, I had told Lazro he could have it if I couldnt find Bep!)

This is Bep the first time I met him.  I came out of the Super Market to find him sitting on my bike...

The women are forbidden to speak to foreigners and only speak their native language.  They shave their heads, as well as their children to make them less attractive to foreigners and local men.



My amigo and fellow conspirator Peter James Hyde Figuiredo.

Yours trully with a couple of young parrots.

Did you know:  Brazil nuts grow in a pod and once they dry, they fall out of the forest canopy, where the indians pick them up and harvest them.

Typical cooking fire

Funny story:  The chief's father let us pose with his head dress on and after all three of us wore it, he laughed and showed us the right way to wear it.

Woman cooking corn meal... (She wouldn't face us).

Bep's father showing off his art work...

Bep and his father in front of their hut...

I ended up buying this head dress as a souvenir...

Kid carrying dished back from the river after washing them...

This is their annual festival mask which the natives relate to the fate of their village. IF anything should happen to it, they believe hard times will fall on them.  I joked about being very careful when I turned around lest I back into it, though no one laughed at my joke.  :)

I drove the 40 km to and from town with Peter to deliver my bike to Bep.

Meanwhile, back in town, I had grown very fond of a local family. They live in this small brick house in Ourlilandia and I would drop by in the evenings on my daily bike ride. Eventually I bought them a fridge and some groceries and when I ended up finding Bep and gave him my bike... I bought one for these kids.



Left to Right:  Lazaro, Vinicius, Dominga and Filipe...

Lazaro, Fernanda, Dominga, Vinicius and myself with the new bike I bought them.