Boa Vista Roraima

[amazondk]

I spent the past few days in and around Boa Vista, Roraima (approximately 900 kms north of Manaus) the next state north of Amazonas bordering on Venezuela.  The capital city of Boa Vista is in what is known as Campos Lavrados, a savanna type area dominated by cerrado vegetation.  The area is ringed by forest on all sides with the Guyana Shield on the north with the borders of Venezuela and Guyana.  The most striking palm in the area is the Buriti, Mauritia flexuosa which populates areas which are normally wet.   These pictures I took yesterday afternoon as I took a little photo opportunity jaunt after I got done with business.  The area is dominated by the mountains of the Serra Grande which are to the south.  It was too late to make it to the mountains, but next time I entend on getting up there.  I am sure they are beautiful up close.  From what I could tell there are lots of waterfalls coming down the granite rock slops.   It was a beautiful end of the day, the air was warm, the birds were singing, and the palms were inspiring.

The Rio Branco which flows south into the Negro River. This river has muddy water and is still being mined for gold.  The boats in the foreground are pumping up sand to sift for gold.

Buritis on the Roraima cerrado, Campos Lavrados

[amazondk]

A few more Buritis

The M. flexuosa in Roraima are north of the equator so they are with ripening fruit now, the ones around Manaus will have ripe fruit 4 or 5 months from now.

[Dave-Vero]

A while back, I was wandering around Google Earth to see if I could spot anything looking remotely like the Everglades.  The area between Manaus and Venezuela looked intriguing.  Thanks for those beautifully lighted photos.

[redant]

As always, stunning pictures. Love seeing this part of the world. We are lucky to have such a person on the board.

[amazondk]

The light was getting a bit dim, but if you look in the middle of the photo you will see a line of Attalea maripas cutting through the field.

The end of the day

This little fellow was in the middle of the road when I was returning to Boa Vista. Fortunately for him I did not run over him nor take him home to eat.  I moved him to the shoulder of the road instead.

[amazondk]

Dave,

The area which is an enormous Everglades is in southwestern Brazil, the Pantanal.  The cerrado is I guess a bit like the savannas of Africa.  

Doug,  I am glad you like the pictures.  I thought people would like to get a look at the place.  And, I had a great time taking the pictures.  I just got on a dirt road and drove to where it looked interesting.  I really did not know where I was going, but did not think I would get lost.  There were a quite a few hawks and parrots flying around which added to the scene.

dk

[amazondk]

This is the Mucajai River which flows into the Rio Branco some 40 kms south of Boa Vista.  The mountains in the distance are the same ones as above from the other side.  It never ceases to amaze me how big the rivers are here.  This would be a large river in most parts of the world, here it is just a minor tributary.  The headwaters from this river are up toward the Venezuela / Colombia border like the Rio Branco.  I took this yesterday about noon while returning to Boa Vista from the meeting I had.

These Attalea speciosa, babbaçu, were growing in what looked like an abandonded church in the town of Mucajai where I was yesterday morning.  They would look great in a nice yard.

Some Attalea maripa in a pasture.  This area south of Boa Vista is in the transition zone to the forest which comes up from Manaus in the south.  

[Zac in NC]

Don- Love the pictures as always. I love the Red Footed Tortoise. I am glad you moved it to the side of the road.

Zac

[bgl]

Don,

Fascinating and beautiful pictures! There must be an astounding amount of rainfall up in the mountains to feed all those large rivers!

Bo-Göran

[Joe palma]

Don - yes those pictures are really nice! Definitely agree w/ on the Attelea speciosa, it would look great in a palm landscpaded yard. Like mine! Love to have one. It is an awesome looking palm. Your pic of it is the best one I have seen. Thanks.

Wonder  how they would do in southern CA?

Do you ever get a chance to pick some mauritia flexuosa seeds? I see there is a bit of water under the one in your picture. Those are one of my favorite palms.

[amazondk]

Bo,

I think the key factor with the rivers is the size of the watershed they drain from.  I am not sure of the actual percipiation in the headwaters of these specific rivers but I imagine it is a bit more than the norm around here of 2000 mm per year.  While looking at these rivers what impressed me was just how much water flows into the Negro River.  The Negro is the second largest river in the world in water volume.  

Joe,

Getting M. flexuosa seeds is really no problem.  There are great numbers of the palms here around Manaus and during the time when they are ripe many people make a juice from the pulp and it is fairly easy to get cleaned seeds.  This is should be in about 3 or 4 months from now.  I have not been too good at collecting and sending seeds but hopefully I will improve in the future.  They are relatively easy to germinate I believe.

dk

[Alan_Tampa]

I wonder if that might be what they call the cherry headed redfoot.  Also, I will probably get some "sure, whatevers' out of some but I would say that is a female redfoot.  Seen oodles of redfoots over the years, and learned to tell gender from more subtle cues rather than the obvious ones.  

One of my favorite tortoises.

Alan

[cfkingfish]

I will agree, M. flexuosa is probably my favorite palmate palm, or up there in the top 3. Do you get to Boa Vista via boat or road? Boat seems like the easier way to go.

[amazondk]

Alan,

I am not sure what sex it is, you seem to be a lot more informed than I do about the subject.

Christian,

I went by jet, about 1 hour from Manaus.  But, the only other way to go is by road, there is no boat service.  The highway there is the one to Venezuela, BR 174, is a days trip.  If the road were in good shape it would a real nice shape.  But, like many roads in Brazil there are often more holes than asphalt.  The next time I go I will probably drive up.  I plan on stopping in some towns on the way.  If you leave Manaus around 6 am you get into Boa Vista around 4 PM.  From Boa Vista there are two roads, one to Venezuela, and the other one to British Guiana.  There are plans to upgrade the road to Guaina to have access to the Caribbena via Georgetown which is the nearest point.

I want to get up to the border with Venezuela where the elevation gets over 2,000 meters.

I also am a great fan of the M. flexuosa, since they are so common I guess I am in a good place.  It is interesting to see them in different environments.

dk

[amazondk]

Zac,

I thought you would like the Jaboti.

dk

[RainForestt Robert]

Don,

Lovely pictures!  Always appreciate the M. flexuosa habitat photos.  One thing that strikes me is the similarity between the habitat of M. flexuosa in Brazil and here in Trinidad.  I hope to make a trip and take some photos in a couple of weeks.  The comparison should be of some interest.  Thanks again.

Robert

[bgl]

Don,

Just curious - what airline flies from Manaus to Boa Vista? Seems like there are a lot of aviation related changes in Brazil - VASP is gone, the old VARIG is gone but the new one "VRG Linhas Aereas" will apparently use the VARIG name. GOL is expanding heavily (scheduled to take delivery of 3 brand new 737-800s in a 3 week period this month).

Bo-Göran

PS. And not meaning to be picky but "British Guiana" ceased to be "British" in 1966 when it gained its independence....

[Zac in NC]

(amazondk @ Sep. 21 2006,18:34)

QUOTE

Zac,

I thought you would like the Jaboti.

dk

Yep You were right. Have you gotten the Brazil Nuts to your son yet? Just curious.

Zac

[Kris]

Dear Amazon DK  

beautiful pictures,beautiful palms & trees,

beautiful country side....

simply fentastic !

thanks for sharing your experiences with us.

love,

Kris.

[Al in Kona]

Great photos DK.  This is a part of Brazil we seem to hear very little about or rarely see pictures as well.  What kind of a city is Boa Vista considering its so isolated from the rest of Brazil?  Is there much of any agriculture in that part of the country?

[amazondk]

Bo,

You are right, I should have said Guyana, as a Geographer by education I should have remembered that.  As to the airlines TAM and Gol have taken up where Varig pulled out.  TAM already was the largest carrier in Brazil when Varig's crisis hit and as an agressive company has consolidated it's position greatly.  Gol also had already achieved a strong position and took over a lot of the Vasp and Transbrasil routes.  The service to Boa Vista is split, 1 day flight via Airbus 320 for TAM and 1 night flight by Gol 737-700.  TAM also started flying daily non stop with Airbus 320 equipment from Manaus to Miami.  This coupled with the 5 time per week service of Copa to Panaman and their hub has finally given us good internation service without the need to fly to Sao Paulo or Rio to connect.  The aviation authorities are now finalizing the distribution of Varig's unused domestic and international routes to the other carriers.  TAM has placed a large order for Airbus equipment of the coming years as well.  

Al, Boa Vista is a city of about 300,000 and is really quite organized and nice.  The main part of the economy is agriculture, cattle, soybeans, and some other crops.  The main problem is to distribute the production due to the distance from anywhere.  Seventy percent of the state is either federal reserves or indian reservations.  I believe that 40 percent or so of the state is locked up in indian reserves.  The plan to pave the road to Guyana is driven by the idea that with a port on the Caribbean the produciton of the state would be easier to export.  Whether this will be the case or not I am not sure.  Gold mining was a major activity a few years ago, but this has died down to a large degree.

Zac,  I did not get any Brazil nuts back with my son, but I will try to get some up there.

Robert, do you make juice from the pulp of the M. flexuosa seeds there like they do around here?

dk

[jam99]

Don, awesome photos as usual. Thanks!

Guys, you're right regarding the tortoise ID. It's a lovely Geochelone carbonaria Red-foot Tortoise (Cherry Head).

Cheers, Jan

[JakeK]

DK,

The photos make me jealous as usual, but it is great to see what the cerrado actually looks like. I have seen many pictures of the Guyana Highlands and the mountains of Roraima, but never the savannah that lie in the rainshadow of those mountains.

Jake

[Alberto]

Don,really nice pics! Very interesting that buritis north of the Equador, fruits earlier!   I also saved the life of a big ´´jabuti´´ that was  crosing the road, when i was in the Pantanal in Mato Grosso.

[amazondk]

Alberto,  

I thought it was interesting about the fruiting season as well.  But, even though Roraima is not far from here the seasons are opposite.  Here in this part of Amazonas we are now going into the rainy season, while in Roraima they are now going into the dry season.  My wife among others thought that I should have brought the tortoise home to eat on the weekend.  Turtles and toroises are one of the favorite  local dishes.  I have not eaten one yet but they say that the jabuti is the best one to eat.  I thought he was better off on the side of the road.

dk

[Gileno Machado]

(jam99 @ Sep. 22 2006,10:56)

QUOTE

Don, awesome photos as usual. Thanks!

Guys, you're right regarding the tortoise ID. It's a lovely Geochelone carbonaria Red-foot Tortoise (Cherry Head).

Cheers, Jan

Don:

Beautiful pictures of Roraima...One of my College friends has travelled to Boa Vista 20 years ago for a week and stayed there since then...now he has his own jet plane...(what a nice place to get rich...). These Mauritias are gems.

Wow Jan...your male jabuti is trying to make love and the female is having a snack???  

Don, I won't tell my son that you had dinner plans for the jabuti or he will call the IBAMA and Greenpeace and have you jailed... ::

Here's an old picture of his pet:

[Alan_Tampa]

Normally the local fauna and its suitability as cuisine is a subject I rarely criticize as one should appreciate the local customs.  

Tortioses and turtles are an exception to me as I dig 'em so if one ends up on your table, share your opinion of the flavor but please  give cause of the testudomorph's demise as a tragic car accident or domestic dispute gone bad.  In this manner one would then be compelled to host a meal in his honor.   

I know people all over the world eat all kinds if things others might keep as pets, that's just the way it is.  For the record a redfoot is a better pet than maincourse as they can be around for a good while longer as such instead of until the next BM.

Please keep up the chronicles of dk in SA.

Alan

[SubTropicRay]

Gorgeous photos Don.  Thanks for sharing.

Ray

[RainForestt Robert]

DK

The pulp of M. flexuosa is not utilized for anything here in Trinidad.  Unfortunately I have not been able to taste the drink made from the Euterpe seeds, (Assai?).  On another note Bactris gassipes is fruiting now and you can see them for sale all along the roadsides.  Will post a photo soon.

Robert

[RainForestt Robert]

DK

I guess a lot more visitors will be heading your way, thanks to the NY Times!

NY Times - Brilliant Birds and Bright Monkeys in Brazil

Robert

[amazondk]

Gileno,

I won't tell you son either.  

Alan,  I can understand your concern.  In fact it is illegal to have any native fauna as pets or to hunt them in Brazil.  That is except for people considered to be in substitance life styles.  This is loosely inturpreted to be anyone living in the country.  And, in fact hunting provides needed protein to the riverside dwellers in our area.  There are times of the year when fish are abundant and other times when they are scarce.  The most common animals taken are the different types of large rodents running around the forest.  Occaisionally they get a deer or a tapir, and if a monkey is in range they have to watch out.  And, if a turtle or a tortoise happens to be around they will definately end up on the grill or in the a pot.  There are now commercial operations raising turtles for consumption that are licensed by IBAMA the federal environmental agency.  I am sure that the taste for these reptiles goes back to precolombian times.  The local indians have a real like for frogs and other reptiles as well.  It is not easy to hunt in the forest as the visiblity is bad and normally the hunting is at night with a flashlight.  

Robert,

The M. flexuosa seeds are processed similar to Euterpe except that they do not heat them before beating them to remove the flesh.  There is a program to make flour from the pulp.  It is exteremly nutritous.

dk

[Alan_Tampa]

dk,

Thanks for insight, I have no problem with the consumption of "wildlife" as food, just a little attachment to critters.  I suppose if I lived in an area without a Publix or 7-Eleven I would feel a lot more like a turtle sandwich than I do now.

I saw something a while back about a turtle farm in Brazil, I think the species being raised for food was Podocnemis expansa.  Any pics of the local aquatic turtle species?

Alan

[amazondk]

Alan,  I don' t have any photos of mine.  But, I did confirm that the two turtle species consumed here are Podocnemis expansa (turtle of amazonia, tataruga da amazonia locally) and  Podocnemis unifilis (tracaja locally).   I did a little reading in Brazilian web sites about the subject and both species are being raised.  People are quite fond of the eggs which creates probably a bigger problem for turtle population growth than harvesting mature turtles.  If I get some pctures I will get one to you.

dk

[palmazon]

Hey Don - post something to let us know you're OK

[Zac in NC]

Yeah Please Don let us know you are ok.

Zac

[palmazon]

we're talking about the horrible plane crash - I know Don has his home in Manaus AM; dk - RSVP

[amazondk]

Hi guys,

All is well here in Manaus.  As you can imagine the plane crash has had a lot of media coverage here in Brazil.  It looks like the plane crashed head on into the forest in an area of very difficult access.  I have no idea how many times I have flown this exact route over the years, but for sure several hundreds of times.  In the past there was no radar coverage over the Amazon basin area but today the air traffic control in the area has the latest generation equipment and Brazil has a good record for air safety.  It is a very strange event to have two latest generation airplanes with all the latest equipment including the TCAS anti collision devices hit each other in mid air.  The executive jet managed to land with minor damage and it looks probble that the tail of the 737 was what they hit.

Thanks for your concern.  I plan on sending many more palm photos from Amazonia.

dk

[palmazon]

relief; now I propose a celebratory seed swap

seriously, though - we all dig your photos so keep 'em coming

[Zac in NC]

Yeah that is a big relief. I want to see more Amazon pics, but the most important thing is you are still alive.

Zac