Demarcation Diaries
29 August 2001
I am standing outside the minuscule bridge, a good two hours
into my watch. The engine murmurs and the two crewmen chat quietly
in Portuguese. Every minute or so the huge deck-mounted searchlight
goes on, sweeping the muddy waters before us looking for a floating
log that might damage or even sink us.
The helmsman finish each sweep with a pass over the nearby shore
and suddenly the beam stops. The deckhand taps my shoulder and
points. "Jacares, jacares!" At first I can't see it
but I remember the word for the Amazonian alligator. Almost completely
submersed, the reptile's eyes are bright orange dots in the strong
light.
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I am on the Commandante Sávio, a typical Amazonian
vessel for our ride up the river. We are a day and a half
into our ten day journey to Deni land. Since we left Manaus
on Monday we've been traveling around the clock, but soon
the river will become to shallow and narrow for safe passage
in the dark.
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Yesterday we kept ourselves busy getting organised, most of the
supplies are now in storage and we got the communication equipment,
solar panels and computers up and running. Ahead of us lies the
jungle and bit by bit we're getting ready for it.
I am feeling very content where I sit, perched on the railing.
Some kind of glowing, firefly-like insect circles the boat, turning
its light on and off. In the dark it looks like the warning beacon
on a miniature aircraft.
Bats are making high-speed passes over the bridge, a shoal of
silvery fish jumps near the shore in a perfectly synchronised
dance. To my left, there is a flash of silent lightning among
the distant clouds but above me is a clear starry sky. Every few
seconds there's a shooting star, courtesy of a swarm of meteorites.
The sights, sounds and smell of the Amazon night are too complex
and full to be captured in a few catchy phrases.
Steve
Sweden
Steve is also known as Polecat on the Greenpeace Cyberactivist
community at http://act.greenpeace.org.
He is now making his way to the remote reaches of the Amazon because
he responded to a call for volunteers which was posted at the
site.
You can help Greenpeace win campaigns by joining
the Cyberactivist community, taking the actions posted there,
and watching for your own opportunities to volunteer.
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