| By Carlos Damasceno (The Jaguar)
My name is Carlos Damasceno, nickname Jaguar, Brazilian, tour operator, multilingual guide, nature enthusiastic; happy to introduce you my background.December 24th, 1960, I was born in Manaus, capital of the Amazon state. Soon after my birth, my mother traveled back to her family living in a small town located on the riverside of Purus river, affluent of the mighty and giant Amazon river.
This small city is situated roughly 1. 400 kilometers far from Manaus, spending 7 to 8 days to get there by boat and, taking around 2 hours by a small regular plane, flying over the amazing Amazon forest.
There, I’ve lived and spent all my childhood, not in town with my mother, but on the riverbanks of this fantastic river, in my grandmother’s house, in the middle of the forest, few hours far from this small town. |
There, I have spent part of my life seeing, learning, “ not on books “ , but direct from mother nature, just outside my door.
In that time, we lived in a HOUSE ON STILT, not so distant from the river, trying to be protected against the unforgivable water level in the rainy season, each year!During this time, my family’s most important occupation was agriculture, fishing and the traditional extraction of the LATEX from the famous RUBBER-TREES. I still remember when I helped my family to collect the latex from the trees and get small green peaces of wood in order to smoke the precious product to make the valuable RUBBER BALLS for selling.
So, in the rainy season, little by little, the level of the river rose enough, flooding all the region, so that, our plantations were destructed and the scenery was completely modified, river water advancing into the jungle, few centimeters a day. Sometimes, the water level was so high, that was about to reach up our floor. During midnight, in the silence of the Amazon, we were astonished by the coming of some ANACONDAS snakes to get our animals left on a floating surface just at the side of our house. Not rarely, some of our chickens, goats and pigs were swallowed by these large snakes. Sometimes, my grandfather had to wake himself up two or tree times during the night, getting so, his machete, knife, flashlight and a paddle canoe in order to stop the anaconda’ s attack, bringing by the impressing water level.
This high water period lasted 3 to 4 months, causing us a lots of problems, not only for the adults which were unable to work in the agriculture, as well as, to the children that couldn’t play outside the house, on account of the high level of the river. Finally, in June, in the beginning of summer, the water level started to come down. Fortunately, the level of the waters did not bring only difficulties to the jungle people, on the contrary, the high water became the soil extremely fertile, rich in nutrients and chemical minerals so important to agriculture. Then, in short time, everything was normal again. The soil got naturally ready for plantation. People were happy to come back to work, animals were around the house, children got happy by playing again on the ground, life was incredible. But, in few months, the level of the waters started going up again, repeating the endless cycle, year after year, until today. In process of time I grew up, learning, feeling and seeing by myself the incredible world of the Amazon rain forest, not showed in books or documentaries, but direct from the source. After some years, my parents moved to Manaus. I have decided to learn languages by myself, starting firstly by English. One day, in 1980, I was just in front of the famous OPERA HOUSE of Manaus, there, I’ve met two Swiss visiting our city; at once, I started practicing English with them. So, we became friends, they asked me to organize a two days trip for them, “ thus, that was my first jungle tour “, It was incredible. But nothing I sow in the jungle was a surprise, everything was familiar to me, because that jungle was my home and my life. From that day on, I have never stopped taking visitors to know the fascinating Amazon jungle.
I became myself a multilingual guide, invited to lecture in Germany about the rain forest, where I have spent one month, and had time to practicing my German and other languages. During my short staying in this country, I’ve met some musicians from a big “ Camera Orquestra “ in south Germany, we became good friends, then, an interchange between Germans and Amazon musicians came soon, so that, they have already performed in Manaus in the famous Opera House, and also our regional musicians have already performed in Germany, it was fantastic!
So, it was my life in the land of the Amazon region, learning and seeing in first hand the mysteries, curiosities and secrets of the amazing jungle, acquired and conquered not by books, but, by large experience through the years lived in this incredible world. |
