Americas
Faces of the Amazon - Day 2
“I know what they say abroad – the Amazon is the lung of the world. Gringos like to make comparisons to everything. It’s funny for me. We don’t say that a lot here, but I guess I agree with it.”
Last modified: 8 Dec 2009 08:09
At its heart, the story of the Brazilian Amazon is about the 21 million people who in some way or another call it home. Everyday from December 7 through 18 - coinciding with the Copenhagen climate change summit – I'll introduce you to a new person who lives in the Brazilian Amazon and whom I came across during my most recent reporting trip to the area. This is the second installment of ‘Faces of the Amazon.’ To read the introductory blog post about this project, click here.
Name: Carlinhos Rego
Age: 45
Where from: Manaus, Amazonas state
Population: 1.7 million
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“For me, the Amazon means work. I am a ferry boat driver here on the Rio Negro and Rio Solimoes. This ferry is not for tourists. My ferry is for taking cars across the river. We carry big trucks as well. I do the trip 3 or 4 times a day. It’s about a 1 hour trip each way. My ferry boat keeps the economy going. It keeps people moving across the river to get to jobs or transport fruit, or lumber or cement or whatever.”
“I have two kids. They are 21 and 19 years old. I am separated from my woman right now.”
“I used to work in the city as a car mechanic. But now I do this for the past 5 years. I like to work on the water more than on the land. I look out the window and see the river all day, and the sun. It’s relaxing for me. It makes me want to drink a beer.”
“I read. I know what they say abroad – the Amazon is the lung of the world. Gringos like to make comparisons to everything. It’s funny for me. We don’t say that a lot here, but I guess I agree with it. I know the value this place has.”
“In my old job as a mechanic, I used to have a boss that would always look over my shoulder to make sure everything was right. Now, the river is my boss – always looking over my back. Much better, eh?”
