ABSTRACT
I came to the town of Altamira by way of the Transamazon Highway, in a leito, or night bus. The Transamazon was intended to open the Amazon to easy access and development, but remains a dirt road gouged with ditches and overgrown in the areas which have not already been cleared for plantations or ranches. The 18-hour trip from Santarem began in daylight, but there was no fascinating forest life to watch as we entered the interior. The forest had been cleared for miles on either side of the road. Occasionally, a house or group of cattle indicated a human presence, but most of the land appeared abandoned. Many of the migrants who settled here in the 1970s have moved on to new farms, or to look for work in the cities. It was not until hours later, when the bus was dark and we were all sleeping, that we entered the rainforest.
