I am still at Iracambi. I am getting ready to depart on Friday morning for the next leg of my adventure. I will be traveling to a few colonial towns in Minas Gerais and then off to the capital city to make a collaborative contact. I am filled with mixed emotions of excitement and sadness. I love this beautiful place and will be very sad to leave. I have been on many hikes and have enjoyed the rainforest as much as possible in the rainy season!
The people of this area are so giving. They live in a very rugged environment that has plenty of milk and honey to offer, but always hard work as well. I have learned a little about the problems facing a subsistence farmer in this area, and am saddened by the circumstances in which they are stuck. Land heritage customs, dropping coffee prices, and a lack of government assistance is causing the depletion of the forests and not the people forced to cut it down. It is a hard situation with many viable options for improvement. However, most of these will require a large, organized effort (which is hard to come by in this area). I am very glad that I have witnessed the issues first hand, and have become more dedicated to helping find a way to improve the environment and the people's lives of rural areas like this one.
On a lighter note, I have witnessed some amazing bugs here and have a few photos for you to view. Please check them out and feel sympathy for my plight of sleeping under a mosquito net each night! I will update in Brasilia with more photos of the colonial towns. Enjoy, and the best of luck to everyone back home.
-Mags
