Travel Diary
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Audioconference Schedule
Audioconferences are available as part of Telecom Education Foundation's
1997 Explorers and Adventurers programme. There are nine weeks of
audioconferences for the Amazon Adventure. If you are a New Zealand school and wish
to participate in the audioconferences, contact the Telecom Education Foundation (fax 04
498 5575) for more details.
There are two live audioconferences each Wednesday. One at 11am and another at 12pm (an
hour later). There are taped replays at 2pm and 3pm. Hopefully this will make things much
easier for the large number of schools taking part each week. You can also read my answers to audioconference questions online.
Audioconferences take 30 minutes each, and are broken into two parts of 15 minutes.
- Part 1. This is the latest news from my travels, interesting people that I've met, and
things that I've been doing during the week. There is a weekly feature topic, timed to
coincide with each planned location.
- Part 2. I will answer questions sent to me from students in schools all around New
Zealand. This your chance to find out more about the things that you really want to know
(or are just curious about).
The Schedule
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Location: Manaus,
Amaz⌠nia's "capital city". Feature: Introduction to the
programme. Amaz⌠nia's discovery and development.
This is my introduction to the programme. I will talk about my travels to the Amazon,
and why I am here. I will also speak about my first impressions of Manaus, and what it is
like to live here. As part of this week's feature topic I will look at Amaz⌠nia's history
and early development – particularly the Great
Amazon Rubber Boom. |
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Location: Aria· Towers,
near Manaus. Feature: Endangered species and animals in the Amazon
rainforest.
I will speak about the dangers being faced by animals in the Amazon rainforest and
nearby rivers. When Amaz⌠nia was first discovered, explorers marvelled at the number and
variety of animals to be found. The rivers were full of turtles, jacarΘ, manatee,
and other creatures. But now, many of Amaz⌠nia's animals are now endangered and face the
risk of extinction. What happened, and what are some of the things that people are doing
to try saving the animals? |
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Location: Cuzco.
This is the former capital of the Inca Empire. Located high up in the Peruvian Andes. Feature:
The history of the Incas.
The Incas were the greatest empire ever to exist in the Americas. They built great
cities, roads, canals, and sophisticated irrigation channels which turned deserts into
productive gardens. They even transformed steep mountainsides into gardens by carving
terraces. Yet, despite their greatness and their achievements, the Inca Empire (over 12
million people) was conquered relatively easily by a band of 130 Spanish soldiers. What
happened to the Incas, and how do their descendants live today? |
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Location: Washington State, USA. (I will be trekking in Manu Reserve, Peru) Feature: Joe
Kane's Amazon Adventures.
In this audioconference, Joe Kane will talk
about his own adventures in Amaz⌠nia. Joe is an author and journalist living in
Washington State.
In 1985, Joe was in the expedition which was the first to travel the entire length of
the Amazon – from its source (glaciers high up in the Andes), to its mouth where it
meets the Atlantic ocean 6,000 km later. Joe spent months travelling, by foot, river raft,
and kayak – often through remote, unpopulated, and dangerous areas. The book that he
wrote about this journey (Running
the Amazon) is the best known modern adventure story about the Amazon region.
In 1991, Joe travelled to Ecuador to find out about the Huaorani Indians and their
battle with international oil companies who were invading the Ecuadorian Amazon, setting
off explosive charges, building new roads and oil rigs, and causing oil spills in the
middle of the Amazon rainforest. Joe visited and stayed with the Huaorani many times, and
met with environmentalists and oil companies trying to find out what was really happening
to the Amazon rainforest and its people. His book, Savages, is a fascinating account of
what happens when the 20th Century suddenly hits a remote rainforest people with full
force – bringing with it huge multinational companies, lawyers and public relations
experts, politicians, environmentalists, evangelists, technology, and ivory soap (popular
with Indians as "the soap that floats"). |
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Location: Cuzco. Feature:
Life and Travels in the Amazon Rainforest.
This audioconference takes place a few days after my return from Manu Reserve. I will talk about my experiences, and what
it's like to spend time trekking in untouched Amazon rainforest. During the trek I will
have had the opportunity to see animals in their natural environment (including thousands
of macaws which gather on a nearby riverbank) and meet
Amazon Indians. I will talk about the rainforest, and about the people who live there. |
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Location: SantarΘm Feature: Life and
Travels on an Amazon Riverboat
People travelling within Amaz⌠nia usually travel by riverboat.
Because there are few roads in Amaz⌠nia, and few people can afford to fly, riverboats are
the most practical form of transport. Riverboat travel takes several days, usually with so
many people crowded onto the boat that it is difficult to move around on deck. Although
there aren't any seats on a riverboat, passengers take along hammocks so that have
somewhere to rest and sleep during the journey. Perhaps the best thing about riverboat
travel is that several days stuck on a boat is great way to meet lots of interesting
people.
The audioconference will also include a brief introduction to the town of SantarΘm,
where I will be spending the next week. |
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Location: SantarΘm Feature:
Ancient Amazon Cultures, and Modern Development in Amaz⌠nia.
SantarΘm was home to some of Amaz⌠nia's earliest cultures. Archaeologists have
unearthed many ancient artefacts which tell us about how these people might have lived.
One nearby site, Caverna da
Pedra Pintada, is over 11,000 years old. SantarΘm is also the centre for local
development of the region, including logging, new farms, and goldmines. Nearby is also Fordεlanda, a rubber plantation established by
Henry Ford to supply the Ford Motor Company – and dramatic example of the failure of
many large developments in Amaz⌠nia. |
Week 8
September 10
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Location: BelΘm Feature:
Life in BelΘm and Ilha do Maraj≤
BelΘm is the second largest city on the Amazon, and is located at the mouth of the
Atlantic Ocean. It was the base for much of the early Portuguese exploration into
Amaz⌠nia. Nearby is the Ilha do Maraj≤, a fluvial island in the mouth of the Amazon. The
island is bigger than Switzerland. though much of it is flooded or turns into swamp during
the wet season. The island is famous for the buffalo which escaped to the island from a
sinking French ship centuries ago. Farming buffalo is now the biggest industry on the
island – although the buffalo are left free to roam about the countryside and even
through the town streets. |
Week 9
September 17
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Location: Brasφlia Feature:
Life in the Brazil's Ultra-Modern Capital City
Brasφlia is Brazil’s famous capital city. It was added to the list of UNESCO
World Heritage sites in 1987. The city was built from scratch in just three years, as a
result of President Juscelino Kubitschek’s plan for developing central Brazil (his
"Fifty years in Five" policy).
Students will get to see and learn about the spectacular (and very unusual) buildings
designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer. Find out why the city caused so much controversy,
and what it is like to live there. |
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