Parauapebas, Pará – The southeast of the state of Pará is marked by simplicity. One of the gateways into the Amazon for those coming from southeastern Brazil, by land, the region close to the border with the state of Tocantins is one cattle farm after the other, clumps of woods and small cities. It was there that ANBA arrived on Monday night (4) as part of the E.torQ Amazon Journey, a car trip from São Paulo to the Amazon in the state of Pará. The trip was organized by the Association of Foreign Correspondents.
The group entered the state of Pará through Conceição do Araguaia, "The Gateway to the Amazon", according to a board at the entrance of the city. The group then headed to Redenção, drove north to Eldorado dos Carajás and then west to Parauapebas, close to the border with Serra dos Carajás, where Vale explores iron ore in one of the largest mines in the world, and to Serra Pelada, which, in the past, was the largest open air mine in the world.
On crossing Araguaia de Tocantins River into Pará, the worsening of the condition of the roads is clear. Although the main roads in the region are tarmacked, they are full of holes and in some places, the tarmac is non-existent. Traffic, however, is not heavy, so it is possible to drive without great fear.
Farms cover a large part of the landscape and camps of members of the landless movement are often seen on the side of the road. The roads have few curves and you sometimes feel that they are a long carpet unrolled on the hills. The heat is great, but when entering an area of denser vegetation, the air becomes cooler.
One of the main means of transport is the motorcycle, both for men and women. The cities of the region bring to mind cities in Asia, where two-wheeled vehicles go from one part to another in a chaotic way, requiring attention from drivers.
Of all the cities visited by the group up to now, Paraupebas is by far the busiest. The team arrived in the city late on Tuesday, after almost 3,000 kilometres on the road, and it was hard to find a hotel that was not full. Employees of Vale and other companies connected to the mining sector are everywhere, easily identified by the uniforms and vehicles with company logos.
There is great contrast between Parauapebas and other urban nuclei in the region, as the former is more urbanized and trade is visibly stronger, clearly due to a large company in the region.
National elections on Sunday were still the topic of conversation on Monday night. In Pequizeiro, Tocantins, voters of an elected congressman promoted a great parade for celebration of the victory. In Redenção, in Pará, those eating at barbecue restaurant Boi na Brasa – barbecue is the typical dish of the region – commented the results of the election and waitress Amanda complained that no candidate from the city had been elected.
Journey E.torQ Amazon is sponsored by Fiat, Goodyear and Tesacom.
*Translated by Mark Ament
