5,500,000 Palm Trees!!

Spider display. No big deal they even have one that eats birds
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You have got to be kidding me 4:30 AM wake up!! I thought this was going to be a laid back trip. Five hours of sleep. I’m to old for this kind of stuff. I had breakfast with Andrew. This guy is like the Energizer Bunny - always all smiles with no coffee to juice on.

Three way sex with Beetles, Palm female, and Palm Male - Voyeur webcam!!

We were off to the airport were we met up with Homero. Two pilots at least. That’s a good sign. A thirty year old Piper Aztec twin six seater?? On second thought are we going over two hours of jungle in this?  No worries, after a quick flight we were on the ground about 100 miles southeast of Belem at a private Palm Tree Plantation. Here is a quick video link landing at the plantation:

Back seat of the " Puddle Jumper" enroute to the plantaion
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http://s76.photobucket.com/albums/j6/paulbaker8/?action=view&current=VID00028.flv

This place was just plain big. It was 35 by 40 miles in size. It had over 1000 miles of roads. 5,500,000 palm trees. 5000 workers. They had it all -Villages for the workers and families with schools and medical clinics. You get the picture and all out in the jungle. Very impressive. All organic with no chemicals. They trap the bad butterflies in trash bags and pile them up in ten foot high piles. The workers go out and cut about 100 pods from the trees daily were they pick them up and truck them to the mill where the oil is extracted and the meal is either burned in the boilers or returned as fertilizer. It was a very eco friendly place.  By the way there are eight pictures if you click on the more pictures link under the photos.

This is a palm tree nursery. Looking at about 800,000 seedlings in the circle. Takes about six months before they can be planted
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If you are a true science type here is the 10 minute video on the Palm " birds and bees" study lesson.  Pretty boring so feel free to bail.  I just need it for work :

http://s76.photobucket.com/albums/j6/paulbaker8/?action=view&current=VID00030.flv

After a nice lunch in the owner’s mill house we are back to Belem.

Mature palm trees . Note the road about 700 meters apart so truck and tracctors can get close to the action.
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Here is a link of us escaping.  Sort of feel like those guys out of Columbia a few weeks ago:

http://s76.photobucket.com/albums/j6/paulbaker8/?action=view&current=VID00036.flv

 A quick cat nap and then out to see the Old Town. We ended up at the pier with a Restaurant similar to "Elizabeth’s and 37^th" and the Basement of the Pink House. It was called the “11 Windows”. This place was packed with the local beautiful people. The four of us were pretty thirsty and worked hard over 4 hours to make the 40 “Chope” / draft beer club before we called it a night at 11 PM. The second main band was just coming on as we left. These people are strong.

The top is bunch is the male flower full of beetles that fly the pollen to female flowers elsewhere in the plantation. Great job! The bunches on the bottom contain the palm nuts note the bright red at the bottom
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See your Friday for a down day.

Nick