Hello,

I believe I was born a guide, (if my daughter Flora Serique was not, she has to become one)! My daddy’s daddy moved from Morocco late 1850’s, when natural rubber was about the world major commodity. He established himself (now with his sister in law whose husband had passed away) at Boim. A few other Jewish families did the same and they started encouraging the natives to grow rubber in their back yards. (A few trees, not a million like the Ford company did in 1920’s). You may want to learn about the rubber barons and their managers’ atrocities to local communities and indigenous people at this point.

When the Wickham family arrived, they lived for a while with the Riker (one of the several families of American confederates that moved to Santarem, encouraged by the Royal Family). They became businesses and friends of my granddaddy. LOTS of stories to be told….

From my mother side who was born at Belterra’s New Port (Porto Novo). They established at Terra Rica but in the seventies, when the dictators created the Tapajos National Forest (based on Yellow Stone) they were removed. EVEN MORE STORIES. When the Ford Company arrived, it hired all American Confederates and most of the Jews to work at Fordlandia My uncles took my grandmother. She rests by David Rikers First wife at Fordlandia cemetery.

I was born at Surucua, just below Boim (the jewish village), no electricity or tapped water, lots of love and fun. My mother was the caretaker of the church and the teacher. When the priests come to preach they were honoured and thankful to be at home so my family.

It happened that when we moved to Santarem the priests had one of the best schools in my country and they were happy to give us scholarship.

I am the youngest of an eight-people family; my older brother was an anglophile and loved me like no one. With the help of the Catholic Church’s schools and later The British Council, he became the very best English teacher and I looked at myself at that point as the happiest person on Earth as a guide…Many more stories.

As far as wildlife, there is no bigger privilege to be alive here and now!

Currently I live at Alter do chao (chosen by The Garden as one of the most beautiful places in Brazil). The property belonged to one of the confederate’s families brought by Hastings (known for the Donner Party), that I share with clients and friends. Come and become both!