I just got back from a bus trip to Altamira. On the way there the Sem Terras (a political movement) had the highway barricaded so we went the long way around the dam. There is paving and road work going on as the Xingu hydro project is underway, but it was still 15 hours getting to Altamira, and 14 hours getting home. On the way home I took the all night bus, as there is no talk of armed robberies and highway bandits.
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