Witness the lives of gold miners in shantytowns along the road network that carves up the Amazon Rainforest
Transcript
[Music in]
NARRATOR: The forest that once kept the outside world from trespassing has been defeated by a network of roads, and along the roads has come a flow of people seeking new opportunities.
Some have journeyed to the Amazon Basin to mine for gold.
In the middle of nowhere, the dream of rags-to-riches has given rise to shantytowns built on mud and desperation,
desperation that has scarred the land with gaping wounds.
Only desperation could keep men waist-deep in mud day after day after day, groping for a golden future.
Living in the worst of city slums may seem easier or even safer, but here the dream of a better life could be scooped up on the next try or tomorrow or, perhaps, next week.
The quality of life weighs in the balance; but when the rewards are counted out, all the hardships in the mud seem to wash away.
[Music out]
NARRATOR: The forest that once kept the outside world from trespassing has been defeated by a network of roads, and along the roads has come a flow of people seeking new opportunities.
Some have journeyed to the Amazon Basin to mine for gold.
In the middle of nowhere, the dream of rags-to-riches has given rise to shantytowns built on mud and desperation,
desperation that has scarred the land with gaping wounds.
Only desperation could keep men waist-deep in mud day after day after day, groping for a golden future.
Living in the worst of city slums may seem easier or even safer, but here the dream of a better life could be scooped up on the next try or tomorrow or, perhaps, next week.
The quality of life weighs in the balance; but when the rewards are counted out, all the hardships in the mud seem to wash away.
[Music out]