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Without Electricity, Elderly Man Decides to Build Pools and Carries Cement While Living Alone at the Top of the Mountain in the Interior of Ceará.
In the municipality of Itapajé, in the interior of Ceará, access is difficult and made only by steep trails, but it is in this setting that Seu Jumar lives. This elderly man chose to live isolated at the top of the mountain, transforming the harsh environment into a welcoming home with his own hands. The most remarkable feat of the farmer was the decision to build private pools using materials that had to be transported with immense physical effort up the mountain.
About to turn 60, he proves his determination by reporting that he carries cement on his back and on the back of a donkey to realize his projects.
Even having lived without electricity for decades, he created complete leisure areas and maintains a routine of hard work and gratitude, finding happiness in the simplicity of rural life.
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The Challenge of Building at Heights
To achieve the dream of building brick pools on such rugged terrain, the work was hard and time-consuming.
The elderly man reported that he used about 28 bags of cement, climbing the mountain with the material divided. He carries cement one bag at a time or shares the load with a donkey, overcoming the mountain’s slope with patience.
In addition to the bathing tanks, he used his skills to shape benches and even replicas of local monuments, such as the Pedra do Frade.
All this effort to build pools and improve his home demonstrates that, even being isolated at the top of the mountain, he does not give up comfort and aesthetics in his private refuge.
Life without Technology and Natural Wealth
The routine in Seu Jumar’s house is marked by the absence of modern comforts, living entirely without electricity.
To light the house, he uses daylight, and at night, he relies on battery-powered lanterns, as kerosene for lamps is difficult to fetch.
However, the lack of light is compensated by the abundance of crystal-clear water that arrives by gravity from a natural spring.
Without a refrigerator, fresh water is stored in a traditional clay pot. The elderly man values this natural wealth and the clean air, stating that his health comes from this direct connection with nature.
The simplicity of living without electricity is not seen as poverty, but as a lifestyle that he proudly preserves.
Organic Food and Creativity in the Kitchen
The kitchen revolves around the wood stove, where he prepares food harvested from his own farm, free of pesticides. The menu includes mature beans, roasted corn, and free-range chicken.
The creativity of the man who carries cement for construction also appears in cooking: he even uses a masonry trowel to fry bananas, improvising utensils with good humor.
Despite living alone and isolated at the top of the mountain, Seu Jumar maintains the hospitable spirit of the rural people. He welcomes the rare visitors by offering the best of his harvest.
For him, having a “full belly” with food he planted himself is the greatest wealth, surpassing any difficulties imposed by the lack of resources in the city.
Resilience and Overcoming Accidents
Life on top of the mountain carries dangers. Seu Jumar bears the marks of a serious accident with an axe, which cut his legs while he was working.
At that time, he had to be taken down the mountain in a stretcher. Even after the trauma and living far from hospitals, he remains active, determined to build pools and keep his property immaculate.
Today, living in a larger brick house than the old adobe one, he says he is a fulfilled man.
Seu Jumar, the elderly man who lives without electricity and isolated at the top of the mountain, is living proof that human determination can transform any place into a private paradise.
Would you have the courage to live in such a high and isolated place in exchange for this tranquility?
Eu gostaria de uma vida dessa, longe da cidade e barulhos e longe de Internet celular..
Para ser nomade e sobreviver sem requisitos básicos para um ser humano basta saber primeiro o que ocasionou este cidadão preferir ficar longe da sociedade sem família e ninguém para fazer companhia deve ter tido alguma desilusão do sentido de vida em família.
Eu teria coragem, mas com energia elétrica. Já que ele está completando 60 anos, agora ele poderá conseguir a sua aposentadoria rural, mesmo sem contribuir para a previdência. Desejo para ele uns 40 anos para frente nesta vida tranquila.