Guyana is 83,000 square miles of fun — from the busy streets in the capital Georgetown to the Amazon rainforest and the night life of Bartica to the peaceful Essequibo River.
Several journalists from Trinidad and Tobago visited Guyana for five days (Friday April 8-Tuesday April 12) at the invitation of Evergreen Adventures and Trans Guyana Airways. The brief period was not enough to take in all that Guyana has to offer, but it provided a vivid picture of the beauty that many don't know about.
Guyana is situated on the north-eastern shoulder of the South American continent and is pretty much in a state of transition, moving from the wooden buildings of “ole” to the modern concrete and glass structures of the 21st century.
Massive construction and roadworks as well as familiar names such as KFC, Pizza Hut, Church’s Chicken, Mario’s, Popeye’s, Texaco and Shell can be seen throughout the city. Both Georgetown and Bartica (sometimes referred to as the Gateway to the interior) are just as busy as or even busier than any metropolitan cities in the world. The buzz of the streets is fantastic.
Upon our arrival at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, we were greeted by Adboul Ba our tour guide from Evergreen. The bus ride into Georgetown was interesting in the least, going through villages like Pearl, Relief, Supply, Good Success, Great Diamond, Friendship, Craig, Brickley, Herstirling, Nandy Park and Providence.
In Georgetown the group was taken to American Street and treated to lunch at Brazilian Churrascaria & Pizzeria where you could have as much meat as you like — beef, pork, lamb, chicken, sausage and bacon — all done in a huge brick oven.
After lunch it was off to our respective hotels. I stayed at Cara Lodge, formerly Woodbine House, which was built in the 1840s and consisted of two houses.
Abdoul took us to dinner at the Dutch Bottle Café on North Road where we were entertained by pannist Ras Kamo Williams. His choice of tunes really put a spin on the night as everybody was singing old-school R&B.
After dinner it was time to take in the night life, so we journeyed to Main Street with a stop at Palms Court, a spacious night spot with video entertainment. Several drinks after, we moved on to The Edge, an ultra modern disco/night club with pulsating sounds and laser lights and hundreds of Guyanese and tourists enjoying a night on the town.
The adventure really began on Saturday at Ogle International Airport where we boarded a 12-seater twin-engine aircraft to the interior. After flying for one hour and 20 minutes, like straight out of a movie, the pilot landed his aircraft on a strip of dirt (runway).
We arrived at Annai to a warm welcome from the owner of The Rock View Lodge, Rupununi Guest House, Dominique Ian Colin Edwards and members of his staff. The Lodge is set in the Amerindian community of the Makushi people and is self-sufficient. They grow their own food and rear fowls and ducks as well as herd cows.
Despite being so far from the city, the lodge offers modern technology of Wi Fi connectivity alongside the culture and heritage of the Amerindian.
We were treated to a cultural show by the locals who talked in their native tongue as well as English. Dinner consisted of foods grown in their garden, pak-choy, beans, vegetables, chicken and beef.
The rooms at the lodge were very comfortable, equipped with hot and cold water, and we were able to sleep with the windows open. The generator, which provided electricity, was turned off at midnight but the lights in the rooms were still on.
Annai is made up of 16 communities of native Amerindian with nine tribes — Arawak, Macushi, Wapashana, Carib, Akawaio, Aracuna, Wai Wai, Potomania and Warriou.
Early Sunday morning it was off to the Iwokrama International Centre, to see the Canopy Walkway. We boarded an old, left-hand drive war truck with seats in the covered tray.
The journey to Iwokrama took us along miles of dirt road and, as true Trinis, we made fun of everything; the dust from oncoming vehicles, the branches from trees which hung in the roadway and even the bicycle-riding natives. A lookout was posted to warn the others of any impending danger.
On arrival at the Atta Lodge, we met with Anthony, th e guide, who took us on the trek through the forest to the Canopy Walkway. Anthony showed us several trees including the parasitic Ficus plant as it engulfed another tree, The Greenheart, the Waramadan and the poisonous Aromata.
The Canopy Walkway is 500 feet long and is made up of a series of four suspension bridges and decks from heights of up to 98 feet. It was a frightening yet exciting walk on the Canopy; you get the feeling of being on top of the world. On our return to Atta lodge we were treated to breakfast and then it was back on the road to Annai.
We boarded another flight to Kaieteur National Park which took all of one hour and a half before we saw the majestic Kaieteur Waterfalls. The beauty of this waterfall can only be seen from the air, its cascading water making it the largest single drop waterfall in the world.
At Kaieteur, a guide took us along the trails to the fall. We stopped at Boy Scout View, Rainbow View and at the very top of the fall where we were able touch the water before it moved over the fall. This was breathtaking — an experience somewhat difficult to describe.
Our next stop was Baganara Island Resort, one of the 365 islands in the mighty Essequibo River. It is a little paradise with 187 acres of lush green foliage and colourful tropical flowers.
Baganara is five miles from South of Bartica and is the gateway to the unspoilt rainforest of Guyana and the junction where the great Essequibo and Mazaruni Rivers meet.
An outdoor dinner greeted us at the resort and it was the first place we had a truly good fish plate. After dinner a very short ride on the river in a jet boat landed us at Bartica, a small mining town with lots of nightlife.
It is here you see Brazilians in all forms drinking and dancing to soca, salsa and chutney music.
On Monday we visited Bartica during the day to get a feel of the place; it was buzzing with excitement and the market and streets were filled with people.
From Bartica we took a ride on the Essequibo River stopping off at the Hurakabra River Resort which is run by solar energy, took pictures of Eddie Grant’s Ring Bang islands with its sprawling house before we stopped at Parika.
At Parika we boarded a bus to Georgetown, straight to the Grand Coastal Inn where there was a reception for the touring party.
Tuesday, our final day, saw us taking a mini tour of Georgetown, visiting the Stabroek Market, seeing St George’s Cathedral, the Prime Minister’s House and the House of Parliament before taking the long journey back to Timehri to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.