Farewell

Well, I just went for my last run on the Georgetown seawall. Now I sit here staring at half-packed bags and some clothes that still need to be washed, while listening to DJ Dain’s mash-up, “Don’t Worry, I’m Yours.” In less than 8 hours from this moment, I’ll be heading for the airport. Wow, it honestly feels like I just came from there and was eager to start this new, summer adventure. Now, I can’t help but have mixed emotions of eagerness to get home and a sadness of leaving behind the people that I’ve met here and the easy, relaxed Caribbean life that I’ve been living these past two months.

This has been a great summer, and an adventure that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I have met great people, worked on some very interesting legal topics, seen some amazing places, and expanded my horizons with new food and drink. I will greatly miss the spice that is in every dish made here, but I can’t wait for some good ole American food like pizza, burgers, and barbecue. I’m going to miss the friends I’ve made here, but I can’t wait to see the friends that I left at home.

From trying out many Creole dishes that I had never heard of, to standing at the edge of Kaietuer, to kayaking around islands in the Mazaruni River, to running the seawall almost daily, to having drinks with the guys at J.R. Burger on Friday nights, to going to a road racing event at the only racetrack in Guyana, and to going to the zoo on a day when the Anaconda was awake and active and the monkeys had escaped from their cage and were roaming around free, I will say that this summer has definitely been a fun and adventurous one. I will forever have a new outlook on life and a new appreciation for the many things that I’ve always taken for granted back in the States.

I’m going to miss looking out at night and seeing Yaw watching over the J.R. property, sitting down and having drinks with Jad, Ryan, Mark, and Azar, wondering what assignment Naresh will present us with next, seeing the smiles on the faces of the girls that work at Oasis, having lunch for less than 4 dollars at The Beacon, playing with the dogs downstairs, and getting the very common call-out of “white boy” while walking around town.

So Guyana, thank you for the great things that you showed me and taught me. I’ll forever remember you. For now, farewell.

Baracara Resort

Well, as luck would have it, our landlord used to run a resort on a private island in the interior. Yep, that’s right, he owns an island. So, one night, when we were all just sitting outside and chatting over a few drinks, he offered to let us go stay at his house and all we would have to do is buy some supplies and tip the caretaker. And that is exactly what we decided to do.

Fast-forward to the next Friday and we’re up at eight and headed to the grocery store to pick up a few supplies. We already had the “okay” to take the day off of work and we were more than ecstatic about the nice, weekend getaway. After returning from the grocery store, we finalized things with our landlord and the caretaker some, then called ole Waja, the best taxi driver in Guyana. Well, at least the craziest. He arrived around eleven and then it was off to Parika.

In Parika, Waja helped us to catch a speedboat that would take us to Bartica. This was a new experience for all of us. It was a wooden boat with a roof and open windows that had tarp-like sheets that can be rolled down to cover the windows in case of rain. The boat had five rows of seats in which we were piled in five to a row. After the boat filled, it was time for us to pay our 2,000 dollars, and off to Bartica we went.

The ride to Bartica was rather enjoyable to me. To some, maybe not so much so, but I guess I lucked out. Sitting right by the window, sure, I got a little wet from the river and rain a couple of times, but hey, it’s a boat, that’s part of the fun right? The ride took around an hour and a half and besides the roar of the two engines, was rather serene. It was very interesting looking out at the coastline of the river and just seeing endless amounts of green trees. Even more interesting though were the occasional homes right on the river that, instead of having the typical driveway coming off of a road, they had a dock for their boat, as roads did not go that far in the interior and boat was the only form of transportation. This ride really made me think about how different peoples’ lives really can be in this world and how simple the world can be if you let it.

Our arrival to Bartica finally came, and then it was off to search for a market to pick up some chicken and fruit. After that was done, we headed to the port to find a boat that would take us to Baracara Island, a small island in the Mazaruni River and our new home for the weekend. For a thousand dollars each, we hopped onto a little boat that took us through the rain to our island escape.

The house was very nice. It had an open first floor with a bar, places to lounge, a couple of hammocks, and a rather run down, but still fun to play on, pool table. Upstairs, there were rooms for us to stay, each with a mosquito net over the bed, which was an incredible addition and something that I wish I had back in Georgetown.

Outside, there were kayaks. Of course, that was one of the first things that we wanted to do. So, I grabbed the single kayak and my comrades grabbed a double and we took off. After only a few minutes, I was starting to wonder why my kayak felt like it was hard to get moving quickly. After another minute or so, I was starting to wonder why my kayak looked kind of close to the water. After another minute, I was staring at the front of the kayak pointing to the sky while I’m going backwards into the river. Yes, I had to choose the kayak that had a hole in it.

After swimming back to shore, I grabbed the only other kayak left, a two seater, drug it to the water, and hoped for the best. Luckily, this one was in fully functioning form and I was eventually able to keep Jeff and Justin in my sight again. We all took a lap around the island, then went back to the house to relax some, while the house caretaker, Margaret, prepared dinner.

The next day, we had a nice breakfast prepared by Margaret, and then Jeff and I hit the kayaks and took a nice long ride to and around the neighboring island. After that, we all relaxed some at the house before Margaret’s son, Justin, took us over to Baracara Falls, a small waterfall on the mainland coast of the river. We hung out there for a little while and explored some, then headed back to the boat, which to our surprise, was filled with water. Apparently the plug in the rear had come out, and while we were at the waterfall, water was filling the boat. So, we got to do something I didn’t think I’d be doing in Guyana. Bail out a boat. Justin had a bucket and I got busy shoveling water out with a paddle. After about a few minutes of labor, we had the boat empty enough to take it back to the island safely and headed home.

The rest of the day was spent in relaxation with some reading under the sun, relaxing in hammocks, another trip around the island in the kayaks, and watching movies at night before bed.

Sunday morning came very soon and after breakfast, we were off in a boat back to Bartica to retrace our steps and get back to Georgetown after a wonderful weekend.

-Michael

Kaieteur and Orinduik Falls

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve posted on here, so I’ll start back with this post and tell about my trip to Kaieteur and Orinduik Falls. It was Sunday and July 4th, so what better way to spend that day than a tour of Kaieteur and Orinduik Falls? They are two of the incredibly breathtaking views that Guyana has to offer.

The day was started off with getting up early and waiting for the arrival of our tour guide, Carlos, to pick us up. After that, it was off to Ogle Airport. Here, we sat for what seemed like an eternity. Of course, this could have just been due to the anticipation of getting to Kaieteur. After this eternity, it was finally time to meet our plane, a single engine, 12 passenger Cessna. This was my first trip on a small plane like that, so of course I was a bit nervous. However, this flight turned out to be rather joyful (thank you Mr. Pilot).

The first place that we went was Kaieteur and it was absolutely breathtaking. The tour took us on paths through the woods that took us to various lookout points where we could see the waterfall, and then ended with lunch back at the airstrip. The lookout points that we reached were amazing. You can go right to the edge and see everything from the waterfall, to the river that is about 800 feet below you. One of the more fun activities was inching toward the edge of the ledge to get pictures looking down. Trust me, for someone who is afraid of heights, this was a great adrenaline rush.

After Kaieteur, we made the short flight to the Brazilian border to Orinduik Falls. Here, we were able to see the multiple falls there and to also take a dip in the water. The water here felt incredible. It was cold, but not too cold to take, it was just right to chill you off and let you relax by escaping the heat. I even found my own natural made whirlpool here and enjoyed just submerging my body in the cold water and let the flowing water give a nice little massage. While here, the weather started to look a little rough, so we hopped in the plane and headed back to Georgetown. The tour ended with a flight over Georgetown and then headed back to the airport.

So, enough talking, here are the pictures.

What’s on the Forecast Today? Torrential Rains With a Side of Meat Coma.

Well, like the title says, today was a rainy one. Upon arrival to the office at around eight this morning, everything was dry. Upon noon’s arrival, streets were flooding over. The interesting thing about the rain here though, is that, while back in the States, rain that falls in this magnitude is usually accompanied by thunderous clouds, lightning, and tornados, Guyana sees none of that. It just rains, and rains, and rains. However, after around one, the sun generally decides to come out, providing a beautiful afternoon. My theory: the sun is incredibly lazy and just doesn’t like to work much before noon. This theory is further supported by the sun’s disappearance by 6:30 every night.

As for the side of meat coma, that part of the forecast definitely came true. For lunch, we were taken to Brazil Churrascaria off of Alexander Street in Georgetown. This place was amazing. It was a 3,500 dollar meal (approx. 17.50 USD) after tax and tip, but it was well worth it. After all, this would probably be around a 30 to 40 dollar meal back in the States. The restaurant was kind of behind a home, in a covered outdoor seating area. We walked in and there was a buffet set up with salad, okra, black-eyed peas, pasta, other vegetable concoctions, cassava cooked two different ways, and some incredibly delicious plantain. After taking a seat, our drink orders were taken and then came the arrival of my demise. Those meat waiters sure did play nice with their smiles and gracious attitudes toward serving copious amounts of delicious meat that came straight from the skewers they were walking around with, but I really think that deep down inside, they were evil conspirators that get their kicks by watching people suffer from the meat sweats and meat comas. Of course I fell victim to their evil plan though. How could I not? The food was incredible. Mmmm ... pork, chicken, and beef sausage, and pork, chicken, and beef barbecued in their stone oven right in front of my eyes. These people know how to serve up a good meal. I will definitely be making another trip back to this place before my return to the States and I can’t wait for the meat coma that will ensue.

-Michael

Guyana - 1: Asics - 0: Michael - ?

With the sun blaring in and the dogs yapping away at 6:15 this morning, what better thing is there to do than get up for a run? Nothing that I can really think of, especially considering how much cooler the temperature will be at this time of day. So, that’s what I did; I got up, made a quick bagel with peanut butter, drank quite a few gulps of water, put my contacts in, changed into running clothes, grabbed a Gatorade, then headed out the door at 6:45 with the goal of heading west on the seawall to the Pegasus Hotel, then backtracking and heading east to where the concrete portion of the seawall ends, then back to where I started at the Celina Resort, resulting in around a 7.5 mile run according to Google Maps.

Well, of course, the day I decide to do this long run (this feels long, I’m not in the marathon shape anymore that I was in a year and a half ago), it’s going to decide to rain. Which honestly, why should I have thought any differently? After all it is still the rainy season and it was early morning (when it seems to rain the most) with clouds filling the sky. So, as I’m approaching the seawall, it starts drizzling. At this point, I’m not too far to just turn back and go home, but I’m far enough out that, it just feels like a waste of time to not continue. Therefore, I of course decide to continue. As I’m hitting the seawall, the rain decides to pick up slightly. Oh well, it’s not so bad. Ha. About halfway to my westbound destination, Guyana decides to laugh at me with a mass amount of its tears of joy. I am royally soaked at this point, but I’m so far in that there is no reasonable reason to turn back now and I decide to try to finish it out. After all, this is the best feeling run I’ve had the whole time I’ve been down here. There was no suffering from sun, heat, and humidity like all other times of the day after around seven in the morning and before five in the afternoon. This rain finally decided to stop around thirty minutes into my run after my clothing was sufficiently drenched. But, I did manage to get the whole run in, which very likely might not have happened if I had decided to put the run off until later. Now, I’m sitting on my balcony watching the third or fourth coming of rain since I’ve been awake with my poor Asics sitting to my left, stuffed with paper in hopes to absorb some of the water that is currently drowning them.

The best image of the run today, which gave me a good laugh for a while, was when two mini-buses had to slam on brakes due to two jackasses deciding that stopping in the middle of the road to hang out was a good idea. No really, they were jackasses, you know, the kinds that go “hee-haw.”

-Michael

Has It Really Been Over Three Weeks?

As I sit here in my posh office (A/C is my only requirement to be posh), with nothing on my plate at the moment, I decide to open up Word to write an update for the blog to be posted when I get home (once again, A/C is my only requirement to be posh; the internet need not apply). It has been while since I’ve updated this blog, so I guess it is about time to do so. So, what have I been up since my last update ... in May? Well, a whole lot of nothing, and I’ve been enjoying it.
My typical is get up around 6:30, get ready, head to the office, then, to the surprise of many I will assume, pray for work. Then, I have an hour lunch at 12:00 and after fighting off an after lunch nap, a few more hours of work until 4:30 (3:30 on Fridays). After arriving home, it’s usually just taking it easy for a little bit, then going for a run and maybe going to the gym. The rest of the night is reserved for supper and relaxation.
There hasn’t been much activity these past few weeks outside of work. The past few weekends have been simply going for runs along the seawall, hanging out at the pool, meandering around town some, relaxing at the apartment, and catching a little World Cup action at OMG! (the local sports bar).
Other than these typical activities, I did end up going to an Indian wedding party. This was a very enjoyable event. For the first time in my life, I got to try chicken-feet soup. To my surprise, it was rather tasty. It contained a very good assortment of spice and some nice, fatty chicken feet. I also attempted to learn some Indian dances. I think I will just leave these dances to them though, as I should probably not embarrass myself by attempting these anytime in the future.
I am really hoping to go to the interior soon, so hopefully we will manage to get on top of planning these trips and I’ll be able to update some more with some more interesting stories and I imagine, wonderful pictures.

-Michael

P.S.
Don’t ever let me hear you complain about the American Postal Service being inefficient. I have come to discover a great appreciation for the USPS after recently having a package sent to me. In all the time that the American post offices seem to take, the waits there still shy in comparison to here.

Some More Pictures