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