http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from South America , Guyana en-us Sat, 26 Jul 2008 21:04:37 BST Sat, 26 Jul 2008 21:04:37 BST Good Morning I have reached the end of term 2. Seems like only yesterday when Dan and I got back from Christmas holidays. I have just finished exams with all my classes so now Irsquom depressed because the marks were awful. Therersquos one or two in each class who do well but all the others are rubbish I canrsquot feel too much of a failure though because all the other teachers get the sam http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/blog-265990.html Projections is the newsletter sent out to all PT volunteers around the world.Tom told me about him and Dan being on the front cover this month so I got hold of a copy from PT.The photo is Tom and Dan jumping into the creek while being the P and T from Project Trust. http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/blog-255203.html I got this email from Project Trust. Tom had previously spoken to us about this. I have been in touch with PT to make sure that they don't decide to move Tom to a different project as this would not please him at all.I donrsquot know whether Tom explained to you about Danrsquos ldquodisappearancerdquo shortly after my visit to Wauna and his http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/blog-255200.html I got the following email from Project Trust recentlyProject Trust has to announce with much regret the death of Pamela McCarroll one of our volunteers in Guyana. Pamelarsquos family have been informed and our thoughts are with them her friends and fellow volunteers at this difficult time.Pamela 18 was the daughter of Mr and Dr McCarroll f http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/blog-255197.html Another update from the jungle. Guyana just celebrated its republic day in the form of many street carnivals around the country. The festival is the biggest in Guyana and is called Mashramani. I have been lucky enough to help in organising the event in making the costumes and dance in the carnival. I helped with the Presidents Youth Award costume that consisted of a 3m long dove and 30 volunteers http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/blog-255195.html Irsquove made it to the half way point of my yearThe first half really does seem like no time at all and the next half feels like it will fly by. Since I last wrote the big news is my secondary project The Basketball Court. I am so close to completing it and I am confident it will be finished in a week. I have set the foundations now all is left is the cementing. The whole village is interes http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/blog-254060.html Hi everyone. This is my fourth update on life in Wauna. Since I last wrote I havenrsquot actually spent that much time in Wauna. Irsquove been on my Christmas holidays Myself along with 16 other volunteers spent two weeks in Tobago one the beach diving and relaxing away from school and Guyana. It took some persuasion that I was actually a white tourist on a sun sea and sand holiday. It to http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/blog-249334.html HAPPY CHRISTMAS Thank you for the pictures my wall is getting pretty full already We have got our tinsel up in the house but we cannot find anywhere to buy a treehellipThe shops have now stopped playing Brazilian music constantly. They now throw in some edited Christmas tunes with a big bass line strange. Dan and I are still patiently waiting for snow Our ldquosearchrdquo will take us http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/blog-249260.html Last month we just got back from Georgetown Guyana. The vacation that we had there was very interesting. The Guyanese people were very friendly before we left we had heard that Georgetown was dangerous we did not experience any problems. The hotel that we stayed at for one week was the Le Meridien Pegasus which is a division of Starwood Hotels Sheraton. It is a beautiful hotel tha http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/Georgetown/blog-243453.html Working hard. http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/Georgetown/blog-243395.html Our hosts and 'digs' in Guyana. http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/New-Amsterdam/blog-236227.html Amazingly we are in Guyana. We arrived at Georgetown on Friday Jan 4 at about 9 am after being in the process of flying via New York Kennedy and Port of Spain Trinidad. It is marvellous we can travel so far so effortlessly but for me with such trepidationGuyana is a large country with little of its land occupied. The coastal areas we visited are filled with wonderful people. The main highway http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/New-Amsterdam/blog-236213.html Good afternoon Irsquom still alive and well said thanks for asking. And Irsquom still having the best year of my life Two months on time is getting so fast weeks go by in secondsDan and I are getting along really well. We donrsquot think to ourselves we just say outloud our thoughts to each other We are starting to find our place in the community. People shout ldquoSirrdquo http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/blog-232033.html Here is Tom's first letter 7092007Arrived in Wauna 1092007. The journey took 2 hours half over continuous jungle in a plane half in a Toyota Hiace along the very offroad track between Mabaruma and Wauna The house is on stilts brand new bright green and made of concrete. It was infested with Marabunta AKA 2inch wasps AKA killer bees. We got some local kids to help spray insecticide t http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/blog-232012.html Georgetown Guyana we are going there on vacation in December for about ten days. I won't say it but sadly what's the first thing most people think of when they hear the name Guyana. If any other travelers been there please contact us we would love to hear about it. email bullhead3031yahoo.com http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/Georgetown/blog-205865.html I did a five day trek to Kaiteur Falls the world's highest single drop waterfal in Guyana. This was with Rainforest Tours and ran with only two of us on the tripDay 1 was a drive in 4x4 to Mahdia then boat trip up the Potaro River to Amatuk Island to camp the night.Day 2 was a mix between boat trips down the river and hiking alongside the river in virgin rainforest with the help of Tony our http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/Kaiteur-Falls/blog-205280.html St Cuthbert's Mission is a quiet Amerindian settlement. To reach you travel almost an hour on the Linden Highway by minibus to Soesdyke then from there a 4x4 truck to the mission arranged in advance. It is full of sand has a beautiful and cold black water creek and many cute Amerindian children. Ideal for adventurous boating fishing hunting bush runs or experiencing the traditional and http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/St-Cuthbert--s-Mission/blog-205278.html I visited Orealla twice in a year. Quite a feat as it's a two hour minibus drive to Corriverton then a five or so hour boat trip down the Correntyne River to reach Orealla a small Amerindian village.Orealla is truly beautiful. I saw some of the most amazing sunsets and sun rises in my two weekends there. The people are so friendly and will welcome you into their village show you around exp http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/Orealla/blog-205276.html I experienced Lethem at a time when it is probably nothing like a Lethem that the locals know Rodeo time. Lethem is so far from Georgetown it's practically Brazilian. The shop signs are in Portugese and English there is a Brazilian restaurant and many people speak Portugese. Lethem's roads tracks are all red. Anywhere you walk you get covered in red dust. And you have to walk a lot beca http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/Lethem/blog-205275.html I visited Georgetown many times during my year spent in Guyana. I like to think that I managed to look beyond the tourist scene sitting in Oasis Cafe with what seemed like all the foreign people in Guyana never really appealed to me.My favourite thing to do in town was to catch a bus. A mini bus costs 60 which is currently about 15p or 30c. I love catching a bus into town because the music an http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/Georgetown/blog-205272.html New Amsterdam is a vibrant and interesting town. It has a population of 20000 and is nothing like towns in the northern countries. New Amsterdam was the nearest town to the village I lived in for a year and I taught in New Amsterdam Secondary School. It annoys me how the Lonely Planet Guide to South America mentions Guyana briefly but completely misses the town of New Amsterdam. It is one o http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/New-Amsterdam/blog-205268.html We arrived in Guyana close on midnight. It was easy to get a taxi. US22. It was a 45 minute ride and we arrived in 30 minutes. Our driver sped like a mad bugger. We were grateful it was late and there was nobody much to get in his way. Arriving at the Sleepin Guest House on George St we noticed the driver also received additional payment from the desk. The hotel was very new. The room was nice an http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/blog-201254.html Word spread fast. Somebody told somebody and somebody told Sharon please pronounce as 'Shay ron' that the world travellers were in Guyana. Sharon was one of Vibert's highschool debating opponents. She told Andrea her sister who was now all grown up and the producereditorinterviewer of her own tv talkshow program. Andrea invited us for an interview. Against a black background in the studio http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/blog-197210.html Happy Birthday Greetings to Opa 93 years August 23 Pops 59 years August 29 Panic 1 year August 29The Parika Ferry Stelling was crowded with people and vehicles and fruits. Built with massive greenheart one of the most durable hardwoods and a native of Guyana's forests piles logs and slabs the dock was the major 'terminal' for transport up or down the Essequibo River. Big mo http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/Bartica/blog-194396.html The immigration officer looked up from the Brazilian passport he was leafing thru. His eyes were still red but they registered surprise to see us back again so quickly. He had stamped us out to Brazil only three days before. Again we got preferential treatment before the file of waiting Brazilians and while he stamped us back in into Guyana he complained about working nonstop since 7 am. It was http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/Lethem/blog-194355.html Mr. Williams Ms. van Eer my name is Matthew and I am your guide. Please come this way. He and another Amerindian male grabbed our bags and placed them in a smallish metal speedboat. The name 'Takatu' was emblazoned on the side of the boat although the paint had started to peel. The other 40 passengers on the bus watched in envy as the VIPs sped up river sending sprays flying in their direct http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/Iwokrama/blog-190893.html As I'm cruising at 28000 ft I thought I'd indulge in some light reading on Georgetown the capital of Guyana before I landed. The first paragraph of the Lonely Planet reads Georgetown is dangerous. Period. Street crime often violent is common. Never go anywhere alone..... Never go out after dark.... Marvellous. These things tend to be overblown just to cover their own backs but its a bit http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/Lethem/blog-189280.html Anyone out there that has traveled to Guyana please tell me what it was like. We are thinking about a week long vacation there sometime this winter 2008. For example where did you stay what did you do there what were the people like http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/Georgetown/blog-181896.html Stats and ThanksWe've been on the road for a little over a monthandahalf and most of you have been right there with us. We appreciate it. We've had steady comments from Joan in Trinidad Shana from Mexico Tyrone from England Sacha from Aruba G from Curacao Nadia from Antigua Annelies from Holland and Robert from Guyana. Remember we thrive on comments so keep them coming Again we can't http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/Corentyne/blog-177279.html 'This road is called Abortion Road' Chico said. Chico was our guide. He was a funny man in the humorous sense of the word. We laughed. We had just come from the city up the East Bank road and were now fifteen of us on the bumpy redsand road which circumnavigated the Timehri airport. A boy in army fatigues with a gun half his height flung the gate open and just like that without any securit http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/blog-175644.html