Long Sleepless Lovely Multi-Modal Journey Back to Guyana

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Only one hour sleep and a worried family before a day of travel culminating with a red-eye flight to Guyana would usually not bode well for the enjoyability of the journey. However, sleep deprivation and way too much sitting did not dampen my spirits. I hope for great things in 2010, starting with this reconnaissance (rekkie) to Guyana.

I left Ottawa, and my winter coat, at 9am to go to Toronto by train. Hung out in TO with C (just realized I shouldn’t be naming people willy-nilly in my blog without permission…maybe this research ethics stuff has influenced me TOO much!). A disadvantage of Canada in winter is you can’t just hang out in the park. So we ended up walking around this gigantic mall, which shall remain anonymous (sorry, more confidentiality, folks. OK, not really, I deliberately forgot the name). It was sensory-overload, rabid-consumerism with a high-class façade. My friend works in Border Control, and asked me how much I thought the Coach handbag in the window cost. Apparently I am the only human female on the planet who has not heard of Coach. Anyway, handbags can be ridiculously expensive, right? So I guessed the boring-looking thing was $250. “$3000.” Oh. So more than the budget for my 2 month reconnaissance trip to Guyana including flights, rent, food, travel in-country, gifts, helping out family, my netbook, lots & lots of Dark Chocolate, etc. Inequality in Wealth and Health, thy name is Coach.

My more disastrous than usual packing caught up with me at the Pearson International Airport, where the Caribbean agent confirmed my newly dawned fear that my borrowed wheeled luggage combo counted as two bags, not one. It took half an hour, but I emerged victorious in the battle with my luggage, with two small suitcases, my trusty 10+ year old MEC back-pack as my slightly overweight carry on, and a small lululemon bag I passed off as my “purse” (take that, Coach).

At security, I made an important discovery. Take note, would-be travelers with a netbook and no netbook cover: check the paper Via train garbage bag BEFORE you put your netbook inside. The white stripe of chewing gum across the netbook to be given as a gift was…unfortunate. But fixable. Truly travel with elegance.

I spent the rest of my wait calling loved ones and friends from a pay phone near the gate. The flight from TO to Trinidad was best as could be expected for an overnight flight, Caribbean Airlines (FKA BWIA) continues to be my favourite. Nice staff and good veggie food.

When we took off from Trinidad and climbed just above the clouds, it was particularly gorgeous, a new dawn. And then a rainbow appeared in the clouds. I take it as a good and beautiful omen.

It was sunny when we landed in Guyana, but had just rained. So as we swooped closer and closer, and finally could make out individual leaves in the jungle near the airport, the leaves sparkled and shone like emeralds. It was a beautiful greeting. And so I got to Georgetown safe & sound & sleepless Tues morn 8am after 24 hrs in transit.

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