April 29, 2014
Welcome to
Georgetown!!
We have safely landed in Guyana!! For a few days here in the capital Georgetown, we have a host stay with Roop and his family. This household is very hospitable! Usha, Roop’s wife is a great cook!! Tonight for dinner we had some excellent chicken made with curry sauce and roti. A favorite of our group is the juice she makes. It’s very good— essentially it’s made of cherries and sugar!! J In Guyana, it is very humid, hot, and sunny. Fortunately, for us it has been very breezy!! As I type this to you, the group is enjoying the evening playing cards on Roop’s patio.
Last night we set up our cots and mosquito nets. The bugs aren’t too bad in the city but you can imagine once we get into the interior they will be a nuisance. Today’s adventure included: walking around the markets of Georgetown, visiting the Sea Wall, and the zoo.
Since it was dark when we first arrived, our commute into Georgetown this morning gave us a chance to see the city. Buildings and homes in Guyana are very colorful and are often built up on stilts in order to avoid flooding from heavy rains and also stay cooler in the breeze. We all drove in on a small bus and it was kind of nerve racking on the narrow and crowded streets. Even in the city we passed within inches of cows and horses standing along the road!
We have safely landed in Guyana!! For a few days here in the capital Georgetown, we have a host stay with Roop and his family. This household is very hospitable! Usha, Roop’s wife is a great cook!! Tonight for dinner we had some excellent chicken made with curry sauce and roti. A favorite of our group is the juice she makes. It’s very good— essentially it’s made of cherries and sugar!! J In Guyana, it is very humid, hot, and sunny. Fortunately, for us it has been very breezy!! As I type this to you, the group is enjoying the evening playing cards on Roop’s patio.
Last night we set up our cots and mosquito nets. The bugs aren’t too bad in the city but you can imagine once we get into the interior they will be a nuisance. Today’s adventure included: walking around the markets of Georgetown, visiting the Sea Wall, and the zoo.
Since it was dark when we first arrived, our commute into Georgetown this morning gave us a chance to see the city. Buildings and homes in Guyana are very colorful and are often built up on stilts in order to avoid flooding from heavy rains and also stay cooler in the breeze. We all drove in on a small bus and it was kind of nerve racking on the narrow and crowded streets. Even in the city we passed within inches of cows and horses standing along the road!
Exploring the
markets included seeing many of the local crafts and arts. Purpleheart wood sculptures, paintings, and
leather sandals were very common. After
looking around the shops, we visited the Sea Wall. The wall was only a few feet high and we were
able to walk down to take pictures by the ocean. Unfortunately, the beaches of Georgetown are quite
muddy and garbage piles up at the Sea Wall.
On our way back from the Sea Wall we stopped at the zoo and saw many
animals native to Guyana that we had previously talked about in class. Since the zoo was so small we got a much
closer look at Caiman alligators, huge Harpy eagles and a sloth! We even got to
see a few cougars, monkeys, and beautifully colored macaws. Guyana is even home
to the giant river otter, which was present at the zoo as well.
Outside of traveling, this was our first real day! Our group gets along great, there’s lot of joking and laughter. J At midnight tomorrow, we will take a 10-16 hour journey to the interior of the lush rainforest of Guyana where we will spend the rest of the trip. We look forward to the adventure!! WISH US LUCK!!! J
Outside of traveling, this was our first real day! Our group gets along great, there’s lot of joking and laughter. J At midnight tomorrow, we will take a 10-16 hour journey to the interior of the lush rainforest of Guyana where we will spend the rest of the trip. We look forward to the adventure!! WISH US LUCK!!! J
Heidi and April
(with help from the rest of the gang)
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