3 cars, 2 boats, and a minibus

To get anywhere in Guyana is a struggle.  The roads are less than good and with all the rivers, boats are generally required at some point in your journey.  Recently I went to the other side of Guyana, closer to Venezuela to visit Victoria and to watch the new batch of Volunteers swear in.  To get there from New Amsterdam it required me to take a car, another car, a boat, a minibus, another boat, and one last car.  I think it took 6 hours of actual traveling time but more like 8-9 hours factoring in the times it takes to wait on the car/boat/bus to fill up.  To get a true picture of what traveling in a minibus is like check out this video.  It was made in Jamaica in the 80’s but is accurate to what it’s like here in Guyana.  

Two White Girls Pon a Minibus

 

Traveling in a car is not much better but obviously you can fit less people.  While I respect the drivers aim to make as much money as they can, I do get slightly irritated sitting with 4 people in the back of a car, sometimes with a child or two in your lap.  The term used to fit this many people in is called “small up”.  There are two ways to catch a car or bus.  Either you go to a car park where the cars will go to a designated place, like if I am going to Georgetown from New Amsterdam, I would go to the Georgetown car park.  Or if you are going more local, you stand at the side of the road and hold out your hand, point your finger down for a short drop, point it up for a longer ride. 

Boats are similar in that you go to a designated spot to catch a specific boat and they will cram as many people in as possible.  Only now you are required to wear a life jacket (this is mostly because very few Guyanese people can swim).  Boats are actually a cheaper way to travel in Guyana so they are preferred by most Peace Corps Volunteers. 

So with all forms of transportation they goal is to make as much money as possible.  This means you don’t leave until the car/bus/boat is full.  The only exception is getting a car on the road, then you make as many stops as possible to get as many people as you can.  One of the more frustrating aspects of traveling is that there are no designated bus or car stops (with the exceptions of the car parks).  So your bus will make as many stops as there are people in the car, and sometimes only feet apart from each other.  This makes the trip very long.  And of course there is no AC, so it’s a hot and sweaty ride. 

In the end you do all this to get to see your friends and more parts of your host country.  It becomes normal and routine.  In fact I’m so used to it when I get back home I am not sure how I’m going to get around!!!

Worth the struggle to get to see views like this!

Lessons learned from Mom!

Lessons Learned in the Guyana Interior

Prior to my trip to visit with Missy and tour her adopted country, I read that traveling to Guyana was not a vacation but rather a life experience.  I'd have to agree.  And as with any life experience it is important to embrace those lessons learned, sometimes the hard way.  So here are the lessons I learned during our journey to the interior of Guyana. 

1. It's always wise to put the toilet seat lid down. 

2. Spiders get annoyed when you turn on the faucet when they are chilling.  A second related lesson - keep your toothbrush in its case.

3. Sleeping within a mosquito net is logistically challenging - glasses, headlamp, alarm and book are never where you want them - and forget it if you need a tissue or some such thing.  A second lesson - lights after dark (which is 6 PM year round) is a great way to need the mosquito net even more than normal. 

4. Sometimes art work on the walls moves. 

5. Water not heated by the sun, or taking a shower when you are not heated by the sun, is just plain torture. 

6. Even wild, savannah raised cats crave attention.  But then, don't we all?  Just need to ignore that this same kitty ate a bat for breakfast.

7. Adapting is the key success - playing cards in the breeze requires developing a seamless two finger technique between players to hold the cards in place.  Playing cards with no breeze requires as few movements as possible.

8. Go for the higher hammock - much easier to get out!

9. 5:00 AM is the new 8:00 AM and well worthwhile crawling out of the mosquito net! 

10. Simply prepared, local food is nothing short of awesome!

11. Bug spray is worth more than liquid gold.  Sunscreen is a close second.  Anti-itch cream is a close third.  Our four legged bug eating friends and the tree canopy can only do so much.

12. Always have an extra three men on a trip to push start the jeep.  

13. A dog can look a lot like a fox, especially if you've just seen a fox.  No, really!  (In my defense, the dog I saw was while in a moving truck and in the savannah - just saying.)

14. Always carry a cutlass (machete) for you never know when you'll need to bushwhack. 

15. Rum soaked in passion fruit + fresh lime juice + a hot, satisfying day = WONDERFUL

16. Nothing is finer, aside from rum punch mentioned above, than fresh cashews.

17. Fresh skeleton of a porcupine or caiman (alligator) is as close as I want to get to a jaguar. 

18. Time is relative for those living in the interior - "Jus now" could be most anytime in the somewhat near future but certainly not "now" so get in your hammock and relax for awhile.  And "a few weeks back" could be a few years back.  We learned about a pet Tapir at the next lodge we were going to and disappointed he died just a few weeks back.  But alas, "several weeks back" might have been more accurate.

19. The term Highway is up for interpretation.

20. Think carefully about what you eat before flying, even when there are only simple, innocent looking, white puffy clouds.  And then those scales...

Going Interior

March is the month of adventures for me.  First I went to Region 9 with Mom, and most recently I went 75 miles up the Canje River to visit my counterpart’s family.  The boat trip took about 8 hours, which we spent the time drinking rum and gaffing (talking).  We got in very late and didn’t do much besides fall into our beds.  The next morning I had my first opportunity to really look around and see what I got myself into.  Firstly it appeared I was staying in a tree house.  It was actually a house on stilts but it felt very much like a tree house.  There was no door and a very uneven frightening set of steps attached to the house to which I went down backwards every time ignoring the teasing from the family!

  The scenery before me was breathtaking.  There was nature for as far as the eyes could see, and the only thing you hear is nature sounds, bugs and howler monkeys.  This was such a change from the city life I was used to.  I wasn’t given much time to setting as we were on a working farm and there was stuff to do.  Firstly was brushing teeth in the river, then off to gather food for breakfast. 

After that it was hammock time and then off to fish for a late lunch early dinner.  Before we could fish we needed to make the rods.  This consisted of cutting down bamboo and tying a string onto it.  Naturally I didn’t catch a fish, but luckily the others did and we had plenty to eat.  It was an early night as we were planning a big hike the next day. 

The hike was more of a brisk walk through the forest and into the Savannah.  Now as a naturally clumsy person I am accustom to tripping over everything but it did seem to worry Delva (Lucie’s mom), who repeated the phrase “take your time” repeatedly to me.  Little did she know I would have tripped over a blade of grass if given the chance.  I managed to make it through the hike unscathed.  We reached the river in the Savannah that we were going to fish in and it was basically hidden under algae.  But this didn’t deter the boys from hopping in and setting up a net to catch the fish.  After that was set up, they got out and walked up (down?) river a bit then hopped back in and essentially herded fish into the net.  The whole process took less than an hour and we were headed back fish in hand.  It was decided that we did not have enough fish so we stopped to do some traditional fishing.  This time I did catch a fish and promptly gave up my pole.  Fishing isn’t really my thing.  That night we had a feast of fish, and wild rabbit that Pops caught earlier in the day. 

We had some visitors the next day, some neighbors stopped by to hangout.  I took the kids and a parent to the waterside to go over how and when to wash our hands, they seem to enjoy it!  Then we had another neighbor come by and let us play with her son Mighty.  He was a cutie and loved to eat fresh fruit.  We went out and picked some produce for home and started packing up.  I found out that red beans grow in large pea pods this kind of blew my mind, but to be fair I had never really thought about where beans came from.  

Beans!

I’m sure mom would be disappointed if I didn’t mention the bathroom situation.  There was two bathrooms, and I use that term lightly.  They consisted of a structure with three walls and no door.  The bathroom that you went poo in had a lovely board across it with a hole in the middle you squatted over.  The other one just had boards on the ground and you just sort of squatted down.  Now what made that situation unique was that area also doubled as the shower if you didn’t want to bathe in the river.  Also it had no door and was in the middle of the camp…  Nudity was not an issue there but I was a little concerned that I would blind the locals if they saw my white butt.  I somehow survived the bathroom situation and will be eternally grateful for my flush toilet and closed shower!

The next day was bittersweet.  I was happy to go home but I knew that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.  I had such great experiences and did things I never imagined I would do. I think that is was Peace Corps is all about, to experience a different life, and to step out of your comfort zone. And now it’s back to my normal routine of school, workshops and maybe planning a vacation that doesn’t require a mosquito net.