Guyana is a land of ideosyncracies. Located on the South American continent, and occupying the same land space as Britain (approximately 83,000 square miles), Guyana is home to 750,000 multi-ethnic souls, as opposed to 70 million in Britain. A vast majority of this South American nation, the only English-speaking country in South America, is uninhabited and undeveloped. In fact, west of the Essequibo River which runs from north to south, and south of the town of Lethem, it's all virtually verdant wilderness, bordered by Venezuela to the west, Brazil to the south, and Suriname to the east. The Atlantic Ocean washes the northern coast of Guyana, with capital Georgetown in the centre of this stretch of land, situated on the Demerara River estuary.
The Guyana dollar is the nation's main currency and its exchange rate is Guy$30 to one T&T dollar, and Guy$200 to one US dollar. Georgetown is a constant beehive of commercial activity. It is a quaint, antiquated town whose citizens have successfully managed to maintain and justifiably take pride in edifices century-old, kept in pristine condition. Though not a building, the Sea Wall, which stretches for hundreds of miles, is an example of Dutch engineering genius, keeping the Atlantic Ocean from inundating the capital. Tide levels and flow are controlled by sleuce gates, operated around the clock by "foremen."
Welcome to Starbroek
Most of the buildings in Georgetown, renamed from being known as Starbroek, when the English defeated the Dutch, are wooden, the most majestic of them being St George's Cathedral, one of the world's tallest free-standing wooden structures. Two of the first things one notices in Georgetown are its limited traffic lights at intersections and the absence of concrete pavement. Instead, motorists are cognisant that traffic along main streets have right of way, and well manicured grassed medians and passages fringe streets.
Compared to Port-of-Spain, in Georgetown, nary a uniformed or armed police officer is seen, as well as armed soldiers. Yet people go about their affairs in a well mannered and courteous way.
Once described as a "bizarre bazaar," Starbroek Market offers customers every conceivable item, from household goods and appliances, grocery and market produce to gold jewelry and vehicle parts.
It is also a centre for currency exchange, not unlike "America Street," a thoroughfare that bears a striking resemblance to our own Charlotte Street. Another significant observation in Georgetown is that bicycles and motorbikes seem to be the preferred mode of travel, and it's quite common to see a cyclist "towing" a passenger. Traffic laws are very much observed and every motorcyclist dons a protective helmet, most of them resembling helmets worn by German World War II soldiers.
The wearing of seat belts in vehicles is also mandatory and strictly adhered to. Another popular form of transport is horse and cart, with maxi taxis also fitting into the movement of this frenzied city. Like in T&T, maxis are all christened with catchy names and the hustle to board one, especially at rush hour in Georgetown, is not too far removed to what exists daily at our City Gate hub in Port-of-Spain. Travelling over the Demerara Harbour Bridge, the world's longest floating bridge, one embarks on a journey out of Georgetown into the interior, via the town of Parika.
The green, green grass of the interior
Venturing into the interior quickly reveals the ideosyncracies of Guyana. The Essequibo River, the main artery into the interior beside air travel, is a busy link with boats ferrying passengers. Once in the interior, in the village of Annai, home of the Mukushi Amerindians, wonderment is quickly transformed into admiration and respect. By bus, it's a 13-hour drive from Georgetown to Annai, or 45-minute flight aboard a Trans Guyana 12-seater aircraft from Ogle Airport. On the vast Rupunini Plain, 7,000 people reside, comprising nine indigenous Amerindian tribes in 14 principal villages. It is home to the Commonwealth Secretariat's unique Iwokrama International Rainforest Programme of one million acres of verdant, virgin rainforest and mountains on the west bank of the Essequibo River.
One quickly forgets the dirt road airstrip as you are ushered into the Rock View Resort and receptionist Josephine Daniels records your particles on computer. IT literate, she informs that, with cellphone contact crippled in the jungle, communication is via the Internet. Annai is an amazing place with amazing people. Beside proudly maintaining their indigenous language, and being expert horsemen, cattle herders and farmers, the Mukushi people are hard working and resourceful. For instance, their peanut butter factory is a source of pride, offering a great tasting product, while providing employment for villagers. Once it's an edible fruit, the Amerindians make a juice from it.
The people of Annai are also proud of their Matapi, an implement they invented and with which they process and extract cassava juice. A tour of Rock View reveals a well kept vegetable garden, its produce used to feed its denizens and guests to this Annai resort. And so, the mystique of Guyana has been unearthed, discovered by an intrepid band of Trini journalists who toured the country last week.