A Day Outing – Une visite en ville

This is our weekend to stay in Georgetown, so we decided to do some tourism.  Early Saturday morning we visited the national museum – interesting for the very old wood/glass display cases and the various stuffed animals and birds. The best was the giant sloth (prehistoric) whose bones were found by a gold miner.  As well, the map room with its early 18^th century maps was of interest.

After such a hot visit, we needed a cold beer and so we returned to Upscale restaurant with their second-floor outdoor patio.  Notice women in Georgetown are served their beer with a straw!!!  The photos below cannot capture the chaos and noise of the scene below, in particular the minibuses competing for customers.  These two streets are outside the main market; we’ll post photos of that when we get enough courage to go there with our camera.

Cette fin de semaine nous restons en ville. Depuis longtemps nous nous sommes promis de visiter le musée national près du marché. Comme beaucoup d’autres attraits de Georgetown ce n’est pas la fin du monde mais relativement intéressant considérant le peu de moyens disponibles (ils n’ont pas les millions $$$ du Smithsonian). Parmi les principaux attraits du musée ils ont une reproduction grandeur nature d’une espèce de dinosaure géant, ancêtre du paresseux actuel, un animal des forêts d’Amérique du Sud qui est toujours suspendu aux branches des grands arbres et se déplace très lentement comme son nom l’indique. L’autre pièce intéressante est une exposition détaillée sur la cartographie de Guyana et les nombreuses disputes de frontière avec les pays voisins, le Venezuela, le Suriname et le Brésil.

Après le musée , nous sommes retournés au restaurant Upscale mais cette fois nous nous sommes installés sur leur terrasse du deuxième étage avec notre caméra pour prendre des photos de ce coin très occupé du marché surtout un samedi comme aujourd’hui. Malgré la chaleur du midi, le bruit et le chaos total de ce coin de la ville, nous avons tous les deux aimé cette expérience; encore une preuve de notre adaptation…

Corner table on the 2nd floor - Table de coin au 2ième étage

The local beer "Banks". Women are served with a straw - la bière locale "Banks". Les femmes boivent avec une paille

View from one side - vue d'un coté

View from the other side with the busy market in the background - vue de l'autre coté avec le marché derrière

One of the busy minibus terminals - un des terminus de taxi-collectifs très occupé

Crushed-ice vendor - vendeur de glace concassée ("slush")

Le Zoo et l’île de Baganara/ Baganara Island and the Zoo

It has been an eventful two weeks as we continue to explore Georgetown and the surrounding area.  The weekend we stayed in Georgetown, we visited the zoo.  It’s very small but we really enjoyed seeing the birds close-up:  the harpy eagle, macaws, parrots, toucans.  In the jungle it is almost impossible to spot them unless you are an Amerindian guide.  We found a wonderful sports bar/restaurant, Upscale, in the market area.  It was full of Guyanese students, a very pleasant relaxed atmosphere unlike the local rum/beer bars on our street.  We will definitely return as it has an outdoor second-floor balcony where we can watch the people and happenings in the busy market street below – a perfect place to take photos. The owner was super friendly; we asked how we could learn about local cultural happenings in Georgetown.  He confirmed that it is mostly by word-of-mouth or social networks.

I went to a local hair salon and spa on the recommendation of a colleague – no expats.  I won’t show you a picture of my new haircut, referred to as a “boy cut” because it is so short.  I did so want to grow my hair so I could pull it back into a ponytail but I never seem to get past a certain length AND it is so HOT here that short is the way to go for me.  But, my lady readers, it only cost me $7.50 Cdn and I had a one-hour relaxation hot stone massage (the best I’ve had to date) for $25.00 Cdn and eyebrow wax for $3.50 Cdn.  The service was as good as in Canada....so I know how I am going to treat myself here!!!

This past weekend we explored Baganara Resort, an island on the mighty Essequibo river.  It was a 45-minute taxi ride to the Essquibo river, then an hour small speed boat ride to Bartica, than another 15-minute boat ride to the island.  Coming back we were lucky enough to hitch a ride on the Baganara speed jet which cut the time by an hour as it went directly to where we catch a cab to Georgetown.  A fun and scary ride as we passed through a thunderstorm with lightning!!

 As you can see from the photos below, Baganara was a class above the others (and not the most expensive!).  It was like being on a Caribbean island – the accommodations were really clean and comfortable; the food was delicious; the service incredibly great.  On Saturday night we 10 clients had dinner served on the lawn outside, under the stars, with candles.  We spent the days reading and swimming.  We even kayaked an hour around the island.  What a great experience to float by a tropical jungle with all its unusual foliage and flowers.  Otherwise it is just too hot to be any more active.  It is the long dry season here with the usual 30-35 degrees; the usual high humidity makes it feel like 40 plus, but it is the strength of the sun that is the “killer”.  You just can’t stay out long from 11:00 to 3:30.  I am getting a great tan.  Jean-Claude just gets red and then a little less whiter!

Jean-Claude is enjoying fixing things around our house without the proper tools.  He only has his Swiss army knife, but he has managed to hang up a mirror for me.  He is making the area as “homey” as possible.  Our landlady is very lucky to have him as a tenant.  He continues to paint things and has asked her to buy some cement so he can seal the holes.  He won the battle against the mouse and has decided to leave the gecko and her little ones alone.....they eat the other bugs of which there are not many in the house.  Take a look at our photos.  Now it’s Jean-Claude’s turn to speak.

===============================

Le dimanche à Georgetown il n’y a pas grand chose d’ouvert; c’est plutôt tranquille! Pas trop tard le matin, avant que la chaleur ne devienne intolérable, nous sommes allés au Zoo. C’est petit mais intéressant pour voir la plupart des animaux spéciaux de Guyana (jaguars, singes et oiseaux) d’aussi près. Comme tout les zoos c’est toujours malheureux de voir ces animaux sauvages en cage mais c’est une chance unique de les observés de près : un dilemme. Le zoo et les cages étaient propres et tous les animaux étaient particulièrement bien en santé surtout les oiseaux (aigles, perroquets et toucans) avec leurs belles plumes bien lisses et colorées.

Nous sommes aussi allés voir une exposition sur les sciences et la technologie aux Indes. C’est une exposition ambulante du gouvernement des Indes qui s’est installée ici pour un mois. Intéressant car on nous montre autant l’histoire que le moderne avec plusieurs stations interactives. À leur crédit tout était encore fonctionnel (ordinateurs et stations interactives) après plus de deux semaines d’exposition : c’est plus que certains musées canadiens peuvent accomplir! BRAVO!

Une autre expérience intéressante et qui nous à bien remontée le moral c’est la découverte, par hasard, d’un restaurant en plein centre ville près du marché central qui s’appelle “Upscale”. C’est un peu universitaire et fréquenté par toute sorte de Guyanais : étudiants et bien nantis. Un soir par mois on y présente une soirée de poésie et de lecture. Ça fait changement avec les “Rum bars” qui nous entourent sur notre rue. Au deuxième étage c’est un endroit idéal pour prendre des photos de ce qui se passe dans la rue. Faudra y revenir…

Enfin comme c’est maintenant la tradition nous sommes partis vendredi dernier pour une autre fin de semaine dans un centre de villégiature sur l’île de Baganara à une heure d’auto et une heure de bateau de Georgetown sur l’imposante rivière Essequibo, la troisième plus importante d’Amérique du Sud. Quel bel endroit : presqu’un petit Club Med. À part de profiter de la plage et l’eau sédimenteuse de la rivière, nous avons fait le tour de l’île en kayak : pour la première fois nous avons vu un de ces gros toucans qui à traversé la rivière juste devant nous. Le terrain principal du centre est très ouvert et gazonné ce qui attire toutes sortes d’oiseaux faciles ainsi à observer avec nos jumelles. À part ça, beaucoup de lecture, bien mangé, nous avons même eu du vin avec le souper. La chaleur du jour est beaucoup plus tolérable quand on peu se baigner et se refroidir dans la brise qui souffle constamment. Après une belle fin de semaine en nature loin des désagréments de la ville c’est toujours un peu décourageant de revenir chez nous et pour Patricia d’aller au travail le lundi matin mais nous sommes déterminés à poursuivre notre exploration systématique de ces centres de villégiatures.

Jean-Claude

Charette de livraison - horse carriage for delivery

une rue importante près de chez nous (conduite à gauche) - an important road near our house (left driving)

Aigle Harpy au zoo (gros oiseau!) - Harpy Eagle at the zoo (big bird!)

un toucan - a toucan

un tapir - a tapir

L'édifice principal du centre Baganara - the main building of the Baganara resort

le terrain impeccable - the impecable lawn

La plage - the beach

Notre chambre en haut à gauche - our room at the top left

Bonne bouffe (1'ière classe) - the food was 1st class

grâce au chef et son assistante - thanks to the cook and his assistant

Le capitaine du bateasu de Baganara au retour - the captain of the Baganara speed boat on our way back

Autres clients de l'hôtel qui revenaient avec nous - other resort's guests coming back with us

2 months already! – 2 mois déjà !

We have been in Guyana for 2 months now and things are definitively improving here. I started running again: very difficult after 3 months with no aerobic exercise and the heat here. I wait until 5:30pm and do short 20-minute runs for now. I also acquired an old bicycle (from another volunteer leaving). A bit rusty and clunky but that will do: it’s so flat here with lots of bumps and holes in the street. It is also a much lower risk to get it stolen: if someone go to the extent of cutting my lock that means they need it more than me!

Last weekend we went to another resort a little further from Georgetown. With a first car drive to Parika, a speedboat ride (rough on the return trip) across the Essequibo River and another taxi on the other side, after 3 hours of travel we made it to Lake Mainstay Resort. Much larger than the other one we visited before and the facilities are a bit run down but the big attraction is the fresh water lake and its beautiful white sand beach. It’s the same clear “dark-rum” color than anywhere else but warm: the temperature of the water is about the temperature of your body so you walk in the water and you can hardly see a difference. Still refreshing and very nice to swim. This resort is where Patricia is planning to take her group of participants for the course she is preparing in November. When she is there I was planning to go to French Guyana, 680 kilometers from here. Well it looks like there is no way to get there from Georgetown!!! Even by road the trip is not a small adventure and flying would involved a long detour to Guadeloupe or Martinique!!! I will start checking the various tour organizers in town to see what can be done. My main interest there (beside the wine and croissants) would be to go to Kourou the European Space Centre where they launch all of their satellites. At more than a dozen launches a year there is a good chance I would be able to attend one of these launch and visit the Centre. We will see…Jean-Claude

(From Patricia)  Lake Mainstay was a wonderful rest.  I spent most of the time in the water.  The lake was clean even though the water was black from tannins (I think!). The water was HOT but refreshing none-the-less. The boat ride across the second-largest river, the Essequibo, was the most harrowing as the water was rough and the little speed boat just bounced around (see photo below)!  One really needs to trust the drivers of minibuses, taxis, and boats!!!  I just keep on telling myself that they don't want to wreck their vehicles so they must be very careful!

I too am finally settling in, especially since I have found a gym and can start exercising again.  It is small but air-conditioned, a critical factor for me.  We also hope to start yoga classes at the Indian High Commission in October. The heat makes it impossible for me to exercise outdoors (J.C. is very brave to go running) and walking at night is not advisable given the security issues.  We continue to explore the restaurants of Georgetown, going to a new one once a week. Visiting the neighboring "resorts" every second weekend helps us to cope with Georgetown. The VSO/Cuso library has several DVDs that we watch on our laptop.  There are lots of books to read as well.  So life continues to be good.....

My new "clunker" - ma nouvelle bécane

The small speedboat ferries to cross the large Essequibo river - les petits bateaux passeurs qui nous font traverser la grande rivière Essequibo

The "sardines" in the speedboat - les "sardines" dans le bateau passeur

The entrance to the Lake Mainstay Resort - l'entré du centre de villégiature du Lac mainstay

Our little cabin - notre petit logement

Other larger cabins with 2 bedrooms - d'autres chalets avec 2 chambres à coucher

Ha the beach: no sea water but beautiful white sand - Ha la plage: pas d'eau de mer mais un magnifique sable blanc 

Same nice and clear "dark rum" color water in this lake than the creeks at our previous resorts - la même eau claire mais de couleur "rum brun" dans ce lac qu'on a eu dans les autres centres que nous avons visités

Full "blue moon" rising over the lake - levé de la pleine lune sur le lac