Out of Africa - Guyana

Guyana Travels - Part 1

I’ve been in Guyana now for about 6 days. Those 6 days have been wondrous, challenging, frustrating, lonely, eye-opening, delightful, and nostalgic. It’s felt like a lot to sort through in a short period of time, so I'll do it bit by bit!

ARRIVAL

As we came in for landing, I marveled at the vast, thick expanse of jungle, visible for as far as the eye could see. Ninety percent of Guyana’s population lives along the coast, and most of the rest of the country is covered by untouched jungles with countless rivers and tributaries running through. (The indigenous word “Guyana” means “Land of Many Waters”). Looking out of the airplane window, it was amazing to think that, somewhere underneath that seemingly impenetrable canopy, there were small communities of people, mostly indigenous (or Amerindians, as we call them) living and thriving off the land, and mostly off the grid.

The plane landed, and a strange, surreal feeling came over me. I had just touched down in the land of my birth and heritage, but there was no sense of homecoming. Instead, I felt a bit displaced, as if I had missed the target and landed off-course. As I made my way towards passport control, though, I started to feel a sense of wonder. I had made it. Twenty-four years, and here I finally was again. What would I find once I exited the airport and made my way to Georgetown? What kinds of experiences would I have? Who would I meet and what would I learn from them?

A cautious excitement began to grow inside me, and as I stood in front of the immigration officer, I smiled at him and said, “I’m visiting again for the first time in 24 years!!” He murmured something I couldn’t hear, barely looking at me, then handed me my passport and yelled, “Next!”

So much for a welcome home!

GEORGETOWN

My taxi driver, Steve, drove me to my Airbnb in Georgetown. On the way, he pointed out all the new developments going up all over. Ever since the oil discovery about 10 years ago, new construction and development have gone through the roof. So have prices and the cost of living. Everywhere I looked, there was new construction in various states of completion. Not just private homes, but hospitals, government buildings, hotels, and roads. I marveled at the unique architecture of the old houses and buildings, so familiar to me, and yet like a distant memory. I thought about taking photos and videos as we drove past, but I chose not to, because I wanted to just soak it all in.

We drove through two-lane roads during rush hour (nothing like rush hour in large US cities!), traversing through neighborhoods whose names triggered memories from my childhood: Providence. Diamond. South Ruimveldt. We took the newly constructed Heroes Road, opened just about a year ago to great fanfare. I saw a whole string of new and in-process homes along this road. Apparently the home and land value along this stretch of road has increased a thousandfold in the past couple of years. Everyone is now trying to buy land and build homes there.

We passed the Cuffy monument (more on that in a later post), Bourda cricket grounds, and I got a quick glimpse of Bourda Market itself. And as we neared my Airbnb, I realized I had forgotten that Guyana is still a developing country, just emerging from decades of neglect and underdevelopment. This much is immediately evident just from looking around. I think after reading and hearing so much about all the new developments and money flowing into the country due to oil, I had expected it to look a bit more developed. But these things take time, I guess.

The sun was casting long shadows by the time we arrived at my Airbnb, but I loved the experience of driving through the city. That night I treated myself to dinner at a restaurant on the corner, called Froggy’s Grill, where I had a delicious meal of trout with rice and roasted vegetables, and a mojito. I felt myself relaxing after a very long day of travel, surrounded by the din of multiple conversations and laughter and the clink of cutlery and dishes. What was not relaxing was the price—about USD $30 before tip.

After a much-needed shower (it’s VERY hot and humid), I finally crawled into bed under a mosquito net. Probably the first time in 40 years I’ve slept under one of those. The mosquitos do NOT play here. That is one thing I remember very clearly from my childhood.

My first sleep in the land of my birth, and it was deep and peaceful.