Guyana
Im still zoned from the plane.
I managed yesterday to do the 17 hours of travelling to get from the hostel in San Jose, to the place where a good friend of mine Kristy, was volunteering, in Anna Catharina, Guyana. Holy crap.
It was an interesting trip aswell, because due to the nature of my arrival (I arrived exactly 24 hours before I said I was going to. Big surprise for Kristy :D) it was somewhat difficult to get information of exactly what I was getting myself into. So many details of my final arrival in Anna Catharina werent taken care of.. I still had very little idea of what Georgetown was like until I got there.
So, as I was sitting on the plane, doing the last leg of the journey from Barbados to Georgetown, I overheard two men talking behind me. One was living and working in the states (I had to fly to miami to get the connecting flight to Georgetown... ..) but had a family in Georgetown, the other was from Georgetown but living somewhere else entirely, and just visiting.
Anyways, I asked them if they knew of the place I needed to go. They thought for a while.. and said no. And strongly advised me that if I didnt know where I was going, I should just find a hotel to sleep in in Georgetown. Because it was dangerous, and soforth. I questioned them more, about cabfare, about the dangers of the area, and about prices.. wow! Hotels were normally USD$40-50 a night here. I couldnt afford that, I didnt really bring enough money, and atms are a very rare commodity here.
But one of the guys, named Daam, said that a good friend was coming to pick him up from the Airport. He would likely know the place where I wanted to go.
After we landed and went through customs, we asked, and his friend did not know. So, Daam, after giving me a free ride into Georgetown with his friend, let me repeatedly call the place where Kristy was volunteering on his cellphone. No answer, I was hoping I could maybe get some helpful information from one of the other volunteers. Daam then called his sister in law, who was a dispatcher for a taxi company. He asked her to question all of the cab drivers, if they knew where it was. We drove to the dispatch office where his sister worked, and it turned out they did know, and it wasnt far. Daam then gave me cab fare(!!) (I did not have any local currancy, as the tourist office was closed when I arrived) as I thanked him profusly for all the help. He told me I could give him a call and stay at his house that night, if I didnt end up finding where I needed to go.
So we hopped in the taxi, and tore across a mile long bridge over one of the massive rivers near Georgetown. After driving for about half an hour more, we arrived in Anna Katharina. We began asking people, and hunting around for the Sunshine Woman and Youth's Centre, and.. we found it! With lights on! But.. empty. And locked. After flying for so long, and getting so lucky with actually GETTING to the frickin place, where I could possibly immensly surprise this good friend of mine.. no one was there. Shit.
But, the night wasnt over yet. After talking about what we were going to do, the taxi driver helped me ask around about when the volunteers of the place where getting back. It turned out that the caretaker of the place lived next door!! And offered to lend me her couch to rest on, as she assured me they would be returning that night.
Later that night, they arrived. I snuck in, and was lead my some of the other volunteers to where Kristy was. She was happy to see me :)
I must say that NONE of this wouldnt have happened without my awesome friend, Heather Baron. She kicks some serious ass. And helped me get sneaky info about where Kristy was volunteering.
And tomorrow, Kristy and I, along with other volunteers, hop on a night bus bound for the border of Brazil. 12 hours when the roads are good, 20 when its the rainy season... and, its the rainy season. After, we get another bus, and headpunch our way into Brazil, and the Amazon. I hope I eat atleast one large amphibian.
Love for all when all is free and fruitfull.
Take care
Tyler
I managed yesterday to do the 17 hours of travelling to get from the hostel in San Jose, to the place where a good friend of mine Kristy, was volunteering, in Anna Catharina, Guyana. Holy crap.
It was an interesting trip aswell, because due to the nature of my arrival (I arrived exactly 24 hours before I said I was going to. Big surprise for Kristy :D) it was somewhat difficult to get information of exactly what I was getting myself into. So many details of my final arrival in Anna Catharina werent taken care of.. I still had very little idea of what Georgetown was like until I got there.
So, as I was sitting on the plane, doing the last leg of the journey from Barbados to Georgetown, I overheard two men talking behind me. One was living and working in the states (I had to fly to miami to get the connecting flight to Georgetown... ..) but had a family in Georgetown, the other was from Georgetown but living somewhere else entirely, and just visiting.
Anyways, I asked them if they knew of the place I needed to go. They thought for a while.. and said no. And strongly advised me that if I didnt know where I was going, I should just find a hotel to sleep in in Georgetown. Because it was dangerous, and soforth. I questioned them more, about cabfare, about the dangers of the area, and about prices.. wow! Hotels were normally USD$40-50 a night here. I couldnt afford that, I didnt really bring enough money, and atms are a very rare commodity here.
But one of the guys, named Daam, said that a good friend was coming to pick him up from the Airport. He would likely know the place where I wanted to go.
After we landed and went through customs, we asked, and his friend did not know. So, Daam, after giving me a free ride into Georgetown with his friend, let me repeatedly call the place where Kristy was volunteering on his cellphone. No answer, I was hoping I could maybe get some helpful information from one of the other volunteers. Daam then called his sister in law, who was a dispatcher for a taxi company. He asked her to question all of the cab drivers, if they knew where it was. We drove to the dispatch office where his sister worked, and it turned out they did know, and it wasnt far. Daam then gave me cab fare(!!) (I did not have any local currancy, as the tourist office was closed when I arrived) as I thanked him profusly for all the help. He told me I could give him a call and stay at his house that night, if I didnt end up finding where I needed to go.
So we hopped in the taxi, and tore across a mile long bridge over one of the massive rivers near Georgetown. After driving for about half an hour more, we arrived in Anna Katharina. We began asking people, and hunting around for the Sunshine Woman and Youth's Centre, and.. we found it! With lights on! But.. empty. And locked. After flying for so long, and getting so lucky with actually GETTING to the frickin place, where I could possibly immensly surprise this good friend of mine.. no one was there. Shit.
But, the night wasnt over yet. After talking about what we were going to do, the taxi driver helped me ask around about when the volunteers of the place where getting back. It turned out that the caretaker of the place lived next door!! And offered to lend me her couch to rest on, as she assured me they would be returning that night.
Later that night, they arrived. I snuck in, and was lead my some of the other volunteers to where Kristy was. She was happy to see me :)
I must say that NONE of this wouldnt have happened without my awesome friend, Heather Baron. She kicks some serious ass. And helped me get sneaky info about where Kristy was volunteering.
And tomorrow, Kristy and I, along with other volunteers, hop on a night bus bound for the border of Brazil. 12 hours when the roads are good, 20 when its the rainy season... and, its the rainy season. After, we get another bus, and headpunch our way into Brazil, and the Amazon. I hope I eat atleast one large amphibian.
Love for all when all is free and fruitfull.
Take care
Tyler
posted by Squid at 10:11 AM
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