Happy New Year
This is now the second time I have tried to wish you all a Happy New Year and Blogger seems to have a mind of its own today and to be changing things on the fly as pictures and posts keep disappearing ..................so I will try again.
Thank you all for your Christmas messages and cards. We enjoyed reading them and catching us with your family news.
May you all have a great 2007 with health, happiness and adventure to keep you bright and cheerful.
We enjoyed our Christmas trip to the heart of Guyana and I found that I was wishing that I had a placement there and did not have to return to Georgetown! It was so quiet and peaceful.
Our adventure started at 7.30pm on Dec 23rd when we arrived as directed at the IntraServ bus pickup point. The bus was not due to leave until 9.30pm for the 12 hour journey. I was impressed with the organization of the clerks as they weighed, labelled and loaded the baggage. In true Guyanese fashion we waited the couple of hours and then were asked to wait a further hour for a passenger who needed to catch the bus (there being no more until well after Christmas) and wasn't ready! In true Christmas spirit we waited for her!
Eventually we set off in the large bus which we found comfortable although it had no reading lights, no air conditioning and no 'on board' toilet. As passengers, who needed to answer the call of nature, asked the driver to stop and I saw bare bottoms and much more as they performed their duties. I began to wonder how I was going to manage the journey when my call came - certainly not into the dark forest and definitely not close to the bus where all could view me. I pondered this in some depth as the bus sped through the night and was relieved, in more ways than one, to find that we stopped at snackettes en route where flush toilets were in operation. My anxiety abated.
The journey from Georgetown to Linden about 120 kms was on asphalt after that the road was sand, gravel and/or mud. I was impressed by the skill of the team of drivers who changed every couple of hours, as they got us through streams, over low slung old wooden bridges, down slippery mud slopes and up the other side, the headlights lighting up the dangers against the blackness of the forest and the starless night.
At around 6.30am we stopped to catch the ferry (pontoon) crossing the Essequibo River. This had to be achieved backwards down a slope onto the pontoon over a couple of planks placed on the sand and onto the craft. As you may have guessed there was no staying on the bus for this manoeuvre. And while one driver accomplished this the other brought out his fishing rod and attempted to catch his breakfast for the River.
We arrived safe and sound at Surama Junction around 9.30 am only to find that our guide had come to meet us the day before! This we were told by the lady who lives at the junction turnoff. The only house around I might add. Fortunately some other people from the bus were met by their relatives and were going to the village doubled up on bicycles so they agreed to 'let the people know' that we were at the junction - about a couple of hours walk away!
Thank you all for your Christmas messages and cards. We enjoyed reading them and catching us with your family news.
May you all have a great 2007 with health, happiness and adventure to keep you bright and cheerful.
We enjoyed our Christmas trip to the heart of Guyana and I found that I was wishing that I had a placement there and did not have to return to Georgetown! It was so quiet and peaceful.
Our adventure started at 7.30pm on Dec 23rd when we arrived as directed at the IntraServ bus pickup point. The bus was not due to leave until 9.30pm for the 12 hour journey. I was impressed with the organization of the clerks as they weighed, labelled and loaded the baggage. In true Guyanese fashion we waited the couple of hours and then were asked to wait a further hour for a passenger who needed to catch the bus (there being no more until well after Christmas) and wasn't ready! In true Christmas spirit we waited for her!
Eventually we set off in the large bus which we found comfortable although it had no reading lights, no air conditioning and no 'on board' toilet. As passengers, who needed to answer the call of nature, asked the driver to stop and I saw bare bottoms and much more as they performed their duties. I began to wonder how I was going to manage the journey when my call came - certainly not into the dark forest and definitely not close to the bus where all could view me. I pondered this in some depth as the bus sped through the night and was relieved, in more ways than one, to find that we stopped at snackettes en route where flush toilets were in operation. My anxiety abated.
The journey from Georgetown to Linden about 120 kms was on asphalt after that the road was sand, gravel and/or mud. I was impressed by the skill of the team of drivers who changed every couple of hours, as they got us through streams, over low slung old wooden bridges, down slippery mud slopes and up the other side, the headlights lighting up the dangers against the blackness of the forest and the starless night.
At around 6.30am we stopped to catch the ferry (pontoon) crossing the Essequibo River. This had to be achieved backwards down a slope onto the pontoon over a couple of planks placed on the sand and onto the craft. As you may have guessed there was no staying on the bus for this manoeuvre. And while one driver accomplished this the other brought out his fishing rod and attempted to catch his breakfast for the River.
We arrived safe and sound at Surama Junction around 9.30 am only to find that our guide had come to meet us the day before! This we were told by the lady who lives at the junction turnoff. The only house around I might add. Fortunately some other people from the bus were met by their relatives and were going to the village doubled up on bicycles so they agreed to 'let the people know' that we were at the junction - about a couple of hours walk away!
posted by Jacky's Update at
10:48 AM
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