I’m on a Madventure trip through Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname and Guyana.

Previous posts can be found here:
Traveling Brazil: Highlights and Hidden Gems
Exploring Brazil: Highlights from Rio to Salvador
Suriname. A touch of the Netherlands in South America

George Town. April 5-7Day 46-48

Crossing the border is …. Not at all fun.

Rosanna arranged for a bus to be parked in line at the ferry in order to get in line early as there are only 2 ferries a day and if we missed those we couldn’t leave Suriname for a few days.
We were there at 7 am and still missed the first ferry (9 am) as there were so many others ahead. The next one left at noon though we were told 10 am. It’s a shmoz. Suriname has so many paperwork requirements. The ferry was just 40 minutes. Cars were parked with so much space they could have put several more on. Maybe a weight thing?

Then on the Guyana side we waited in line for about an hour whilst they “processed” passports. That involved handing them over in bunches. They seemed to pass them around. Finally someone would call us individually. They always butcher my name somehow. Pick up your passport and take it to another window to have it scanned. They never did check the QR code on the form we had to fill out before entering. Then we had to take bags off the bus to have them scanned.
By the time we left it was 2:30. Back in the bus until we stopped in a small town for lunch. The rain was still teeming. Apparently we brought it as they’ve been fairly dry till now.

The restaurant we stopped at was way too small to accommodate all of us so we split up in many directions. I just went to the grocery store and loaded up on snacks. It was a “nothing but junk food day”

Georgetown

Even with gaining an hour (time zone change) it was 8 pm by the time we reached our accommodation in Georgetown.

Though Julian of Julian’s guesthouse promised to open the kitchen at 7:30, by 8 am it still wasn’t open so some of us gave up and went to the Luxury cafe. That was a treat. The friendly owner served us delicious food and was very friendly. This helped start to change our very negative first impressions of Guyana.

The morning was spent scoping out laundry services and getting more money. The funds we’d exchanged at the border were not going to be enough. Guyana is not cheap

Kaieteur Falls

13 of us had booked a very expensive Kaieteur Falls National park trip. A reluctant Julian called taxis for us and we headed to the airport. The one hour flight was gorgeous. The pilot circled the falls 4 times, twice for each side to get a good view. Once their a guide took us on a really nice hike to 3 different viewpoints, pointing out features of the biome along the way. The area is unique and hosts species of frogs and other critters not seen anywhere else. We even got to see a cock of the rock!! I didn’t get a decent picture so the memory will suffice. I’ve got pictures of when I saw them in Jardin, Colombia. (See post Guatape and Jardin. Both worth more than just a day trip from Medellin, Colombia!)

After serving us a really nice chicken roti and juice, we got back in the plane and thoroughly enjoyed the flight back. Yes, it was expensive but WELL worth it!

Back in town I met Josephine and we headed out to get our laundry done. It always thrills me to just drop off my laundry and have someone else take care of it. It’s a frivolous, luxurious treat for me as well as most of us budget travellers. We enlisted the help of David as an escort. It was dark by now and Georgetown has a reputation for being dangerous. A group is less likely to be attacked.

We spent most of the next day wandering the grungy streets. There are some nice houses and some people are friendly but for the most part, Georgetown is ….. not nice. There is garbage everywhere. Sickly dogs wander the streets and we even saw a dead one in a canal. People drive like maniacs and blast music everywhere.

The sea wall was packed with locals celebrating Easter Monday. We bought ice cream and sat on a bench people watching. Flocks of scarlet ibises could be seen flying over the sea. The area could be beautiful if it weren’t littered with trash. People were dressed in their finest and flying kites. Lots of families were enjoying picnics. We walked to the end where, under a sign that says “No vendors. Noise free zone”, there were many vendors and cars blasting music. They had impressive speakers and the noise was deafening; like they’re all trying to outdo each other.

April 7/8

Linden and the Blue Lake

Georgetown was one of the only places none of us wanted to stay longer. Our camping gear had arrived with the Oasis truck as our beast is still being repaired. We loaded up 3 vans and headed to Linden. There we were greeted by a pleasant host at the Morning Star hotel, settled in to refreshingly clean rooms with a toilet that flushed and went into town for lunch. I got a chow mein dish big enough to use for tomorrow’s lunch as well.

Our drivers took us to Blue Lake. Another gorgeous spot marred by what looked like a dump site in the way in and a beach littered with trash. The lake was formed by the bauxite mine that is now closed. Aluminum oxide and the white sand bottom together with refraction make it blue. Some wouldn’t go in, fearing the chemicals. It’s slightly acidic but certainly not dangerous. Those of us who went in thoroughly enjoyed it and I didn’t want to get out.

Later we wandered into town. I watched a lady selling baked goods in plastic bins. She was crowded with locals buying her wares. That’s always a good sign so Josephine and I shared something that just looked good. It was an amazing coconut muffin or diversions and was delicious.

Dinner at the hotel was chicken roti and vegetables. Yum!

April 8 –

Surama Eco Lodge

Onward to a camping adventure in the interior!

Here is where Guyana shines. The further we went the worse the roads got. At one point we met a huge tree across the road. As more vehicles arrived some got out with machetes and cleared it in no time. These guys are masters with machetes!

We ended up at the Upper Demerara – Berbice area. We stayed at Surama Eco lodge, in the rain forest so of course it continued to rain. Josephine and I upgraded to a room. Big mistake. The fans quit in the night as the solar power ran out and I was mobbed by mosquitoes. Not much sleep was had.

A few of us went on a night walk with Sahib. We didn’t see much but it was nice to wander about in the dark. Of course it started raining again.

Sahib has rescued a few animals and one that’s started is a gold handed tamarin named Tommy. His Uncle calls him a pest. He’s cute and has the run of the place.

By 7 am we’d loaded up and were on the road again to catch the 8 am ferry across the river Essequibo. Within an hour we arrived at Iwokrama River lodge where some climbed Turtle mountain. Just putting on my shoes makes me sweat so I opted for the boat trip. For 2 hours we scoured the rivers and lakes for animals. We didn’t see much as the water levels are high and creatures have moved inland. The boat trip was lovely anyway.

The next stop was a canopy walk. There were only 2 as the rest was being renovated but it was nice anyway.

Pakaraima Mountain Lodge

Not too far down the road was our accommodation for the night. On the way the terrain suddenly changed from rainforest to wide Savanah and grassland. No more mud. It’s a completely different climate zone. It’s Savanah with very few trees and it’s DRY! It’s still ridiculously hot. Pakaraima mountain lodge is operated by Veronica and Charlie and they looked after us well for the next 2 nights.

After setting up tents and eating lunch our drivers took us to the Rupuni river. We waded through to the other side and spend the next few hours just enjoying. I walked up river and floated down. There were little fish nibbling our feet. Some got bit in other areas too. Eek.

There’s a funny little ferry down river a bit and some of us opted to try that. For 100 GUY$ each ($.70) we stood on raft and the operator motored across powered by an outboard motor.. This ferry can even take a car! We saw a giant otter!! So those who had waded across came over and we all spent time watching him catch fish and eat.

Again, I didn’t sleep as the wind made creaky sounds everywhere and I had to be up at 4 for a tour I booked. The giant anteater tour at Karanambu felt like an African safari. What’s with Guyana and giant animals? We saw 2 anteaters from a distance then followed a female with a baby for a while. Fascinating animals! They actually eat termites, not ants.

We came back in time for a late breakfast. I moved my tent, hoping it will be quieter and I can sleep. I can’t shake this cough/cold and lack of sleep isn’t helping.

The next morning I awoke totally refreshed. I slept like a baby with the fly off my tent so I could see the stars and enjoy the breeze. It sure is nice not to have to deal with rain!

Toka Village

Packing up is MUCH easier when there’s no rain. Today we drove to the Toka village where we hiked to the top of a hill and learned a bit about their history. Next they gave us a clay pot making demonstration. We enjoyed some snacks and continued on to Waikin Ranch.

Waikin Ranch

This was a last minute addition since we still don’t have a truck. Apparently the beast broke down again :(. Our hosts at Waikin went above and beyond. They don’t normally take campers, yet they bent over backwards to make our stay comfortable. They provided access to a cabin so we had more bathrooms and gave us the run of the place. They made a delicious dinner and breakfast. I highly recommend them if you’re ever in Guyana!! There is lots to do there too. They offer packages including horseback riding, night walks, tours to see anteaters and lots of other activities. Some of us spent the afternoon swimming in their pond.

A few of us got up early and Clyde took us on a walk to spot anteaters. I don’t know how he saw them but within a few minutes we’d seen a male and a female.

Back at the ranch we packed up tents and enjoyed breakfast. Onward to Brazil!