A cool breeze was blowing off the ocean and the inhabitants of the house were rustling about getting themselves ready for the day’s escapade. The group of tourist included Canadians from Cape Briton, Brampton and Edmonton. They were joined by Caribbean adventurers in Trinidad on the way into Guyana A cool breeze was blowing off the ocean and the inhabitants of the house were rustling about getting themselves ready for the day’s escapade. The group of tourist included Canadians from Cape Briton, Brampton and Edmonton. They were joined by Caribbean adventurers in Trinidad on the way into Guyana Friday night was a night of revelling in the warmth of Guyana, with all participants have a good ole jolly time with their friends El Dorado, Johnnie Walker, Absolute and Ivanoff. The sleeping arrangements, agreed upon before bedtime was not even close. One guy fell asleep on a pile of ants on the veranda and . . . . Just after 8 am everyone was in a frenzy as the mini bus was ready to leave. This trip would take us to Strathavon and then up the Mahaica River. Strathavon is my birth place and as such I am always visiting. The path would require us to drive through the city of Georgetown and then along the East Coast of Demerara. As we were passing through Georgetown I was asked to explain many of things. One of the things I remember fondly is the horse drawn carts which are the equivalent of a one horse power tractor trailer. These tractor trailers are present throughout Guyana and play a vital role in the transportation industry. Some of the sights included the new convention center that was built and opened for a few years now. This building is right next to the power base of the Caribbean, the Caricom Community Headquarters. Yet most people in the Caribbean know that their country is a member of Caricom for more than 30 years but they do not know where it is headquarted. The tourists were greeted by a striking building with the sign dictating to all that “Water is life”. This is what Guyana Water Inc has for everyone that traverses the coast to notice. I had to explain to the tourists that the word Guyana is native for “Many waters’. Someone in the group remarked that the leadership should change this to be “Water, water everywhere, but none to drink”. Although “Water is Life” all over Guyana residences and businesses are adorned by water tanks. The conversations included many remarks including “these black tanks are part of the decor whenever a building is constructed”. In one particular instance the tourists' attention were drawn to building pictured below, and I can tell you that the speculations on why this beautiful house was enclosed in a steel bar cage were many. Some of them I will never repeat. But one can see the black water tanks clearly. The outdoors market at Mahaica was as normal as any outdoor market throughout Guyana. Some memorable outdoor markets will include Tain and Parika. The market at Mahaica opens for business in the early hours of Saturday and buy lunch time it's alost ready to close. On Saturdays, at this market you can buy almost anything from live chickens and ducks to vegetables and fruits as the tourists found out. Also available are all sorts of haberdashery to fulfill the needs of all as show in the picture below. The tourist exited the bus at the market and took a stroll. The experience was daunting as the wares and goods were displayed on the side of the road – I mean on the road and as such the two-way road was absolutely congested. At handsome Tree in the Mahaica River we made a pit stop to enjoy the laid back atmosphere of the country. We had a full assortment of things to drink include coconuts. The day came to an end when one of the tourist from Marabella who it seems had too much of the Guyana hospitality was photographed by his friend from Claxton Bay lying on the floor completely exhausted.
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