On Monday, March 28th, public holiday in Guyana, I arrived around 11:00 in Georgetown I wandered in the side city of the seaside to find a bivouac, nothing pleasant. I warned a police-woman who told me that the only possibility was: "You can stay at the Police Station Compound, CID". Moreover she drew me a sketch to go there. Where I was accommodated with benevolence. A civil policeman showed me the place where I could bivouac. Really very obliging police officers in Georgetown. The Easter Monday is the festival of the kites in seaside.
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On Tuesday, March 29th as of 8:00 I was in Guyana Revenue Authority to meet Mr. Sankar who was to obtain me the license to circulate in Guyana with a foreign vehicle. With happiness on the 3rd floor I met him immediately and I gave him my documents, passport and automobile license. Then I made sitting until 9:15 to receive from a young lady the ad hoc document which I was to give while leaving Guyana. Then I went to the embassy of Suriname to ask for Tourist Card necessary to enter Suriname. Still a happiness it was opened and a young lady took my passport with US$35 while asking me to come back at 14:00. It was 10:30. I undertook a first visit of the city with Stabroek Market. It dates from the 1700's, on the site, but the current building dates back to 1880 with the clock-tower. Neighborhoods of splendid buildings date from the British colonial era. Directing me towards the cathedral I passed in front of the very beautiful monument of the Town-Hall with its four turrets around the tower. Finally I reached the cathedral which is the vastest wooden building in the world! I returned to the embassy of Suriname and in way I warned a shop which sold purified water. Bingo, I made fill up my tanks. At the embassy I recovered my passport with Tourist Card. In way towards Castellani House I saw a Survival supermarket to supplement my provisions. Castellani House is splendid wooden building of several stored which shelters The National Art Gallery. A temporary exhibition, The Crossroads, presented works of the local painters of the 1970's. Alas Photo No, the guardian marked me at the breeches during the visit. I finished this day at the tourist office to collect booklets and road maps. Moreover there was a Wi-Fi connection to consult my mail box and to publish the pages of my website. Finally I took the coordinates of the agency to visit on Saturday Kaieteur Waterfalls by plane. I returned to bivouac at the police station around 17:00. It was a well filled and very effective day.
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| Town Hall |
On Wednesday morning I went to the Ogle airport to buy at Air Services LTD a ticket to visit Kaieteur Falls. Then I walked into downtown area to see and see again the most characteristic monuments in Georgetown. I had the lunch pause in Botanical Gardens where a French couple from Cayenne came to greet me and to wish me a good trip. In the afternoon I returned to Tourist Office to use WIFI connection. I bivouacked again at the Station police.
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| The 1763 Monument |
On Thursday, March 31st I was going to visit, after having crossed Demerara River on the floating bridge, Demerara Harbor Bridge, the Guyana Heritage Museum in Meten-Meer-Zorg whose comment by Lonely Planet is dithyrambic. Alas it is only odds and ends by a collector without imagination who collected all and anything during his life. I let myself take once again by LP. Disappointed I continued the road beyond Parika in the rain along Essequibo River without seeing it. Finally I found a platform asphalted at the edge of the river. I always settled there in the rain and without visibility.
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| The museum |
On Friday, April 1st was a cool morning but in the afternoon whereas I was in Tourism Office surfing on Internet I discovered that for Suriname the insurance of my truck was not only compulsory but that it was necessary to present the certificate at the customs while entering! I informed myself near the hostess who telephoned GTM company Insurance to obtain information. No problem but I was to present me immediately before 16:00 closing of the offices. GTM is close to the post office where it is impossible to park. I went thus, it was 15:10. When I arrived, I was accommodated cordially by two young ladies who dealt with my case within sight of the documents, passport, automobile license, driving license, certificate of travelling in Guyana and certificate of insurance for the Mercosur countries. I left around 16:15 with the certificate of insurance for Suriname at the cost of GYD 2,200 per one month. I returned, serene, to bivouac at the Police Station.
On Saturday morning the March 2nd I was in Ogle Airport at 11:30 for check-in. Takeoff was one time at 13:00 for one hour. On arrival the captain presented to us our guide for the visit of Kaieteur Falls during two hours of walk in the tropical forest. Three point-of-views enabled us to admire the beauty of the colors, the brutality of the waterfall as well as the erosion since million years. Georgetown seen of the sky shows the quadrangular structure of the streets as well as the town planning of wooden houses. Around Georgetown the forest has a density making it impenetrable. I bivouacked on the carpark of the airport.
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| Bird's eyes view & at Rainbow-view |
On Sunday morning before leaving I vainly tried to publish the pictures of my site with a WiFi connection starting from the carpark. The signal was correct but too weak for the very heavy video and pictures. Piqued I left for the border where I arrived nicely around 15:00 while presenting me to the police station. The first ferry leaves at 7:00 I am expected the police station on Monday morning at 6:30 for the formalities of immigration and customs. I bivouacked on the spot. The road does not have anything remarkable if not the Berbice floating bridge out of price at GYD 3600 compared to GYD 300 for that of Demerara Harbor Bridge. The main street of Corriverton is a succession of churches, mosques and Hindu temples as well as wandering dogs
I remained only 12 days in Guyana but I appreciated the kindness and the obligingness of the inhabitants of this country. I make a point of thanking more particularly Freina F. Butts, Executive Director, of Tourism & Hospitality of Guyana. She brought many councils to me and especially she opened me the door of GTM Insurance in the end of the afternoon to obtain the compulsory insurance of my vehicle in Suriname. Once again thank you Freina.
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| Berbice floating bridgetd> | Bivouac at the ferry gate |
I left Guyana on Monday 4th April. look at the border crossing, here
