Guyana
Photo Report 2008
"You want me to deliver them where?"
The Rum Report
"You want me to deliver them where?"
The Rum Report
Guyana is located on the north coast of South America just east of Venezuela. It is a poor country with only 750,000 people. Georgetown is the capitol of Guyana, located at the mouth of the Demerara River. It's main claim to infamy was the Jonestown Mass Suicide of 1978, which happened in the east of the country.
My adventure started when a dealer asked me to accompany him on a delivery of loudspeakers. Very special speakers: Grande Utopia BE from Focal of France. I am very biased but I have never heard better. The customer was the wealthy heir to the family business interests in Guyana. I met my dealer at MIA - barely. I was the last one on the plane, just before they closed the doors. We did a drop-off in Trinidad on the way without deplaning, finally landing at Georgetown's airport to the south of the town late at night around 11-12pm.
Now, we all know that everything looks eviler at night. And this did. The terminal was the usual scarred somewhat dingy Caribbean airport so it amplified this effect. Uzi-touting soldiers and severe customs agents further added to the scene. But yes, there was more to come. We were met by the 'Glock' Brothers as our taxi drivers to our hotel. An armed guard? That must mean that somebody thought we needed it . . . ?
We were ensconced for 2 nights in the aging Meridian Pegasus which is located on the north side of Georgetown adjacent to the seawall, a short distance from the mouth of the river. Rooms were OK. Clean with Sat TV and room service and good security. As in a barbed wire enclosure around the hotel grounds with armed guards. Oh yeah! It seems that Georgetown can have a nasty side to it.
The next morning revealed the reality of Georgetown. From my hotel balcony, I could see the mouth of Demarara River with early morning fisherman heading out to test their luck and freighters chugging to parts unknown. It was overcast with intermittent showers dulling the colorful rooftops of the town's low slung buildings that extended south into the haze.
Now, we all know that everything looks eviler at night. And this did. The terminal was the usual scarred somewhat dingy Caribbean airport so it amplified this effect. Uzi-touting soldiers and severe customs agents further added to the scene. But yes, there was more to come. We were met by the 'Glock' Brothers as our taxi drivers to our hotel. An armed guard? That must mean that somebody thought we needed it . . . ?
We were ensconced for 2 nights in the aging Meridian Pegasus which is located on the north side of Georgetown adjacent to the seawall, a short distance from the mouth of the river. Rooms were OK. Clean with Sat TV and room service and good security. As in a barbed wire enclosure around the hotel grounds with armed guards. Oh yeah! It seems that Georgetown can have a nasty side to it.
The next morning revealed the reality of Georgetown. From my hotel balcony, I could see the mouth of Demarara River with early morning fisherman heading out to test their luck and freighters chugging to parts unknown. It was overcast with intermittent showers dulling the colorful rooftops of the town's low slung buildings that extended south into the haze.
Our driver for the day was the affable Terry - a local electrical contractor. We drove east for twenty minutes along the coastal floodplain passing stilted house and shops that bordered the road to a fairly nondescript house in a fairly nondescript subdivision. It would appear that flash and glamour are not qualities that you want to outwardly display in Guyana. The whole 1/3 acre property was walled with an armed guard at the front gate and a small unmanned guard house on the rear wall. Hmmm. Security was obviously very important to this gentleman. Since it was in a flood zone, the whole house sat on concrete piers that raised it ten feet, providing storage space and a carport on the ground floor. A pool was actually directly above the carport flanked by the living quarters on one side and the large audio video area on the other, with a view out over a cow pasture to the nearby sea just past the ever-present seawall. The AV area was our domain. A large tiered theater in an acoustically-treated space with eight comfortable recliners and lots and lots of equipment. A $1 million dollar hobby room. And no, I am not kidding.
After our work was done, Terry drove us back to Georgetown and along the way he gave us an impromptu tour of this vibrant town. A typically semi-chaotic Caribbean community with packed markets and dismal roads which were a jumble of cars, trucks, motorcycles and horse carts. Groups of school kids spilled out onto the sidewalk - each with their own unique uniform - walking or waiting for rides home. Churches mixed with mosques mixed with temples studded the town highlighted by a large Chinese Embassy and an even larger Guyana International Conference Center - bankrolled by them - on the outskirts. The headquarters of CARICOM - the Secretariat of the Caribbean Community - was here as well. Horse and cows were interestingly staked in grassy areas on boulevards - seemingly as very effective lawn mowers. We drove back and forth across the long floating bridge to the far side of the Demerara - an area which was mainly residential and even more pastoral. I would have liked some foot time in Georgetown actually - as long as I had a local guide - but due to tight timing and the skittishness of my dealer, this was not to be. Maybe it was for the best, as many homes and businesses sported guarded gates and fences or walls topped with razor wire with a very visible police presence.
Due to the insistence of my dealer, we ate dinner at the hotel - how boring - but they did have a good supply of wonderful Demerara rum! Speaking of which, I came home with a bottle of 15 year old El Dorado - one of the finest rums that I have ever tasted.
The Glock Brothers were 45 minutes late picking us up to catch our 5:40 AM return flight to Trinidad. We were stopped by a 10-man team of well-armed police in the outer suburbs to further enhance the moment. They were stopping all traffic in both directions searching for drug runners and associated evil doers. A quick glance at our occupants and we were waved on with a smile. As we hurtled along the rest of the way in the dark - on the wrong side of the damn road British-style - I just hung on and enjoyed the reggae music the driver was blasting. It fit.
Now the pictures can tell the tale . . .
Due to the insistence of my dealer, we ate dinner at the hotel - how boring - but they did have a good supply of wonderful Demerara rum! Speaking of which, I came home with a bottle of 15 year old El Dorado - one of the finest rums that I have ever tasted.
The Glock Brothers were 45 minutes late picking us up to catch our 5:40 AM return flight to Trinidad. We were stopped by a 10-man team of well-armed police in the outer suburbs to further enhance the moment. They were stopping all traffic in both directions searching for drug runners and associated evil doers. A quick glance at our occupants and we were waved on with a smile. As we hurtled along the rest of the way in the dark - on the wrong side of the damn road British-style - I just hung on and enjoyed the reggae music the driver was blasting. It fit.
Now the pictures can tell the tale . . .
Images of Georgetown
Note: Taken from a moving vehicle so please excuse the blurriness in some
Note: Taken from a moving vehicle so please excuse the blurriness in some