Guyana – The Long Trip Back to Georgetown

We woke at dawn. Nathan and I were piggybacking on Amilcar’s already planned transfer. He was anxious to catch his bus so that he could catch another bus/taxi over the border into Brazil and make his flight home. It was an even longer land trek for him! Expecting Godfrey to arrive at daybreak, we waited at the boat launch. And waited. And waited. After about 2 hours another group came down from the Amatuk settlement and Amilcar convinced them to squeeze us on their boat.

Just beyond the falls, we stopped to load up more people and supplies going to Pamela Landing. This is when Godfrey arrived. We swapped boats and we were on our way, or so we thought. Godfrey had to drop some fuel at Amatuk. So back we went and unloaded the fuel. Swapping boats and enduring the 15-minute detour was worth it as we passed the other boat on our way to Pamela Landing. Godfrey was proud to tell us that he had the fastest boat on the Potaro River.

At the landing, we pitched our gear in Godfrey’s truck and headed to Mahdia. In Mahdia, we inquired if there were any charter planes to Georgetown. Alas, not today. So, Godfrey drove us to the block with the mini-busses. Upon arrival there was a frenzy of shouting, shoving and pleading amongst us and between the drivers as they vied for our business: all of them stating that they would be leaving now. One driver and his cohort grabbed our bags out of Godfrey’s truck and put them on their bus. The other drivers were very angry.

Within a couple of minutes, we were on our way, or so we thought. Amilcar was on the same bus as us but would get off at Mabura (~3 hours) to catch another bus to Lethem. With three of us on the bus, it wasn’t enough for the driver. He continued driving around the tiny town honking his horn trying to drum up passengers and parcels. After what seemed like 30 minutes and a loaded van we were on our way.

The trip to Mabura, subsequently Georgetown, was the worst I have ever endured. The driver was driving really fast and the radio was blasting at what I measured to be around 100 decibels…the whole way. The pit stops along the way were a welcome respite.

After multiple stops along the way for passengers and parcels we eventually we were back at the ferry over the Essequibo River. It was hot and the boat was loud, but it was better than sitting in the van.

 After the tongue lashing by the angry traveler, the driver decided he would take full advantage of the “paved” roads. I guess he figured that he wasn’t driving fast enough. I clocked him going 90 MPH at one point.

We hit rush hour traffic in Georgetown. It was really bad. The sun was just setting as we approached Georgetown but by the time we got off the bus, it was dark. Our intended destination was the Millennium Manor Hotel only a couple of blocks from the bus stop. We had not booked in advance as we did not know when we would be back. As we walked down the dimly lit street we passed another hotel that I noted as an option if the manor was full. When we approached it was nice to see a friendly face. Ali smiled as we approached and reached out and shook our hands. “Your back?” he said. “Yes, we were hoping you had rooms.” We went to the front desk and we were in luck…one room left. We were glad because not only were we tired from a very long day of travel but we liked the Millennium Manor and Ali.

After check-in, Nathan and I quickly unloaded and decompressed, and then went to investigate dining options. There were not a lot of choices, but chicken wings with plantain fries were at the top of our list. We ordered at the front desk and then went up to the rooftop to enjoy them. Ali showed us the way, up the stairs (no elevator) and helped orient us in the open-air rooftop lounge. We were the only ones there. He turned on fans, got us glasses and ice and turned on the TVs setting them to CNN. It was very pleasant. After a short wait, our meals arrived and we hungrily devoured them. After the meal, we went back to our room to retire for the night. Tomorrow we would look for day tours…without the need for a long bus ride.