Tag: sights

Guyana: standby tour, breakfast ordering language barrier

So I can only get standby for today’s trip to Kaieteur Falls.. I guess I should have booked in advance, but was worried about the weather (which, despite 90% rain prediction, has not happened).

I ended up at the same breakfast resto as yesterday, because the other one I stumbled had no A/C (or problems with it) and Wi-Fi wasn’t connecting.
As a bonus, I found the other LP resto for tonight – a coal pot!

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This is my G$1600/US$8 omelette, plus a G$600/US$3 cappuccino.
That red container is not ketchup, but a spicy pepper sauce you see everywhere here.

This place (called Coffee Bean) has the ultra low talking cashier:
Me: an omelette place
Her: would you like _____ with that?
Me: no salt, thanks
Her: no, do you want _____ ?
Me: oh yes, hot sauce please
Her: no, _________ – wheat or white
Me: ah, no toast thanks

Both of these places are dark with minimal windows – no outdoor seating here in this heat!
Come to think of it, there were no establishments near the promenade either, so G/Town has almost no real water view,.

Gyuana: Georgetown from the water

Despite being nestled alongside a large river, there is basically nothing for the public along that shoreline
On the side of the Starbroek Market, I found a mini boat terminal shuttling an endless stream of Guyanans (inc kids in uniforms) across the river, which is several hundred meters wide here.

G$100/US$0.50 and 7 minutes (each way), I had a lovely little scenic “cruise”.
Kudos for making us wear life jackets.
The iconic clock tower is at the heart of the market.

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Guyana: sunny, hot, humid, empty

Formerly British Guiana, add Guyana to the list of countries that drive on the left side of the road.

The small airport us a 41km drive (US$25) on a 2 lane road (being widened to 4 closer to town), paralleling the Demerera River, with the occasional glimpse of this “small” river (about 100m wide already).

I wandered around my area of town, with quaint old buildings, the church that is the tallest wooden structure in thus part of the world, the Canadian  High Commission, and the seawall walk (flat muddy looking water). And non-functioning Scotiabank ATMs

The countryside driving in was nice, the town not so much. Lots of walls, guards and some barbed wire. Even the little resto I went into first an Indian snack had bars above the counters.

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Panama Canal – Miraflores locks

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It’s hard to capture the scale, and with the hazy weather you can barely see the new bigger lock being constructed next door (where the lock will be the size of 4 football fields)

That tanker coming in paid $100K to transit the canal once.

Visitor center (US$15) itself is so so, but I don’t think you can see the lock without going through it (they have several raised viewing decks)

US$8-10 each way for a taxi to get there.

Hanging in Haarlem

With Bert, a cool traveler I met in Tokyo a few weeks ago

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I’ve never been to Haarlem before but would recommend it. Only 18 minutes by frequent commuter train (€3.90 each way, just like the airport, with free Wi-Fi to boot). Note at Amsterdam Centraal it leaves from platform 1 which is not well signed – you have to go towards the west end of platform 2a to find it.

Lots of budding musicians there, easier vibe, less expensive/touristy but not a late night party town (for those that care)

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