Georgetown
Georgetown, capital and largest city of Guyana. A former British colony, independent since 1966. Modern Guyana is a country on the north coast of South America, it is bordered to the east by Suriname, to the south and south-west by Brazil, to the west by Venezuela and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean.
14th November
Outside St George’s Cathedral. This Anglican cathedral is one of the tallest wooden churches in the world, at a height of 43.5 metres (143 ft). It is the seat of the Bishop of Guyana. It was designed by Sir Arthur Blomfield and opened on 24th August 1892. The building was completed in 1899.
Tony standing on the steps of the cathedral.
The Guyana National Library. It is located on the corner of Church Street and Main Street close to the cathedral.
Looking across a street towards “Golden Coast Chinese Restaurant and Bar”.
The gates of State House (formerly Government House). The official residence of the President of Guyana. The building dates back to 1858.
Outside an office building. “Guyana-Canada Cooperation Centre” according to a sign.
At a crossroads on Georgetown’s main avenue.
Some old-looking stone railings with lush vegetation behind, located by a canal. The city is very low lying so a series of canals and drainage channels have been dug to remove excess water.
View along a canal. A road running along one side and a line of palm trees on the other.
Outside Kingston Methodist Church.
At the other side of the Methodist Church. A modern building. Various different coloured panes of glass in the windows.
15th November
Tony standing on a long straight avenue lined with tall palm trees. This is part of Georgetown’s Botanical Gardens.
A path through the Botanical Gardens.
Tony standing on a bridge over a lake in the Botanical Gardens.
At the entrance to Guyana Zoo.
Tony at the entrance gates to the Botanical Gardens.
The 1763 Monument in the Square of the Revolution. This monument commemorates Cuffy (or Kofi): a slave captured in his native West Africa and sold into slavery to work in the plantations of the Dutch colony of Berbice in present day Guyana. In 1763 he led an uprising of more than 2500 slaves. He is a national hero in Guyana.
Tony in front of the 1763 Monument. The monument was built in 1976. The figure of Cuffy is 15 feet (4.5 metres) high and he stands on an 18 foot (5.5 metre) high plinth.
Tony sitting at the side of the monument.
Tony outside an information centre next to the 1763 Monument.
Another view of the 1763 Monument and the park around it.
16th-18th November – Rock View Lodge, Annai Village
Annai is a small Amerindian village located in central Guyana on the main road to Lethem. It is in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region, nestled in the foothills of the Pakaraima Mountains, close to the Rupununi River. It’s 416 km (258 miles) by road from Georgetown.
Tony was a guest at Rock View Eco-tourism Resort, Annai Village, Upper Takutu, Region 9, Guyana. Owned and run by Colin Edwards and family, plus Annai villagers. The lodge is run by Guyanese people and Amerindian locals from the nearby villages working together in eco-tourism to provide a unique experience for travellers interested in nature, bird watching and traditional Amerindian culture. It is about maintaining a balance and advancing the local culture and environment for the good of the local people.
Close-up of a tame Grey-winged Trumpeter. These birds are mostly black but with grey feathers on their backs and a patch of iridescent blue plumage on their chests. They have quite long necks and live mostly on the ground eating fruit and insects.
A garden with vegetables growing at Rock View Lodge.
Tony by a large rectangular pond. It has wires laid out in a grid pattern over the top, presumably to stop birds swooping down and catching fish.
Trees and plants at Rock View Lodge.
Tony outside the lodge’s dining area where all meals are served – breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Tony on a trail near the lodge. Behind him is a large mass of bare rock that is protruding from the surrounding vegetation.
Close-up of Tony with the rocky outcrop behind him.
17th November
Tony sitting outdoors at a picnic table eating breakfast. Another man, a Rock View Lodge employee, sitting opposite. A Grey-winged Trumpeter sitting on the table.
Tony drinking tea. The Grey-winged Trumpeter is still on the table looking for something to eat.
The Grey-winged Trumpeter pecking at crumbs on the table.
Tony sitting on a bench on the Uncle Dennis Trail near Rock View Lodge.
Looking through foliage to buildings on the savannah below.
Tony resting at the side of a flight of rock steps on the Uncle Dennis Trail. A woman, visiting from Essex, England, and two Amerindian men, guides from Annai, are with him.
Tony sitting on the bench drinking water. Trees and vegetation behind.
Very good view of the savannah below disappearing off into the horizon. One tall tree stands immediately in front with a bird sitting on a branch.
Tony with the savannah down below behind him.
Tony with a man holding a camera and binoculars. He’s a visitor from Essex, England.
A couple of small birds sitting among the branches of a tree.
Tony negotiating his way down the uneven stone steps with the help of a guide.
Tony and others by the “Uncle Dennis Trail” sign.
A path leading off into tall trees and dense vegetation.
Rock View Lodge swimming pool.
Traditional Peanut roasting: the nuts are in a large metal tray over an open fire. A woman is spreading/turning them with a long stick. Tony sitting on a bench behind.
The metal tray covered in flames.
The woman has emptied the burning peanuts on to the ground and is spreading them out with the stick.
The same woman rubbing a roasted peanut on a piece of wood – presumably to remove the soot.
Tony sitting with an Amerindian man eating roast peanuts.
Tony sitting outside a hut with a thatched roof. A dog and some guinea fowl also in view.
Tony and an Amerindian woman in Annai Village.
Tony standing on an unsurfaced road. Savannah immediately behind and hills rising up further away.
18th November
Tony leaning back in a hammock on his verandah.
Close-up of Tony in the hammock.
Tony sitting at a dining table with other guests. From top left and anti-clockwise – Neil Jones, Noel, Maya Jones, Tony and Marcus Jones.
Tony on the look out point of the rock, Rock View.
Rock View Lodge rock – a round lookout area with views of the savannah spreading out below. Tony sitting on a stool.
Still on the lookout but now looking the other way: hills covered with trees.
Tony and Rock View Lodge owner Colin Edwards sitting on a bench.
Tony with the Rock View staff and Colin and Velda Edwards –
Top row left to right – Hendricks Daniels (tourism supervisor), Gloria Cambridge (housekeeper), Zureen Antone (cook) and Velda Edwards
Bottom row left to right – Colin Edwards, Samantha Daniels, Andrea Daniels, Tony and Delina Moses
Another picture of the Rock View staff, plus two male guests.
Tony in the Rock View rock pool.
Tony at the side of the swimming pool.
St Ignatius, near Lethem
Catholic mission at St Ignatius, near Lethem, a town located in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region, on the Takutu River, which forms the border with Brazil, roughly four hours from Annai.
19th November
Tony by a large round shelter with a thatched roof. Some kind of meeting hut.
In the village church (or maybe the school?). Tony by rows of wooden benches with paintings of Biblical scenes behind.
Tony outside the village school.
Tony holding a metal chain. This is used to ring a bell. The bell is comprised of an old metallic tube shaped like a fire extinguisher
Tony holding a small lime green fruit, still attached to the tree. This is called a guinep or Spanish lime.
Another fruit. This one is quite large, roughly egg-shaped and greeny orange in colour. A papaya?