 |
|
|
Ibike: Guyana (Guiana) |
||
|
||
|
|
||
|
Charity to
Wakapoa (by boat, 1 1/2 hours). Amerindian community |
||
|
Boats packed in at Charity stalling (dock). As Charity is the end of the road, a lot of produce that comes to the market and "urban goods" that leave the market go by boat. We parked the bikes here and continued our tour by boat. | |
|
This is a gas station in the rivers, creeks and estuaries of western Guyana. The more interesting story is how it gets here. Gas from Georgetown is expensive so the cheaper gas (in part because it is not taxed) is that which comes from the neighboring oil exporting giant, Venezuela -- of course it has to be smuggled in, which is where the stories come in. | |
|
 Our base camp west of
Charity was Wakapoa. It is not so much of a central community as an
associated group of islands separated by narrow waterways. |
|
|
 These are the "school
buses." At least when the weather is nice, it seems like an idyllic way to
start the day. I am sure it is not so nice when the skies open up and you
need to keep yourself and your school books dry. |
|
|
Like everyone else, to tour the community we went by canoe as well and manned (and womanned) our own paddles. | |
 |
 The final step in cooking cassava bread.
Our group got to participated in all of the cooking tasks (pounding and toasting
the cassava meal), played with the kids and shared in the life of a home visit for the afternoon, making this
high on the list of
many very memorable activities during the course of the tour. |
|
|
The big sport in Guyana is cricket. It doesn't take an area much wider than a trail for a batter and pitch to try their skills against one another. The youngest children in the community seem to get the job of racing pell-mell through the bush to get the ball when it is hit. | |
|
Each island seems to have a family that runs a small store. The inventory in each seems pretty much the same; a short list packaged and canned food, soft drinks, candy, cleaning supplies | |
|
 Double Adirondack Chair built by the Wakapoa Woodworking Workshop,
and for sale. Doll furniture is also available and is easy to export. It is also possible to come to Wakapoa for
workshops at the Woodworking center and make
your own furniture.. |
|
|
In the afternoon we met with a community council member, school and health center leaders and learned about life, politics and economics in the community. At the end of the program we heard "My Identity", a poem, read by Satra (see below). This was the poem she had read as a finalist in the Region 2 Amerindian pageant, of the Miss Guyana pageant, a few months earlier. | |
|
My Identity
From the indigenous group I come It was me! Walking bare feet It was me! Who name most of the rivers, lakes, mountains
and trees, It was me! Who paddled my canoe, Now, it is me! Who has evidence of my identity, My shoulder bag, purse and letter case, |
|
|
Kids taking a bath in their "driveway". | |
|
Doing errands in Wakapoa. | |
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
"Hosted by
ThinkHost - earth friendly web hosting"
|
||
Guyana
Cultural Tour: Wakapoa
Please
contact us
IBF's Homepage