If Tuesday was all about Kaieteur Falls, then Wednesday was
all about Georgetown, the capital city.
When we drove from the airport to the city on Monday night, our first
impressions were of an underdeveloped city. We wanted to see if that was really the case
today – we wanted to see if Georgetown had a pulse!
We were up at 7:30AM and ate breakfast in the hotel. However, we doddled until 10AM before heading
out. We had read so many security
warnings about Georgetown that we assumed we would be hacked into pieces the
moment we stepped off the hotel grounds.
But that turned out to be completely unfounded. We were treated kindly all day, wherever we
went, despite the fact that we stuck out like sore thumbs: from the time we got up until we got back to
the hotel late afternoon, we saw one other Caucasian. With a population profile of Christians
(57%), Hindus (28%) and Muslims (7%), the country is incredibly diverse.
What follows is a series of photos to highlight some of the
key sights of Georgetown and its architectural styles. But first, three things to note about the
place. First, the drivers have to be
among the worst we have seen anywhere, and horn-honking is a national
sport: they honk just for the sake of
doing it! Second, every single street in
the city – even in the downtown core – is lined by an open ditch filled with
water. So that is perhaps why malaria
and dengue are so common here. Very odd
to see an urban core with open ditches these days. Third, Georgetown – and
Guyana in general – seems stuck in the 1950s.
Despite its rich resources, it seemed like a quirky mix between a very
poor African nation and an Eastern Bloc nation coming out of 50 years of
Communism.
In spite of those observations, we did find a pulse in Georgetown. It is actually a city that is very much alive and has a real soul.
The Georgetown Lighthouse was first built by the Dutch in 1817 and then rebuilt in 1830 to help guide ships into the Demerara River from the Atlantic Ocean.
Archbishop's Residence
A fine example of the use of "coolers": the cooler is an ingenious invention to cool the inside of a house. It blocks sunlight and its heat from getting in and lets air in and out through its slats. In days gone by, blocks of ice were placed on its base at sill level to cool the external warm air as it passed into the room.
Umana Yana (1972) has a conical shaped palm thatched roof, also referred to as a benab, like the Wai-Wai benabs found in Guyana’s hinterland. 'Umana Yana' is of Amerindian Wai Wai origin meaning, “meeting place of the people.”
Stabroek Market (1880) - the virtual heart of the city.
Presbyterian Church
Magistrates Court. Talk about a buzzing spot! There must be a lot of minor lawsuits in Guyana.
What balance!
The Parliament Building
The Parliamentary chamber
For one brief minute, I was the Speaker of Guyana's Parliament! Oooh, the power!
Catholic Cathedral
Supreme Court, presided over by Queen Victoria herself.
Just another typical example of a wooden structure in Georgetown. Buildings such as this now house a variety of government departments.
City Hall has been described as the most picturesque structure in the city. Made of timber construction, with cast iron columns, it is one of the finest examples in the Caribbean of ‘fancy dress’ Gothic Revival architecture. Unfortunately, it is currently in such a state of rot and disrepair, it has been abandoned as City Hall.
St. George's Anglican Cathedral (1889), apparently the world's largest wooden church
Interior of St. George's
A few highlights from the Guyana Zoo
Think Amazon jungle, and perhaps most people's greatest fear is the anaconda. Well, the zoo had a huge collection of them, in all sizes. Note the largest one above - they can actually swallow a deer!
The botanical garden
Giant water lilies in the Botanical Garden
There are no public buses in Georgetown. However, there is an endless supply of minibuses, plying established routes all over.
We were amazed at how many 'dress code' signs we saw around the city! Quite specific were the requirements, too!
The church is very interesting. Classic neo-gothic architecture. Beautiful proportions. I have never seen such a thing executed in wood. Very cool. I hope they preserve it. I wonder who the architect was.
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