Guayanas

Old Sep 25th, 1997, 05:16 AM
  #1  
Kurt
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Guayanas


I am planning a trip to the tree Guayanas(Surinam, French and English Guyanas). Very thankfus to get recommendations for this trip.
 
Old Sep 25th, 1997, 02:53 PM
  #2  
renato tavares
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Guyana is a lovely country with lovely people and Georgetown is a wonderfool colonial city.
The airport is far from town and you must be cautious about who will drive you.
There are two good hotels: Pgasus is expensive. try the Tower hotel that was refurbished recently and for a very good dinner try "Del Casa"
 
Old Sep 25th, 1997, 03:55 PM
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KURT
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Thank you very much for your message. Have you also been outside of Georgtown. I am planning to visit also the interior of the country. Any recommendations? Thank you.
 
Old Sep 26th, 1997, 11:13 AM
  #4  
renato tavares
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the interior of Guyana is really interior... and there are not many places you can go, except the forest.
The other towns I know, Linden and New Amsterdam, are not very interesting.
There are wonderfull falls and there organized trips by small planes to go there, but think are expensive.
Ideal would be to have a friend and go to the interior by 4X4...there are still real amerindians villages to see.
Well hope that this can help your trip there and hope you enjoy (mainly the nice guyanes pelople)
Write me an e-mail with your impresssions after.
 
Old Sep 27th, 1997, 10:23 AM
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Ronald
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I lived in Georgetown, Guyana for two years ('93-4) but did not visit Suriname or French Guiana. The best hotel in Georgetown is the Forte Crest Pegasus (I believe it has been renamed), the second best the Tower and the third is the Park. The Tower is located in a very bad neighborhood (Tiger Bay) and strolling around is a bad idea as there are lots of muggers waiting for the occasional tourist. For that matter crime is a problem everywhere in Georgetown since the people are so poor and the tourist is a walking bank as they must see it. The Pegasus has a good restaurant which operates at night only if I recall correctly. The main cathedral is the largest wooden church in the world so it's worth a visit. Their zoo is small but has a nice collection of colorful birds with which Guyana is well endowed. The Kaitur Falls in the interior are impressive but can only be visited by taking a small plane which lands on a small grassy airstrip. There are several small island resorts on the rivers which I am told are attractive and worth an overnight visit. Pegasus arranges a tour to one resort which they own. There is malaria in the interior and you must take precautions if you stay overnight - basically a meshed room to keep them out although a few mosquitoes always manage to get in anyway. Georgetown also has lots of mosquitoes at night but cases of malaria there are relatively rare but have occurred - dengue fever is also appearing. Try to get rooms on the upper floors as mosquitoes are fewer and the ocean breeze is more refreshing at such heights. There are two rainy seasons and you should avoid them as the city has flooding problems (it is 7 feet below sea level and when the tide is high while it is raining it is not possible to open the drainage doors (kokers) to the sea so the city is awash in water and it is a messy situation). The best time to visit is in winter Jan-Mar as the temperatures are lower and the weather clear - there is no smog there as there is no industry in Georgetown to speak of. Nightlife is modest but you might try the Palm Court Cafe next to the Park Hotel for a sample of the international and local population. Good restaurants are few in number. The Tower has a nice one on the 2nd floor. TV is erratic as the programs are picked up from satellites and they can change abruptly and without nitice as the signals come and go. Suriname is about half the population of Guyana yet visitors have told me it is a slightly more agreeable place to visit. There are communities of blacks in the interior which retain their African culture. French Guiana is around 25,000 population and exists for the French to launch satellites into orbit. I was told there are fine French stores there. The street markets in Georgetown (especially the Stabroek) are chaotic but very lively. Watch out for thieves - best to travel with a partner or two. There is going to be a national election in a few months (check for the date) and you should avoid the period immediately before and after the election as street violence could occur although so far things are peaceful and likely to remain so. Politics has heated up in the past so be careful. US Dollars are freely bought and sold but sometimes dollars can't be bought because of temporary shortages. The Guyanese dollar is around 140 to the US dollar and the rate is pretty stable. Bring insect repellant which you can put on when you go to sleep - you'll be protected from any annoying mosquitoes which may, but probably won't, get into the room. Mangoes, five fingers (starfruit), breadfruit are all tasty there. Old bottles fished up from the rivers are sold in the street near the Tower hotel and if you know the subject interesting antiquities can be found. Handicrafts are few and of poor quality. Arrange to be picked up from the airport (small and antiquated). The road to Georgetown used to be really awful but they were working on it when I left. You can read the Stabroek News and the Guyana Chronicle on the Internet. Good luck.
 
Old Oct 27th, 2006, 08:10 AM
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