Before I continue the story I shall apologize for posting so inconsistently. I noticed Andrew’s spot on comment about exhaustion and there is truth in that. Power outages, weak cell signals and a lack of my own energy to put up Starlink never mind compose a bunch of words has been part of the problem but also Layne has been rather ill a fact I haven’t written about, but now we are in Paramaribo in a comfortable apartment…
…with strong WiFi, a hot shower, and a pool, …and with an appointment to see a doctor I can stop stressing and get back to telling the story of our travels. Layne did not feel well in Lethem but she got progressively worse and I was frantic to get out of Guyana where nothing seems to work right. Suriname has its quirks right enough but it is a much better place to rest and recuperate. Not posting daily is always on my mind but it was just too much recently. I trust you understand. Back to the road:
Getting out of Guyana looked incredibly difficult on paper. We couldn’t find a comfortable pet friendly apartment, Layne was as weak as a kitten and we had paperwork to do. I was overwhelmed but slowly everything came together. Tuesday the power went out which could have been worse as a breeze picked up and blew through the open door keeping us cool. We plugged Starlink into GANNET2 and set about doing the necessary papers. We also got word Rusty’s exit permit would be ready on Wednesday for pick up. So I said to Layne “let’s just leave Wednesday” and she was up for that. I texted our insurance agent to buy 60 days of coverage for Suriname at US$75 and we could pick that up Wednesday. Things were coming together. We still had to apply for Suriname e-visas, make a customs declaration online each and do the same to exit Guyana. This stuff is crazy making especially as it is just way to collect fees. It costs $50 to enter Suriname but I needed a multiple entry visa so I can fly to Europe in a couple weeks, and that costs $75. Rusty’s import and export papers, both done at once cost $125. All totally pointless but it’s what you do to travel.
We went downtown Wednesday midday after a sleepless horrible night Tuesday as the power went out and we opened the doors to let mosquitoes in with the only slightly cool night air. I met the man who had expedited our car insurance Adrian Barrow:
He was a consultant based in London traveling the world who got bored and decided to slow down and come to live in Guyana and join the insurance brokerage his father founded 56 years ago in Georgetown. He has a wife and daughter, can leave the office if he feels like it, shares an office with his mother whom he adores and promised me a taste of his extensive rum collection when I come by again. He is another Guyanese who confounds the image of a backwater country full of insular resentment. I could easily be friends with Adrian.
Then there was David the patriarch of the family where we had found refuge in the air conditioned room. We sat out Tuesday evening and Layne propped herself up with water while I had fish and chips with a spicy Guyananese sauce washed down with bottle after ice cold bottle ( in a power outage no less) of Banks beer, the local brew.
David has a trucking business delivering all over but he drives frequently to Lethem and Boa Vista in Brazil where he is building contacts as he’s convinced Brazil will get the road paved soon as they really want to get access to the harbor at Georgetown and Davis sees lots of money in it for a trucking company like his. And wouldn’t you know it his wife had a stroke a month ago and died in a matter of days. They had known each other since she was 12. She loved to travel and david has photos of her in New York and Trinidad and so forth. Layne was ill and I started to get panicked inside as David told his story of 34 years of marriage. Another really nice guy in Guyana. You can see my ambivalence?
I felt like there was too much left undone after a week in Guyana but we had to get Layne somewhere more sophisticated for a check up. So we drove for the ferry after we had all our papers assembled. Layne stretched out on the bed, her favorite position since Lethem. She clearly wasn’t well and I was worried.
You can see the Dutch history of the early years of British Guyana in place names like the neighborhood sign above.
Traffic was heavy as we took the coast road south with more than 100 miles to the ferry landing. But first we had to stop on Agriculture Road in Mon Repos neighborhood.
The Ministry of Agriculture Quarantine Division yielded Rusty’s export permit which we would have to show to the dockmaster as we boarded the ferry to Suriname
I knew already there would be some driving after dark but I wanted to drive as far as we could get before daylight faded. So we drove.
The road along the coast was never actually in sight of the sea but it passed through an endless line of suburban sprawl. That didn’t help us maintain a high average speed, nor did the endless construction and the stop start traffic.
Venezuela claims Essequibo region and its oil. Guyana believes otherwise and is ready to fight.
The Berebice Bridge, a floating pontoon bridge similar to one I have driven near Seattle. It used to have a toll but on an effort to gain votes the President abolished the toll - and win re-election.
It did get dark of course and I couldn’t take any pictures.
I tried to stay close to cars in front but they always pulled ahead and I had to rely on my own eyes to spot cyclists, electric bikes, pedestrians and pot holes.
I knew we had to get in line the night before to have any chance of making the first ferry of the day which in turn would get us to Paramaribo if not before dark at least close to.
We had the apartment reserved and waiting for us but we had to sorbs one hot airless night aboard GANNET2 in line at the ferry landing and with Layne not feeling well.
We were third in line when we arrived around seven pm. I asked about the protocol and they explained to me the ferry takes 22 cars on its first run and no trucks. However they give priority to cars who were here the day before so it would take about 18 of them to bump us. He put our chances of getting on the ten o’clock ferry at 90 percent.
It was a horrible night, hot restless and sleepless. But we did get on the ten o’clock ferry. We had all the papers we were ready. They even took our kitchen knives for safekeeping as they could be described as weapons.
It was blistering hot as the sun came up and our batteries were dead from running the rooftops/c much of the night. I filed the engine some more to cool the interior and charge the batteries. It was sweaty work waiting to board.
At seven the staff showed up and I got in line with the local travelers and presented my temporary import permit and my insurance card for Suriname.
Eventually the ferry arrived and they opened the gates.
Trucks and cars came off followed by foot passengers. It was about 10:30am.
And then we had to back on. Not everyone found it easy but that stuff doesn’t bother me.
And an hour later we drove out into Suriname where teas an hour later but we still have to drive on the left.
Immigration and 30 days for GANNET2 at customs who also stalled Rusty’s export permit it from Guyana and we were done.The sign above turned out to be ironic as we shall see in Paramaribo’s hospital.
Up next: an afternoon’s drive through some lovely Surinam farmland to the capital.
