Since blowing off some steam after being rejected by both International Living and Wonderlust travel magazines. I heard about Steemit and I became really exicited about this innovation in the social media/cryptocurrency and (uh?) Blockchain technology which I am still trying to figure out. "What the heck!?" I said and I decided to give it a try and did the unthinkable and resurrected my doomed article about my journey through a pretty obscure part of the Amazon jungle.
So after months of daydreaming, trepidation and certainly not enough savings. I decided to take the plunge and embark on an epic journey through the tropical Amazonian rainforest, well a tiny piece anyways.
I arrived in Guyana bursting with enthusiasm and wonder lust. It was certainly a world away from home. The people were so amazing and my taxi driver went the extra mile to find a cheap hotel for me. There was no Wi-Fi or cable but the place fit my budget perfectly being the typical broke college student I was travelling the world!
The next day I was rearing and ready to take on an adventure of a lifetime but first I had to complete some mundane tasks like packing the survival kit and all that fun stuff! True to form my faithful taxi driver arrived at the hotel first thing in the morning as planned to take me downtown to get some last minute supplies and most importantly to purchase my bus ticket for the epic 550 km journey through the Amazon rainforest, through the length and breadth of Guyana's hinterland region.
So it was already mid afternoon and I had finished shopping and booked my bus ticket en route to the lush rainforests of the Amazon jungle. I had bid farewell to my taxi driver whom was my faithful guide in this unfamiliar but exotic place.
The bus arrived right on time and I along with mostly locals and I think two Brazilians and a Surinamese girl boarded the bus. We made one last pit stop at the gas station to refuel and out in the unknown we went.
We travelled for about 100 km to the next town, Linden, a quiet little town way way off the beaten path. We then made a detour to an unpaved roadway in the midst lush Amazon rainforest, a path we would follow for the next 450 km! It was certainly an ecological experience to travel through the dense jungle to say the least. We even spotted a small snake by the side of the road. The bus stopped and with caution and trepidation some of us travellers ventured out to take a closer look albeit at a safe distance. He seemed to be a baby snake and wasn't very aggressive. He was just probably looking for his mom. I really hope the little guy found his way home and on we went.
We travelled for a few more hours until we arrived at a rest stop where we would stay for the night. I ordered some cheap local food, rice and river fish with some farinha. It was delicious and the flavor was so unique, unlike anything I have had before. I didn't know what farinha was but I decided to try it out anyways. After dinner I rented a hammock and slung it in the open pan gazebo. I felt an immense sense of peace and tranquility inside of me. I unfortunately lit up a cigarette as I watched the dimly lit moon shine permeate through the silhouette of the rainforest and went to bed.
The next day the journey continued on the unpaved dirt road in the middle of the rainforest. The road was in surprisingly good condition. We were in the dry season so we didn't have the unpredictable monsoon weather to contend with, which is a good thing, no delays here!
After a few more hours travelling through the expansive jungle road. We arrived at the Kurupukari crossing. We crossed the beautiful Essequibo river on a pantoon/barge operated by a local mining company in the area. I didn't notice any bridge infrastructure at the crossing. So I can safely assume the barge plays a vital role in connecting Guyana's remote hinterland regions to civilization and the Northern Brazilian frontier.
We reached the other side of the crossing in a couple minutes. The bus drove off the barge and touched down on the familiar winding dirt road, as we again disappeared into the rainforest.
We were well on our way until the whole topography of the landscape changed dramatically. We exited the familiar rainforest setting and entered the Rupununi Savannah. As far as the eyes can see were lush beautiful grasslands with the occasional cows and horses grazing in their element.
There was something special about the mid morning sun that illuminated the dense brownish-green grasslands of the savannah.
It had a calming effect and it certainly made me feel really happy being there as I openly embraced nature.
After a 550 km journey that begun on the Atlantic coast of Georgetown, Guyana and 16 hours travelling by bus. We finally reached our destination in Lethem, a small town near the Brazilian border.
I then decided I might as well cross the border to Brazil but that's another story ;)
