Georgetown, Guyana: day 1

Guyana is one of those countries people tend to forget about, either by overlooking the non-romance language countries of South America or by mistaking it for Ghana. Unfortunately, Guyana is probably best known to Americans as the site of the Jonestown Massacre where, in 1978, over nine hundred Americans committed mass suicide under the direction of cult leader Jim Jones. But that was a long time ago now. Today's Guyana tries to market itself as an up and coming eco destination with its untouched rainforest, Kaietur waterfall, and Shell Beach, home to sea turtles. I've only got a few days here, so I won't be able to visit any of those sights. Instead I'm parking myself in the national capital of Georgetown to check out this city that has been occupied by both the Dutch and English.

 

Once I had cleared immigration and customs at Georgetown's international airport and found a cab into the city, I had officially travelled to every politically independent country in South America! This is my first "complete" continent so I'm pretty pleased.

 

After a deep nap, I headed into the city for lunch and sightseeing. First stop was St. George's Cathedral. At one point, this was the second tallest wooden church in the world, reaching 132 feet tall. (That is the sort of world record Guyana is able to claim!) Built in the late 18th century, this Anglican church has a decidedly English feel. I sit in the back for awhile, tying--without much success--to escape the intense heat and humidity. It's smack downtown so the traffic honks away while pedestrians chat with each other on their way back to work after lunch.

 

Dutch built Stabroek Market, dating back to 1881, is a few short blocks away. Selling clothes, produce, meats, meals, toiletries, household goods, music, movies, and all the Hindu goods you could ever imagine, the market is one stop shopping.

 

A guidebook described City Hall as "Disney-like" and it's a fair comparison. It has a turret that calls to mind Cinderella's castle. The spot used to house a music hall so, when City Hall was finished in 1889, they decided to continue the tradition, and used the top floor as the country's best concert hall until recently.

 

Queen Victoria's statue stands in front of the High Court. She seems to have been a big figure around here as there are multiple pieces that have been dedicated to her, named for her, or opened on her birthday.

I catch the minibus back to where I'm staying. The microbuses are the same kind as those in Uzbekistan, except these ones are in much better shape than their Asian counterparts, hard as that is to believe now that I've seen the local standard for driving.

 

Like in Uzbekistan, the minibus drivers each have an assistant who hangs out the window to call out the destination and collect the fare. The neighborhood I'm staying in is called Kitty, which means there was a cacophony of men shouting, "Kitty, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty!" They sounded like over eager four year olds chasing their grandmother's terrified cat.

 

In the evening, much of Georgetown goes to the sea wall. Built by the Dutch, who seem drawn to land below sea level, the wall exists to protect the city from flooding. It extends 270 miles, just about the length of the country's entire coast, though many sections have been rebuilt over the years. One side of the wall advertises local businesses and also has murals painted by school children. Here, the wall is about five feet wide and is used by joggers and couples alike. At low tide, the muddy beach stretches a few hundred feet until it meets the ocean.

 

At night I take a bucket bath, something I haven't done since Peace Corps. Another Peace Corps moment comes sooner than I expect. In the middle of the night, I hear a sound that wakes me. Something has flown in through my bedroom window. A bat! The walls don't extend all the way to the ceiling and I'm suddenly grateful as this allows the bat to swoop around the entire house, instead of just my room, in a panic. After a few minutes, I can no longer see or hear the bat, so I fall back asleep, hoping it found its way out through another window. In the morning, I ask my host if he saw the bat. He looks at me and says no, he's never seen a bat in his house before, just as his gaze turns to a corner in the ceiling, and we both spot the bat, hanging upside down. My host lets me take a photo before he manages to chase the bat out through a window. In Uzbekistan, a bat somehow found its way into my house and, with the help of another volunteer, we managed to catch the bat and release it, though we did accidentally injure it in the process. Oops.

 

Monterey, California

I love visiting Monterey. Not only is it a cute town with plenty of great hiking and farm fresh produce nearby, I get to spend time with two of my closest friends (and their dog!).

 

Pinnacles National Park was beautiful with a fantastic trail that took us high up to a gorgeous view of the California landscape.

 

We hiked through a couple of caves along the way.

 

We found a pair of juvenile turkey vultures preening on a rock.

 

I came upon a garter snake sunning itself on the trail. We were surprised it hadn't moved away before we were upon it, but as long as we stayed still, the snake didn't bother to move.

 

Over the course of the day, we also saw deer, lizards, squirrels, and this stellar blue jay.

 

The pine cones are so ridiculously enormous, they dwarf Mini Bear!

 

Another perk of visiting my friends is getting my own behind the scenes tour of Monterey Bay Aquarium, where they both work.

 

I saw the sea otters being fed and also got to visit two otters not presently on exhibit. There was a small window just above the water line on the tank and when I put my hand in the window as instructed, an otter came up and slapped my hand. My first sea otter high five!

 

Outside, a seal lay lazily on a rock while sea otters in the kelp forest peered at kayakers. Just that morning, two juvenile and three adult orca whales were spotted passing through the bay! I missed the whales by a couple of hours, so now I've missed orca sightings in two continents!

 

I checked out the psychedelic jellyfish exhibit.

 

From the top of the aquarium's impressive one million gallon tank, I got to watch hammerhead sharks and the odd looking mola fish (pictured) being fed.

 

Today I learned that a group of sea otters is called a raft and a group of sharks is fittingly called a shiver. I watched a short presentation about how wildlife have inspired inventors and learned that one of the designers of Japan's famous bullet trains was a bird enthusiast and, after watching the kingfisher bird dive silently into the water to fish, he modeled the front of the bullet train off of the kingfisher's beak so that the train would be quiet when emerging from tunnels.

 

The rest of my too brief time in Monterey was spent with my friends watching movies, taking the dog for walks, eating well, and catching up. As usual, my visit in Monterey has gone by far too fast!

 

Disney & SF

After Vegas, Mini Bear and I took a quick jaunt to the happiest place on earth where I got to meet Mickey Mouse...

 

...before continuing on to one of my all time favorite cities, San Francisco. My flight landed in the evening and I watched a great sunset from my window seat.

 

No trip to SF is complete without spending some time at Pier 39, which many sea lions call home. Since late 1989, just after the 6.9 magnitude earthquake, seal ions have been using the docks as a place to rest and socialize. Over the years, their numbers have fluctuated greatly, depending on the food supply.

 

While I could happily watch the sea lions for hours, there are also plenty of shops and restaurants at Pier 39.

 

(I was really excited to see this shirt in one of the stores because so often, penguins and polar bears are depicted as living together. Not true!)

 

I've been to SF many times, but this was my first time visiting Alcatraz. The island has a long history, dating back to its early days as a military prison. Nowadays, Alcatraz receives well over one million annual visitors.

This sign greets tourists upon arrival. I hadn't realized that Native Americans had occupied the island in protest beginning in 1969, lasting nearly two years.

 

Inside the prison are three tiers of cells which once housed prisoners like Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelley, Robert Stroud (perhaps better known as the Birdman of Alcatraz), and Doc Barker, among others.

I was fascinated by the tales of attempted escapes. The creativity, patience, and resourcefulness of these prisoners are truly spectacular. Officially, there has never been a successful escape from Alcatraz but that didn't seem to stop the prisoners from trying. One man tried to escape by patiently stealing American military uniform parts, wearing them, and slipping out onto the laundry boat. Unfortunately for him, the boat's only other stop that day was not San Francisco, but nearby Angel Island. It wasn't long before his mismatched uniform gave him away and he returned to Alcatraz. More famous is the 1962 attempt by three inmates who, after tirelessly digging a tunnel out of their cells and into a vent, placed papier-mâché heads in their bunks and slipped out under the quiet cover of night. It is thought all three inmates drowned in the frigid waters but this has never been conclusively proven.

 

Not feeling up to the steep walk, I was satisfied with taking a photo of Lombard Street and its famous 27% grade.

 

Feeling hungry, Mini Bear strolled through Chinatown on search of dinner.

 

As dusk fell, Mini Bear called it a day with a walk through beautiful Washington Square Park.