A Grand Gem is hidden in South America and the Caribbean and only a few people know about it.
That Gem is my country of birth Guyana. Almost no American I know and talk to knows where it is. Most people confuse it with Ghana, West Africa. It's Not.
Guyana sits on the top right corner of the South American continent, with Brazil below and Suriname to the right and Venezuela to the left with a population of less than a million people concentrated mainly along the coast and capital, Georgetown. Guyana was finally colonized by the British and like it's Caribbean neighbors speak English with it's own dialect that makes them uniquely Guyanese.
Guyana gained it's independence in May of 1966 and is a young democracy still shaping it's future. I was born in a small village where as a child, the sugar plantations still existed where we'd jump on the Pantoons pulling sugar cane and help ourselves to the delicious treat before it was carded off to the Diamond Distillery.
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We played soccer in the mud barefoot, cricket in the street and climed every fruit tree in the neighborhood we could find. We went fishing, swimming, hunting and did all the fun things that my children have never experienced.
We learned how to live without, blackout was a norm. We had one pair of shoes, wore them till the bottom had holes. We washed them every week.
This was the Guyana I grew up in until I was sixteen and immigrated to the United States.
Before I came to the US, I attended the top HS in Guyana. Queens College. It's alums boasts ex Presidents, Prime Minister and a long list of distinguished Guyanese.
What's Changed?
Up until the last 8 years or so, Guyana exported Gold, Bauxite, Rice, Sugar and some of those sectors were in decline.
Oil Exploration has led to massive discoveries of Oil off of Guyana's shores, making it the fastest growing economy in the world.
Since immigrating I've gone home a handful of times, balanced between, saying goodbye to loved ones who passed and on vacation.
This Weekend we visited and I can tell you I'm so stunned by the speed of the country's development. Construction is at a all time high. New homes, businesses, restaurants, grocery stores are sprining up everywhere, communities where nothing existed is now home to whole communities of people.
We had a melting pot of people before, but now it's like when immigration boomed in America. Everyone is coming to Guyana. Once folks learn about the opportunity Oil and Gas economy is providing they are booking flights to Georgetown.
My wife and three year old had a fantastic time and can't wait to go back on our next trip, there's so much to do that we'd need a month to fully take it all in.
Here's a bit of what we did.
- Resort & Hotel Stay
- Visit Family
- Garden and Zoo Visit
- Shopping
- Site Seeing
I'll need to do an entire part 2 and 3 to fully share this with you.
Here's a quick summary for part 2.
We landed at Cheddi Jagan International, Guyana around 7pm and checked into our resort stay at Splashmins Resort. After a comfortable nights sleep we enjoyed a delicious Guyanese buffet with delicious sample of every Guyanese food you can imagine. Next up was enjoying the white sandy beach with dark golden water and taking in the breath taking views.
Next up was visiting family in the area then making our way down to Georgetown to stay and Jewelz by Kings Hotel. Owned by my Queens College classmate and his family.
The staff is amazing and hotel amenities world class. There is none other like it. It's the ultimate stay in Georgetown and the region.
