Mon Repos, Guyana
Guyana boasts making the best rums in the world packaged as El Dorado. A beverage like this couldn’t entice Rupa (my traveling partner again) and I even on the steamiest of days. When we trekked near the massive distillery a worker invited us past the security and into the lobby for a stretch-the-leg-and-take-it-easy-break. We were moved by their hospitality and the soft drinks that were cold and pleasing.
We also hear that Guyana has some of the best gold deposits in the world. It has its best and worst. So what’s worse? Rupa and I did encounter the meanest ants, perhaps the nastiest the globe has to offer. A few mere seconds of mistakenly standing on one of their hills hidden by foliage gave me the experience of a lifetime. Rupa also had an incredible “ouch” session as the pesky things crawled up his legs. Despite dealing with the unknown on ground level my feet begged for comfort so I submitted to a barefoot stretch while carefully watching each step.
As we made our way en-route towards the airport, Rupa and I made it a point to distribute flyers as we met folks in transit to work or school. It seems the whole country is “abuzz” on the Padayatra festival. The numbers increase each night as national television and various media outlets inform the public of the foot-and-song festival. I took the liberty to parade marshal the procession. Many participants are habituated to spontaneous performance but I’ll beg to differ on this approach and go for order, focus, and some regimentation. I believe our guru, Srila Prabhupada, favours a much more melodious and structured approach.
28 Km walking / 6 Km in procession
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