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My First Tour of Guyana by Channel Stoby
First Published: 16th of August, 2021 by Patrick Carpen.
Last updated: December 22, 2022 at 4:43 amOne of the most beautiful stories I have read about Guyana from a foreigner’s eyes – someone who visited Guyana for the first time. She mentions eating “genip” for the first time and that “there is beauty everywhere.” She also mentions, as so many of our tourists do, that the photos will never be as good as the experience itself!
Editor
My name is Channell Stoby. My husband was born in Georgetown, Guyana, South America…in Agricola to be exact. He had left Guyana when he was 15 years old and moved to Chicago. Unlike other parts of the United States, in Chicago we don’t have a high population of Guyanese. My husband was eager to take me and our two sons back home to his country of birth.
My family and I were fortunate to spend 18 days in Guyana. We had an amazing time exploring what Guyana has to offer. During the first few days of our trip, we stayed at the Ramada Hotel. Then we stayed at Lake Mainstay as well, but we stayed most of our trip with family in Georgetown. It felt so good to be amongst the locals and to see the normal day-to-day life.
It was an amazing experience to go to the mall (Giftland and Amazonia) as well as to the market (Stabroek) and hanging out at the Seawalls on a Sunday. My husband says that’s a Guyanese tradition. The food and fruits in Guyana are so rich and fresh, unlike what we have in the United States.
I was able to try ginep for the first time. That’s a fruit not found in our state. My husband took us around downtown Georgetown. He used to attend school there. We did the Essequibo River tour which took us to Fort Island, Sloth Island, and Baracara Falls.
My in-laws gave us a tour of Linden and took us to the Blue Lakes. We took our oldest son on a Rainforest Tour and Scavenger Hunt for kids. He is 4 years old and loved learning about the rainforest, the animals that live in a rainforest, and how to survive in a rainforest.
We booked a stay at Lake Mainstay Resort to experience black water. The journey to get there was long, but so worth it. The kids and I didn’t want to leave. The highlight of our trip was seeing the beautiful Kaieteur Falls. I feel like pictures don’t do it justice. It was breathtaking to see in person. There’s beauty to be found everywhere in Guyana.
While I was in Guyana, I felt like I was able to feel connected to nature and had so much appreciation for the great outdoors. I felt like our time wasn’t long enough because there’s so much to do in Guyana. I have created a list of places still to visit and experience in Guyana because my husband is Guyanese and goes back often.
Back in the United States, my friends, coworkers, and people I attend church with have thanked me for sharing my Guyana trip on social media. They said they have learned a lot about Guyana from my posts. Prior to my trip, most of my friends, coworkers, and people from church had never heard of Guyana.
I know I will be back again!
Up Next: My Trip to Kaieteur Falls
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Guyana is about as tropical as any place on Earth. And it is intriguingly attractive to be there: the sights, the smells, the friendly people (although crime, I hear, has risen since I was there). I wish to go back, it’s been much too long since I was there. In addition to Georgetown and Bartica, I spent time deep in the Rain Forest – exotic places where it might take days to return to “civilization”. And that, for me, was part of the intrigue!