Snacktime for Sankar!

In the evenings after the stiflingly hot afternoons, I have been contently swimming off the dock by the river. At 5:00 one day, I was wandering down to the dock in my swimsuit and towel preparing to enjoy a cool dip before dinner and I was greeted by Sankar swimming very close to the shore. One of the Iwokrama guides was holding a cow's limb and was about to feed him! Here is the shot I got of Sankar snacking on the limb:

 

I will now be more wary when I am jumping in the river for a dip! Dont want to be black caiman bait...

Cassava Lovin'

In case you don't know yet, I am a foodie. I love cooking and being able to experiment with different flavours and food types. Living at the Iwokrama Field Station, I am served a buffet style meal three times a day. Already, I miss cooking! Our breakfast is bread (with peanut butter if there is enough after the guests have been served). Lunch and dinner have been rice and chicken, rice and chicken, or rice and chicken. I used to love rice and chicken, but It is difficult to eat plain white with chicken bits meal after meal, day after day. Once we had chicken foot soup with potatoes...a slight change. This afternoon, I was very excited, because a local dish has come back on the menu- Cassava!

Cassava is a local carbohydrate staple that is harvested in the villages around Iwokrama. It serves as the main portion of Iwokrama's local Amerindian community of Fairview's diet. They prepare it in many different ways, one of them being Farine. Farine is the fiber of the Cassava after the starch has been removed from it. The Cassava fibers are placed in a pan and roasted until all the water is removed from them. This is done to keep the Cassava in a form that can be preserved. Then, they soak and boil the Cassava fibers, which turns into a cous-cous-like dish. Tres delish! I am so grateful this dish has landed on the menu. There are so many ways to experiment with Cassava and I look forward to trying all the different ways the Amerindians in Guyana prepare Cassava.

An Adventure with Creepy Crawlies up Turtle Mountain

The Iwokrama Field Station is surrounded by dense, untouched rain forest that extends for miles in every direction. Over the past week I have been working in the basement of the river lodge gazing at the forest edge with longing. A few days ago, two Canadian girls came to stay in Iwokrama and decided they wanted to go on an overnight trip to Turtle Mountain. I managed to convince my boss it would be beneficial to my role in the tourism department to join their trip and he said I could go! Within a couple hours, we were speeding down the Essequibo River dodging rocks and rapids towards the base of Turtle Mountain, about to begin our overnight adventure.

Speeding down river from the field station with no knowledge of what I was about to get myself into!

 

We set up our hammocks at the base camp and relaxed under the dimming night sky beside a fire.  For our dinner, our boatman roasted a tiger fish over the fire wrapped in banana leaves that he had just caught in the river.

A shot of the almost-full moon through a telescope

 After dark, Eggy took us night-spotting up the first 100 meters of the Turtle Mountain Summit hike. 

Here are some creepy-crawlies that I saw!!

Froggy. Not sure what species, but I will update!

 scorpion illuminated with an ultraviolet flashlight!

 The same scorpion without the ultraviolet

little red bug! (heath will appreciate this :) )

The next morning, we woke up at 5:00 am and headed up the trail (without breakfast!) at a fast pace to try an make it to the summit by dawn. We arrived a bit after, and the view was spectacular, despite my grumbling tummy!

An old growth on the way up the mountain

Me at the Turtle Mountain summit
I have never seen a sea of green that extends into the horizon before!

sea of green. aaahh

 Shot with three other awesome Iwokrama staff members who accompanied me on the trip

 On the way back down, a spider monkey followed us for about five minutes and was throwing branches down at us! We quickly continued down the trail to get out of his way!

 This old growth along the trail looks very similar to ones back at home in the Pacific West Coast Rainforest

On the boat ride back up the river, our engine decided to stop working. Our boat began to pick up speed as it started to drift back down the river towards Turtle Mountain. After attempting to start the engine numerous times, or driver realized that there was something seriously wrong with the engine. It then began to absolutely pour rain! I tried to call the River Lodge with our satellite phone, but no one picked up. We then decided to use the lid of a diesel canister to paddle to the river's edge where we gripped a branch from a fallen down tree. After around 60 minutes, we managed to fix the engine which was flooded, and sped up the river back to the field station. I was so hungry and so exhausted, but very very happy we were moving up the river! It was a relief to return back to the camp after the epic, memorable adventure up Turtle Mountain!

Guyana: a strange mono-coloured land of odd souls and dangerous fish

Here are two fascinating articles on Guyana's remote landscape written by journalist John Gimlette from the UK Telegraph:

 1. Guyana: Green Heart of a Lost World

2. Guyana: A Journey into the Jurassic

"This, after all, is Guyana: a garden built by God, inhabited by survivors and where life is lived to the full." -John Gimlette, Guyana: A Journey into the Jurassic

Rainstorms, Caiman and Constellations

Tourists coming back from Turtle Mountain, a trip I still have to go on!

My weekly lessons from the jungle:

1. Check the sky thoroughly before doing laundry!

 Yesterday I decided to do laundry (I reached the point where all of my clothes needed washing of course!). The Iwokrama field station has a laundry tub and lines to dry clothes but no washer and drier. Once all my clothes were washed, I hung them to dry on the lines beneath the brilliantly blue morning sky. Little did I know, a small grey cloud on the horizon was going to expand into an enormous cloud within a couple of hours and pound down rain for the rest of the day. It hasn't rained that hard since I arrived! Despite my attempt to rescue all of my clothes and sheets, everything got soaked! I have skillfully hung all my damp clothes in my small room wherever possible, and used my sarong for a blanket last night, but everything is still damp this morning since the air is so humid here! I wonder when it will dry......

2. Buy an astrology book

The stars here are AMAZING. The other night, we took a 15 minute boat ride to Michelle's Island, a desolate island except for one lady's house that she has turned into a bar equipped with satellite TV, a speaker system, a pool table, and a fully-stocked beer fridge. After enjoying the evening off, we headed back down the river to the field station. I cannot believe how many stars are in the sky! Between Orion and the Big Dipper there are dozens of more visible stars that I have not seen in the night skies of the northern hemisphere. I am looking forward to learning more about the constellations in the south.

Enjoying the night off at Michelle's Bar on Michelle's Island

3.Check for Sankar, the resident Caiman before swimming in the river

I have managed to build up enough courage to go swimming in the river! After the stiflingly hot afternoons, the river beckons me for a swim, even though it is Sankar's territory and you cannot see deeper than a foot in the murky waters. I joined the researchers for a quick dip and it was really worth it. Do something everyday that scares you, they say! Unless I have no time, I will try to swim in the river everyday while I am here :)

Me with Sankar in the background!

Sankar :) Cute Caiman, hey?

4. When going for a run, go with someone else!

I have been going for runs alone up the access road which is a small dirt road that cuts through dense forest with a canopy hundreds of feet above. It is so so breathtakingly beautiful. I have seen spider monkeys, macaws, and many other birds in the treetops. Since Iwokrama is in the middle of the wilderness, there is a healthy population of jaguars and other small cats that are known to be dangerous to humans. The jaguars are not equivalent in nature to the black bears of BC's forests, and will stalk and strike if they choose. Although it is refreshing to escape into the forest after a day of being surrounded by other people at the field station, I should get in the habit of running with another person up this road teeming with wildlife!

At last, I arrive at my jungle home!

I made it to the beautiful Iwokrama Field Station!

Fun Facts I have learned on my journey so far:

1. You MUST have a return ticket in order to enter Guyana! I did NOT, since Ross and I are still trying to figure out our travel plans and I am not sure if I will head straight back to Canada. I was held at customs for about 1 hour trying to convince the lady to let me through. At first, she was going to make me pay a return ticket on the spot, but by the end, she stamped my Passport for a 3 month stay and I will have to go back to apply for a longer stay before 3 months are up.
2. My last name Beaty (pronounced BT) is what the Guyanese call butt, booty or tush! They think it is really funny my last name is Beaty.
3. Guyana used to have Giant Sloths in prehistoric days thatwere up to 6 meters tall!
4. I am really pale
5. Canada's transportation system is amazing

~

My trip so far has been unbelievable, astonishing and challenging. I spent two days and one night in Georgetown where I made friends with two amazing people from Iwokrama who took me under their wings. Georgetown is a dangerous city, and it was interesting walking around getting hissed and smooched at by men loitering around the streets. I stand out like a sore thumb with my pale, Canadian-winter legs and arms. One Guyanese women actually told me she has never seen feet as white as mine! After I was escorted onto the Intraserv Bus by my dear Iwokrama friends, I clung to my purse as the bus ricocheted out of the bustling city towards the untamed jungle abyss. Once we passed through Linden, an outskirt city of Georgetown, the paved road ended and the dirt road began. For the remainder of the bus ride, I attempted to get some shut-eye while getting jostled and thrown around. All members on the bus had to get off for 3 different police checks along the way and one ferry crossing over the Esquibo River. I was really worried that I was going to miss the stop for the Iwokrama Field Station, but once the bus was on the 'ferry' (more like a raft), I could see the field station up the Esquibo River. I was overcome with relief knowing I was so close to my future home. Immediately, I was escorted to the staff accommodation wing, where I was given a small and quaint room. For the remainder of the day, I have been introduced to the field station staff who are all very friendly and have explored the grounds. It is breathtakingly beautiful and I love all of the bird and bug sightings I have already seen!

Here are some photos I have taken so far:

View of my room from the door. Small but perfect

View of the staff accommodation building. My room is far right

The central research and dining hall. While eating my first breakfast,
I saw a monkey climbing a tree and half a dozen Macaws flew by!

cute birdie

The guest houses

The researchers go swimming even though there are Piranhas
and Cayman. Soon I will have courage too!

That is all for now. Will update soon! xox

RainCity Love

I leave tomorrow morning at 10:30 am for Guyana! I have said my farewells to all of my lovelies, and am now counting down the hours. I am anxious as well as thrilled to begin chapter one of my South American adventure.

I want to make a short reflection of the best city in the world I call home:

favourite places and spaces:

Sipping coffee on Granville Island's boardwalk watching the seagulls and water taxis in False Creek

 
Jumping into puddles under pounding rain droplets with my red hunter boots

Buying wool to make knitting projects from Vancouver stores Urban Yarns on Tenth and Three Bags Full on Main Street.

On those rare sunny January days, the city becomes alive with energy. I love biking down on the Cypress St bike route to 4th, or going for a walk along Jericho Beach

Ross on my sister's bike, what a trooper!

Meeting friends at Faubourg in Kerrisdale for chocolate croissants and tea (or hot chocolate?)

Going on short walks with sisters on rare snowy days

Taking the Sea Bus over to North Vancouver (I actually love this!)

Biking along the Arbutus Railway Corridor

Seeing all of my lovely friends and family every day! I'll miss you xoxo

I'm an ultimate tree hugger! :)