On Wednesday, August 10 and Thursday, August 11, we packed our overnight bag and our Traveling Tiger for a trip into Guyana’s interior (aka “the bush” or the rainforest which covers more than 80% of this South American country’s land mass). Trekker was excited about this adventure because he has been fearful there would be no more sightseeing since all the sights in Guyana have already been seen!
It was two spectacular days with three other missionary couples – Larry and Karen Harris (Layton, UT), Gary and Christie Ricks (Santa Barbara, CA) and Lynn and Sharon Angus (Vernal, UT). We hiked, mountain biked, swam, ate and relaxed at Arrow Point, a rustic resort located 17-miles off the Demerara River, up the tributary known as Kamuni Creek on the Arawak Amerindian reservation. The boat ride was reminiscent of Disneyland’s “Jungle Cruise” and hiking through the rainforest reminded us of the Sacred Grove, where Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ. Each meal was delicious – but typically Guyanese – and we enjoyed lively conversation under a full moon and around a beautiful bonfire. The efficient young staff catered exclusively to our needs since the 8 of us (9 counting Trekker) were the only guests at the resort.
On our mini-vacation, we enjoyed kayaking down a spectacular smooth-as-glass black water stream and a 3-mile hike through the jungle to a 17-year-old plane crash site.
On the way back, I was in the lead and always looking down to avoid tripping on a vine, slipping on wet leaves . . . or stepping on a critter of some kind. When something caught my eye, I stopped . . . and it turns out, I was only 2” away from a Labaria . . . one of the most poisonous snakes in the world. I stood very still until the guide caught up to me and in a steady, but warning voice, told me to take one big step backwards because the Labaria strikes quickly. A bite from this very venomous snake (a cousin to the rattlesnake) results in nausea, black outs, paralysis and, if not treated in time, is almost always FATAL!!! Luckily, the Labaria I almost stepped on was less than a foot long, compared to the 4-5 feet length of a full grown adult of this species, but according to our guide John, even a bite from this dangerous baby would be enough to make me deathly ill!
Trekker got to steer the boat, enjoy the company of the senior couples and lots of peace and quiet away from the office and the city, hike in the jungle, swim in Guyana's black water, and take a nap with Elder Harris upon his return to the resort. Knowing our Traveling Tiger, he will soon be whining about wanting to do something else fun and exciting; but with our mission assignments, it could be a long while before “play” works its way up to the top of our “to do” list.
In the meantime, our trip to Arrow Point is one of the high points of our time here in Guyana!!!
2 comments:
Who knew couple missionaries could go to a resort while they were serving their mission!
We enjoyed our trip to Arrow Point as well. Talk about being pampered. The meals they served were wonderful. Did you go for a swim in the black water river in front of the cabins? Some of us sisters also went for a fun canoe ride.
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