Happy Easter

This Easter I went to Bartica for the regatta. Well...sort of. There was a regatta, but I actually didn't see any races. We went too late. Although I missed them, I still had a wonderful and relaxing trip. Here are the details, but first, let me mention the key players who took part in the trip.
Liz (PCV in Leguan)
Malane (PCV in Linden)
Andrea (PCV in Linden)
Loraine (Andrea's Guyanese roommate)
Artie (Loraine's friend)
Katie and Paul (married PCVs in Bartica)
Mark (PCV in Essequibo coast)

Good Friday
Liz and I left for Bartica around 7:30AM and arrived at 9AM. We went straight to Paul and Katie's house. Katie showed us this cool hydroponics thing where you grow plants using sand, rice paddies, and special solution. It's really neat. Then we toured the house, gaffed, and played Scrabble while we waited for Malane, Andrea, Loraine, and Artie to arrive. Finally, we dropped off our stuff at the Balkaraan Guest House around 4PM, and took a long walk to see Bartica and pick up some food for dinner. We decided we wanted pizza so we went on a hunt for cheese. It seemed hopeless. The big shops were closed because of Good Friday and every little shop we stopped at didn't have any. It was getting dark and then it started to rain. Luckily, we found some in the arcade. Liz, Malane, Andrea, and I stopped at the guest house to change and collect Loraine and Artie. Then we went to Paul and Katie's and cooked yummy pizzas.

Saturday
The next day we took a boat tour to this place called White Falls. Other Peace Corps Volunteers joined us. Jason and Jody (who are another married couple in Bartica), Mark (a key player), and Jaq and Erin (from Guy 16). The trip was great!! Our tour guide showed us the where the 3 rivers come together (Essequibo, Mazaruni, and Cuyuni), the Mazaruni Prison, and Kioverall, a Dutch fort that over looks the 3 rivers. The White Falls is a small water fall with black water. It was beautiful. We stayed til about 4PM. On our return we showered and then went to a Brazilian restaurant for dinner. The beef there was soooo good. After dinner we went to Ms. Bartica Regatta, a beauty contest. There were 9 contestants. Now this was some interesting entertainment. For the talent competition there was singing, dancing, a poem, and some dramatic pieces. All that could be said about the performances was "Ya'll should have practiced more than just a half hour before the show." We ended up only staying for the swimsuit and talent competition because it ran so late.

White Fall (that's the black water).

Mark, Liz, Me sitting in the falls.

All of us at the Brazilian restaurant.

Easter

We went to breakfast at the Byderabo House. It was nice. We had eggs, bacon, bread, and muffins. Liz and I even went swimming in the pool for half and hour. Afterwards, we barbecued at Paul and Katie's. We spent the whole afternoon making delicious foods like plantain chips, salads, burgers, and calabrese. In the late afternoon we stopped by the regatta, but the boat racing was over :( We walked around the beach for a bit, and then headed back to Paul and Katie's where we had a drinks and conversation.

Me with Flat Brandon on the beach.

Friends on the beach.

Easter Monday
We had gotten chicken for the barbecue on Sunday but didn't cook it. So we went over to Paul and Katie's mid-morning to cook it for lunch. They were leaving for some camp, so we hung out at the guest house until it was time for dinner. Most of the restaurants were closed because Easter Monday is a holiday. But, we were able to find a place where we all had chicken fried rice. The rest of the evening was spent at the guest house gaffing about Peace Corps and so. Then Malane, Liz, Andrea, and I played scrabble til midnight.

Tuesday
We all returned to our respective areas. All in all it was a nice and relaxing vacation.

Leguan Wedding

I went to Leguan to visit Liz again this month (March), but this time for a Hindu wedding. Pam and Tessa also came.

We got there Saturday where they were having a jhandi. We went late, but we caught the end when the mother and father of the bride were making sacrafices to the gods.
Afterwards we ate seven curry in a big leaf. The seven curries include (starting from the left bottom corner): catahar, pumpkin, mango achar, boulange and eddoe, channa and potato, bagi, and dahl (which is actually in the middle and you can't see it very well).
The way they make this stuff is so cool. The use these giant pots and stirers that look like paddles.
That night we went back for a party. At any Guyanese function the music is playing so loud that your ears and head nearly explode. I guess it's a tactic they use to force you to dance. Well it worked. Although it sent Pam and Tessa back to the house, Liz and I stayed and danced to Soca and Chutney music.
The next day was the wedding. It's very elaborate and we didn't quite understand most of the stuff going on. Luckily a cousin of the bride knew a little and helped with explanations. Pictured below is the "thing" in which the bride and groom got married. Later the groom and his male family tore it down :(
We returned again late that night for some more dancing and music. There were these middle aged women that kept forcing us to dance. One even grabbed my hips so she could move them "correctly" to the music. I would show you more pictures, but this blog thing only lets you put up five. What's up with that!?!