Travel Letters

Karanambu Lodge

Karanambu Lodge

North Rupununi District

Section 9

Guyana

 

I spent two days relaxing at the Karanambu Lodge.

How better to relax then a morning ride across the savannah in search of the Giant Anteater and an afternoon river cruise in search of the Giant River Otter?

Here is the description of Karanambu from my Wilderness Explorers itinerary:

Karanambu, a 110-square mile former cattle ranch, was the home of the late Diane McTurk, conservationist and a world-renowned expert on giant otters. Karanambu is located in the North Rupununi, a region of south-western Guyana known for its expansive wetlands and savannah, as well as its biological and cultural diversity.

Surama and Rock View

Surama Eco-Lodge

Surama

South Pakaraima District

Section 8

Guyana

January 25, 2018

My Scandinavian friend Oscar is a Certified Bushmaster. 

As a young soldier, Oscar served two tours in Afghanistan.  He still serves in the military and yet decided to test his skills in Jungle Survival here in Guyana with Bushmasters, a “survival” tour operator based in England.

There are two phases to the “Jungle Survival Experience” – Training and then Isolation.

Iwokrama River Lodge

Iwokrama River Lodge

Kurupukaro Crossing

Section 8

Potaro-Siparuni

Guyana

January 25, 2018

 

Hello from the Tropical Rainforest,

I consulted with Wilderness Explorers and together we devised my itinerary in Guyana.

From Georgetown I flew to the Fair View Airstrip and arrived at the Iwokrama River Lodge.

Here is the itinerary as described by Wilderness Explorers:

Iwokrama

Pickup and transfer to Eugene F. Correia International Airport.

Board scheduled flight for journey over hundreds of miles of tropical rainforest to land at Fair View Airstrip.  

Pick up from Fair View Airstrip and transfer to Iwokrama River Lodge.

The Iwokrama Rainforest is a vast wilderness of one million acres (404,690 hectares). This protected area was established in 1996 as the Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development. The Iwokrama Forest is in the heart of one of four last untouched tropical forests of the world - The Guiana Shield of North-Eastern South America.

Stabroek Market, Georgetown, Guyana:

Georgetown (pop 235,000)

Co-operative Republic of Guyana (pop 773,000)

Saturday

January 20, 2018

 

“Let’s take a photo with the white guy!”

Just outside the Stabroek Market, a group of taxi drivers are curious about me.   I approach them with my usual big smile, and one of them hollers, “Hey, let’s take a photo with the white guy.”  We all have a good laugh as we pose together.

The guidebooks caution against visiting the large and complex Stabroek Market.  Dodgy characters, beggars, pickpockets, unpleasant sights and treacherous walkways, etc.  White guys are a rarity.  Naturally it is my first stop.  Is there a market anywhere in the world sans dodgy characters?

Tbilisi: An Accident?

Tbilisi

Georgia

October 1, 2012

Monday 

Dear Rabbi Kantor, My Family and My Friends,

What happened today, was it an accident?

After yesterday's tiring journey from Bangkok to Tbilisi, after a late breakfast today, after several telephone conversations with two hotels, after a period of indecision and finally a decision, after waiting for an appointment who never showed up, finally, at about 11:30 in the morning, I begin my stroll in Tbilisi.

I walk down a hill high above the Mtkvari River, cross the river on a modern footbridge, and make a left turn up a cobbled street lined with restaurants and souvenir shops.  Then I choose a right turn up a main thoroughfare.  I stop to buy a hat.  I continue my stroll while looking for a "second cup of coffee."  

The sign says "Electric Cafe" so I take a right turn down a narrow side street.  The cafe is there but just opposite the cafe is a large building.  A synagogue! 

The Yangtze: Three Gorges Passage

Yichang
Hubei Province
People's Republic of China

June 25, 2010

My Dear Cruise Aficionados,

After the Nile and the Amazon, the Yangtze is the third longest river in the world.

The Yangtze or Chang Jiang is also the longest river in Asia. That really is saying something when you consider that the Yellow River #2 is 5464 km (3395 mi), the Mekong #3 is 4909 km (3035 mi), and the Indus #9 and Brahmaputra #10 are each 2909 km (1808 mi). Numbers 4-8 are rivers in Russia that run from south to north in Siberia and flow into the Arctic Ocean.

The Yangtze rises in the west from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau and empties into the East China Sea  The river flows 6300 kilometers (3915 miles) while draining eleven provinces from Qinghai to Shanghai.

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