Four Down - Two to Go...

Time is flying by... and once again I am reminded of my own fallibilities of body and mind.  It is a good thing the problem is familiar; I seem to have done it every year.  " I am going to do ....." this that and the other thing.   As usual, I will get less than half done...  including not writing a Pulitzer Prize- winning blog... You will have to settle for "good enough".

Visit to Lethem

For the second weekend in a row, I was given the privilege of flying (this time  to Lethem on the Brazilian Border) as an impostor psychiatrist. You can go by minivan on a potholed dirt road,  overnight for 18 hours; I declined that experience.

This time it was Dr. Stefon Henry who did all the work, while  I played tourist. Actually, he is a hometown boy from there who made good.   I mean that everyone knew him.

I started with the commercial district ... a mistake, as it is a strip mall of Chinese Discount Stores who seemed to sell the same "junk" to a never ending line of Brazilians who were looking for bargains.  Henry made up for that over the next two days.   

 

After he finished his clinic he was the radio guest at the local station (Radio Lethe 95.1).   He was the bonafide expert on how to increase your mental health.  I was sitting inside with them during the broadcast... He talked about 10 things people can do to help their mental health.    I was impressed with his ease of conversation, and so were other people who stopped us later, saying they had heard him.

Brazil Here I Come.

"Wait! I have to go back and get my passport."

"No you won't need one... Have a beer!"

(I was wondering what the inside of a Brazilian prison looked like.)

Our car approached the Guyana Immigration stop .... and the man just looked at us and waved us on.  I thought of similar times when I was with my Customs Officer brother at the border between Vermont and Quebec, and people would just honk and he'd wave ..... they were going for gas or bingo.

Now we approached the Brazilian border stop ..... and there were rifles.  I knew this was an official stop as our driver put the open beer between his legs.   The officer looked at us and knew Troy and Stefon, so waved us on.

We were going for wine and liquor and beer... and some household goods for Stefon's large family.  We did the same thing on Sunday morning because they realized the three gallons of wine was not enough!  And a few beers for the road .....

Churrascaria Everywhere

I remember when there was only one in Georgetown... In Lethem they are everywhere and certainly the most popular... Clearly not the place for vegetarians.   However, I loved it.   Here it is served on a pre-made skewer:  Churrasco but it sounds like Shohas.

KUMU Falls

I love waterfalls, so Stefon arranged that we go ....   I imagined that we would just get a taxi, drive up to the Falls and go for a swim.  Not exactly!   We had to get a minibus because we made several stops all over Lethem to pick up some of Stefon's brothers and sisters and nephews and nieces...  and then we headed out...

We were on the Rupununi Plains... red dirt roads with lots of pot holes. They also have an amazing way to repair roads.  They simply create new ones to the left or to the right of the bad one.   So sometimes there are three or four alternate roads .....

Water in the old road?   Just start one on the right .....

We arrived and the gate was locked ..... No problem for the locals:  we would go around the back way... However, the back way had a road and bridge that was muddy, wet and a little weakish looking.    We could go back, but in John Wayne's famous words, "Men never retreat."  Instead, we should have chosen "Discretion is the better part of valour."  We got stuck in the mud .....  No problem ..... Out came the ropes and the beer.

We did finally get the van onto the bridge; then it occurred to us, with the wisdom that only beer can bring.  "We will need to leave."   And if it rains we will never leave.  Right now I was thinking that the Brazilian prison was looking good.   Again no problem.  The driver would just get a running start off the bridge and get back up the hill .....  and sure enough, soon the bus was safe on high ground.















Now to the waterfall.   I remember asking more than once "Are we there yet?"  This really doesn't look like a trail."   As the kids bounced over rocks and streams, I actually needed someone's hand to steady myself ..... A true sign I am old!  I should be embarrassed to write this but alas, it is true.

Of course, you can't go anywhere without cold beer.

 //

And yes, Caroline, Izzy and Sydney this is just before the current
took me ass-over-teakettle downstream ..... muttering
"My mind is younger than my body."

Stefon playing King of the Falls.  My mind is not that young!

Once Again

I have rambled on and not gotten to other more important reasons for me being in Guyana ..... students in nursing and psychiatry.  I'll have to save them for another blog ..... I must finish this with a tribute to

Stefon's Family

Over the three days I was in Lethem, Stefon's brothers and sisters and parents welcomed me into their homes and lives; they drove us around when Stefon forgot to book a ride,  and they constantly made do ..... when one brother's car was available but could not get to Brazil and back, we changed cars to get us there ....  I will no doubt forget their names, but never their kindness to me.

 

 

I would like to write more but I have lots still to do today, including reading for Problem Based Learning -- oh, and a lunch and a dinner.   Life is good.

Here is a link to more pictures from Lethem.... for the truly dedicated!  Just pics, no commentary .....  If you have a question, I'll respond.

wonderful and random Lethem pictures



Thanks for reading.