Guyana - Weekend Getaway and Wrap-Up

So I officially fail at regular blog posting. In my defense, the past few weeks have been absolutely jam packed...But anyway, here's an update about my amazing weekend in Trinidad & Tobago and the last days in Guyana. *sniff* :'(

First things first: Tobago was absolutely GORGEOUS. I never in a million years thought I would be somewhere so picturesque. Luckily, we had an in with a local, so we got to stay in this nice guesthouse about 5 minutes from the beach (thanks Chelsea!). :) We landed around noon on Saturday (7/2), and by 2:00pm we were in a glass bottom boat that took us to reefs for snorkeling and to Nylon Pool for exfoliating. It was INCREDIBLE!! We also ate at this delicious sit-down seafood restaurant for dinner. The catch of the day just happened to be mahi-mahi (my favorite fish) with shrimp. That food was so good! See below for pictures.

Crystal clear water

Store Beach

Chelsea, me, and Amanda in a mangrove bay.

Delicious dinner of mahi-mahi, shrimp, rice, spiced papaya,
some orange mush, and veggies. :)

On Sunday, Omani (the guesthouse owner's son) showed us around the entire island of Tobago - it's about 26 miles from end to end. We went to Englishman's Bay first. Oh. My. Goodness. It was basically empty, and we had the whole place to ourselves. Clear turquoise water, white sand beaches, not much around in terms of shops/buildings. It was perfect. We grabbed lunch on the second floor of this little snackette by the beach. Shrimp roti with potato and chickpea curry. I'd say my view for lunch was pretty good. :)

Englishman's Bay

My view at lunch :)

After Englishman's Bay, we headed to Pirate's Bay. Little did we know the adventure ahead of us...Pirate's Bay is a very secluded spot. The road actually ended and became basically a ledge on the mountain with tire tracks. It was more terrifying than the bus ride up into the Andes Mountains when I was 10. But we made it to a spot Omani thought we could park at, and walked the rest of the way. It was a bit of a hike, but man was it worth it!! It was such a beautiful, secluded cove and the water was perfect. We had some fun swimming and climbing around on the rocks near the shore.

The "bushes" to the left of the "road" are actually the
tops of trees growing on the side of the cliff...

View (from the bottom) of the stairway that took us to the bay

Pirate's Bay

Chelsea, Amanda, and I swimming in the beautiful water

We made a few more stops on the way back at various picturesque locations, including the first fort, King George's Fort, that had a lovely view of the capital city (Scarborough), and a lookout of Little Tobago, a small island next to Tobago. Amanda and I really didn't want to leave, but we were excited to explore Port of Spain, Trinidad during our long layover on the way back to Guyana.

Not a bad view of Little Tobago ;)

Bye Tobago, I'll see you again (hopefully soon) :)

In Port of Spain, Amanda and I made the Hyatt Regency our "home base" for the day. We splurged a bit on a delicious lunch (I had a chicken sandwich and cucumber salad) and dessert (tiramisu with espresso chocolate sauce) that was well worth the money. It was the closest we had come in over a month to feeling like we were back in the states, so it was nice. We were then picked up by a driver to take us on a tour of the city. He was nice and just showed us the highlights on the way to where we really wanted to spend our time - Maracas Bay beach. :) It was a perfect place to spend the 4th of July! The beach even had free wifi, so that was an added bonus! We also got to try Bake n' Shark at Richards Bake n' Shark shack (featured on Bizarre Foods!!). It was SO good, especially smothered in cilantro and garlic sauce with cucumber and tomato. Never thought I'd be eating shark!

Beautiful Trinidad

Maracas Bay - unreal!

Maracas Bay

Bake n' shark

Amanda and I both commented that, while T&T had been incredible, we were looking forward to getting back to Guyana, since it really had come to feel like home to us! Once we got back to Guyana, it was a few fun days in the lab, and then I was again at the airport. This time I was heading HOME!! For a few days at least. :) Nothing was going to stop me from celebrating with my cousin Sierra & her fiancee (now husband!!) at their wedding!! :) :) It was so unbelievably amazing seeing and spending time with family. A much needed recharge after being away for so long. It was a jam-packed, but fun-filled weekend.

Soon enough, I was headed back to Guyana to wrap up the project. It was so bittersweet! Everyone in the lab had begun to feel like family, and it was so hard to say goodbye!! :( They were amazing, making a pineapple upside down cake and bringing sparkling grape juice for our last day in the lab. They also put together baskets (one for each of us) containing a TON of local products! They included 4 types of jam, roti mix, spices for curry, pholourie mix, cassava bread, and so much more! We were absolutely overwhelmed by their generosity in giving us a little bit of Guyana to take back with us. Then, Nalissa, Zenzie, and Jason took us to the airport. I'll admit, it was very, very, VERY hard to leave and my eyes were a bit teary. As excited as we were to explore the next country, neither Amanda nor myself wanted to get on the plane. :( Being in Guyana was such an amazing experience, and I can't begin to thank my Guyanese family enough for being so amazing and making sure we had a wonderful time in Guyana!!!! I just know I'll make it back again someday. :) :)

Delicious cake made by Nalissa (with fresh pineapple!) 

Basket of Guyanese goodies!

Me with the lab dog, Girlfriend. I'm going to miss her! 

Our Guyanese family :)
(minus Shevone who was taking the picture)

I'm exhausted, so that's all for now. We've safely arrived in Suriname and started work. I'm excited get to know everyone in the lab and to see what this next country brings!

Much Love,

Joslyn

P.S. Psalm 139:9-10 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.