chapter_02

- Between Order and Chaos -

Trip from Saarbrücken to Lethem.


Turning out to be a little test for the nerves. And I don't know if we pass yet. The film equipment and our luggage is in Port of Spain. We saw it being taken in. And hopefully it comes tomorrow and we can start off a little better. We are both thinking of flipping our lids. But I think I sleep now instead.

_bunnie stop_

One could get the feeling that when the white man come, he must be aware of banditioes. Which is understandable, they have learned from American propaganda that the only thing that matters is money so if someone comes with money, get it from them.

We are at the Prairie Hotel after the night of a not so perfect sleep. But that's normal, getting used to the barking dogs in the distance and the different birds.

They take 85 American dollars the night to stay here. For a similar place in Paris it might be the same prise but this is the middle of nowhere, where land is 3 dollars an Acre or so and labour is quite a lot cheaper than Europe. Maybe the concept of having guests is a little foreign here. No one has heard of the country so who would come. Mad men is my guess.

Guyana, Bryan asked, don't go.

But we came and after we get adjusted and away from the Georgetown area, we'll be better taken care of. But not because it will be cheaper, because Pete will put us up or find someone to put us up. I must admit, I'm not sure what is going on here quite yet.

But the fellow who talked to me in Port of Spain lived here eleven years and loves Georgetown. We will see.

_bunnie stop_

The dream I had a few days ago, which was actually the night before on the other side of the Atlantic about going into a fenced off area to sleep, it has come true, except for the kids. The tourist who wants to visit is put in a prison for his protection. Barb wired fence and a guard at the front gate with a gun. It was like that in Dominican Republic, and in most places it's the same idea. Most places that are very poor. Here in the Caribbean. The trick is to not be a tourist here or don't hang out around Georgetown. If you live here and make friends, then it's like anywhere else only like Bob Dylan says, when you ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose.

_bunnie stop_

Oh look, they even have Gideon's Bible under the telephone. Instead of please feel free to take with you or what ever they say, please don't remove from the room.

"This New Testament with the Psalms has been placed here with the earnest hope that it will prove..."

And if you are feeling lonely and blue, accept Jesus as your personal saviour and all you dreams will come true.

I don't know what the percentage of Christians is in Guyana; they got some good competition with some of the big ones from India. Some of the Indian ones are hard to beat, they go back a long way and we will get some more info before we go on about it.

Today, if we can arrange it, we got to get our load of luggage from Port of Spain, get into town to change American Express traveler’s checks into American cash on account they don't take nothing but cash here, and if all goes well, which it may, we might see Sharla today. If all doesn't go well, I might resort to the Gideons tonight, see if I can't get some good old time religion to comfort me.

I'll try Guyana television right now.

_bunnie stop_

Here's the scoop. The BWIA people stay here. It's not really a tourist hotel. And it has a nice back yard. On the big river, with waterfowl and hawks and Indians in canoes. You gotta pay for a bit of paradise.

Funny really, we have spent so much time trying to kill it all now it's a commodity. Consumerism makes everything into money. Even garbage.

_bunnie stop_

We are in a new room. We can watch the river from here. Ernst is out there looking at it now. Watching a few minutes of the Olympics. Quite different watching NBC rather than ARD. Americans don't understand subtlety. Oh, the birds are squawking.

We are getting our spirits slowly back but as yet not our luggage and equipment; the sounds are one of the things that make a county with trees so amazing.

_bunnie stop_

BWIA will have to get some bad words from at least two of their travellers. They still refuse to put our luggage on a plane from Port of Spain. They are now cutting into our filming time and costing us money because we don't get away from this hotel. The hotel is fine but not in our budget. We'll ask BWIA to pay some of our expenses but I'll have to make a much better letter than the one I sent to Sunquest.

Our driver last night, Lyndond, mentioned that Trinidad doesn't have enough competition. They have no need to have better service because they are the only one. If people don't have to do anything, they won't.

After coming out of customs the second time empty handed, we stood there a little confused and befuddled and had 6 people offering us rides. Everyone wants to make a dollar.

Maybe we have to also write to the ministry of tourism in Trinidad. Maybe there is someone in charge of BWIA as well. It's hard to say. One would expect so but things work differently here. A bit more the chaos method. Compared to Germany anyway.

It's understandable in Guyana, it's all new this idea of bringing visitors in but not in Trinidad.

We might have to go by razors or I won't get this face clean.

_bunnie stop_

Now waiting for Peter to call. The waiting game. No one wants to take responsibility and everyone is glad to refer you to someone else.

"Hello, can you help me."

"We can fill out a form."

"Hello, can we have our equipment."

"I don't know, I can not say."

"Is there anyone who can say. A number for the baggage retrieval and Port of Spain."

"Hello. Port of Spain, can we have our baggage."

"Sorry, he's on holiday."

"Is there someone to talk to?"

"You can talk to anyone but I don't know."

"Do you know anyone who knows."

"No."

"Thank you very little."

"Hello BWIA. Is there anyone there who would help us. We paid big money to have our equipment sent to Guyana and you have managed to get us to Guyana but we - ring.

Now we talk to Gerry. On hold. He's a busy man. Unlike me, I'm the waiting man. It's not the best - hold.

Back at the Bar. Gerry Gouveia is a big hitter here in Guyana. If he can't help us, we can sit here and watch the geckoes and the water flow.

Where were we with our story.

The conversation.

"Hello Pete."

"I'll call Gerry Gouveia and see if we can rattle a few cages."

"Okay."

"Hello:"

"Hey Steve. You got a pen."

"Yes."

"Call Gerry Gouveia right away."

"Okay, thanks."

"Gerry, they don't send us our equipment."

"Send me a fax."

"Will do."

So now we continue the waiting game. Ernst has gone to see if our luggage comes on the small plane or no.

The country will know we are shooting down here. We didn't want it that way but maybe it is okay. They need professional help in a big way. They have limited equipment for almost everything, even by the sounds of it, fire department. It is a land with no real idea of business. Perhaps that keeps a land pretty but it's too late to wait. The world is moving on and Guyana has a lot of work to do to acquire any chance.

But they will attract people. There is something in this land for businesses and the world is slowly getting a little smarter and perhaps they can be one of the few countries where development doesn't mean cutting down all the wild.

They need know-how from countries that have already made the mistake.

In my opinion, we can forget about pretending about being romantic and think about being pragmatic. The best business is a win win combination. The people who live here will have to learn to know what they want, how they can participate in the new world, and what it will cost them.

And they'll have to be nice to people who want to come shoot documentaries or the bloody things won't get shot and no one will know what is going on here. And ignorance is no way to run anything. We left that attitude when Eve ate from the tree of knowledge. I don't believe there was an Eve like in the Bible but then again the story is not so far form the truth. We have stepped away from being an instinctive animal. We should not forget our instincts, especially that of survival, but it is our knowledge, our use of it and our communication of it that give us our advantage.

And if we don't use it, we will lose it. All of it.

_bunnie stop_


taken from:
a trip from saarbrücken to lethem
by john rah

go to number three



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