WE DIDN’T SEE MUCH OF PORT OF SPAIN, despite the running commentary of our cab driver. There just isn’t much to see in the dark. Truth be told, we should have opted for an airport hotel
, but L’Orchidee Boutique Hotel in St. Ann’s was pleasant and Connie had a chance to hone her birding skills before we returned to the airport for our onward flight to Guyana.
Gregg and Laura, wonderful hosts
Yes, we are off to see more of the world again. After leaving the RV near San Antonia for some insurance-covered cosmetic repairs we drove to Houston to stay with Greg and Laura, friends from our first cruise back in 2011. Not only did they put us up — and put up with us — they offered to take us to the airport and pick us up again. Now that’s friendship!
Judy, Frank, April and Bill
There is no easy way to get from the States to Karanambu Lodge in Guyana and all routes require a night in Trinidad. We connected with Frank and Judy and Bill and April, our tour mates for Guyana, and flew to Georgetown where we spent the night and got to know each other. Bill, a veteran of 97 birding trips to Trinidad on his first visit to Guyana, was never-the-less our “leader.” He and April are from Indiana and are serious birders. Frank and Judy are experienced nature lovers. He has worked for the Bureau of Land Management and Judy is a former National Park ranger and a dead ringer for Nevada Barr’s Anna Pigeon.
Nothing flashy, Karanambu
Melanie and the gang from Karanambu were waiting for our single-engine Trans-Guyana flight at the dirt airstrip with a pair of well-used pickups. We stopped several times on the way to the lodge for a look at some of the birds; guess this will be a serious trip. Karanambu is an open-air, no-frills “resort.” Our room is large with a wonderful canopy bed with copious mosquito netting. There is low-voltage solar electricity and cold showers. Meals are simple but the staff is friendly and there should be two or three birding outings a day, each in a different habitat
