License Plates

In Guyana a car is given a number and it is up to the owner to get a license plate. It doesn't matter what kind of plate, as long as the number is readable. Here are some examples of license plates.

 

Look Up

 

We spend a lot of time looking at the sky. The cloud formations are endless.

Public Facilities

Construction

We have seen a lot of dogs enjoying sand piles, but this is the first time we observed cows doing the same thing. This pile of sand is used for construction. All buildings start out with three or four feet of sand under them. Concrete is mixed by hand with a shovel. There is no heavy equipment to level a lot, so sand can be poured in and leveled. When people are building something, the sand goes in front of their house - even if that is in the street. It is common to have to drive over or around piles of sand.

Post Office

This is the post office that we use. We got there just as Elder and Sister Owens were coming out. There is no junk mail in Guyana, so mail delivery only occurs when there is a bill or a letter. Our mail girl wears brown slacks, a tan tunic and has an awesome sun hat. She delivers mail from a bicycle.

Snackette

This is a snackette. It is across the street from the post office. There is a snackette on almost every block. It is in the front lower portion of someone's house. You can go there to buy snacks. This one has chairs and tables to encourage people to stay. After school there are school children with soda pop liming. (Lime means "hang out" in Guyanaese). After work, adults lime with beer. Some snackettes are larger and are small grocery stores. This is a small one. The window is barred. You can look in and see the shelves and pick out what you want. The larger ones allow you to walk in and shop.

Day Off

We took a day off because we work really hard and needed it. We traveled to Arrowpoint Resort and spent the night. It is really beautiful. We traveled 45 minutes by speedboat to get there. We stopped at the Santa Mission (Indian reservation) and were taken on a tour, stopping at the crafts shop where we bought baskets and carvings. We took hikes in the woods, ate lots of food, swam in the creek, paddled kayaks and generally had a wonderful time. The West Indies Mission is the only mission in the world where there are so many senior couples. We have bonded like a big family.

Busses

Busses provide a major means of transportation in Guyana. They are not like the busses in the US. Each bus has a route, but not a schedule. In order for our Branch President to get to church, he has to take a bus from his home to downtown Georgetown to the bus park. There he finds the bus that will take him to church. He lives about 3 miles from church, but the bus takes him 6 miles in and then 8 miles out. There are no transfers because each bus is owned and operated independently.

We found out that there are two ways to get a driver's license. First you study the book and take the test and pay the fee. Or, you study the book, take the test, flunk the test and then pay a bigger fee. Either way, you drive.

Each bus has a driver and a "conductor". The conductor hangs out the window looking for passengers. He yells at the top of his lungs with a fist full of money, advertises how many seats are available. He also gives hand signals to the driver behind if the driver wants to turn that way. We have beem trained to look for waggling fingers and to interpret their meaning.

Bus drivers think they own the road. Everyone else is an inconvenience. A bus will pass us at a high rate of speed, only to stop right in front of us to pick up or let out a passenger.

Bus routes are designed to take about 1 hour per trip. The rules state that they can only make 8 trips a day, but they do more like 12 because they can't make any money on 8 trips. Eight trips cover their costs.

Busses play very loud music as they go. People are stuffed in even though they are only allowed to have 15 passengers per bus - children don't show.

All of the busses have names and advice written on their windshields, sides, and back windows. It is funny to read how many of the say things like "Praise the Lord" or "God Loves Me" only to have them cheat death by inches.

Almost all of the accidents we read about in the paper include a bus. We would rather walk than take a bus.