December 6, 2006
Day 434
Shortly before dawn, Craig got out of the tent and tried to figure out when the truck we had heard about last night would be leaving. Suddenly, I heard him running toward me yelling "Let's go!" I quickly packed everything up and jumped into the Bedford just before it pulled away. A new adventure had begun.
The truck dropped us off at Mabura, from where we had been waiting to get to Mahdia a week ago. Everyone there remembered us, and we told them all about the porkknocking jaunt. We hung out at the police station all day again waiting for any vehicle on its way to Mahdia. About the only exciting thing that happened was a guy showed up with a turtle, chopped it apart in front of us, and prepared it for dinner. While we were waiting, an Argentine named Diego passed by on his way to Georgetown. He was the first tourist I had met in Guyana, and he seemed really keen on walking to Kaieteur Falls with us. We told him to meet us in Mahdia tomorrow night if he wants to go. It will be a long journey for him, but still possible.
It was really frustrating waiting for a ride because every minibus that passed us was already full and the drivers weren't interested in talking to us. It seems that nobody can say "no" here. They'd rather just ignore you entire entirely, presumably to avoid losing face. Finally, a minibus with a little bit of room showed up and we took off. Only half a seat was available for me, but at least we got there.
It was pouring rain and almost dark by the time we got to Mahdia. Music was blasting everywhere, and it soon became obvious how lawless the town was. The town's composition was roughly 90% rowdy, drunken miners and 10% prostitutes. I thought I'd see some tourists on package trips out of Georgetown, but there were none. Tonight I opted to stay at the hotel, get clean, and get some rest on a bed for a change.
