Daily Life In Bartica

April 7th
A bit about the daily life in Bartica..It’s up about 5.45am woken by a combination of cocks crowing, sound systems from Cindy’s Snackette or even the Secondary School Dormitory starting up and then there's the heat of the sun (nearer the equator so the sun is high y 7.30am),…..then put the water to boil up for coffee. If the water supply is on then the cold shower and a shave, otherwise it’a the bucket bath and the collection of water from the tanks just out side the backdoor. Put on the roti plan and make toast ( guava jelly to put on it) and the fresh fruit ( depending on season … a combination of some of the following….pineapple, passion fruit, oranges, water melon, banana, paw paw.. then most days Derek does the washing of clothes by hand ( cold water in buckets outside the back door) to hang out to dry for the eveningThen leave the house and cycle to work ( about10 minutes) to arrive just before 8 o’clock…
(This ritual will change in the coming weeks because we will be in local schools or at the Learning Centre which is close by). Work for Derek finishes about 4.30pm but Trudy stays on at the Learning Centre for another hour to lend books to children who come and like to play games and hear a story from Trudy.. Then it's another welcome cold shower change a cooling drink, eat and then DVD or a little work or a drink with friends to be in bed by around 9.30pm...

Sights not seen often in Preston Village

Man on a motor cycle, driving along with a wheelbarrow on his head

Man riding a bicycle without brakes but stopping deftly by using his right foot on the back tyre…


3 children riding a bike with the front child waving a cutlass( a machete)
Donkeys, goats, chickens, horses, cows , dogs wandering unaccompanied along the roads

Minibus loaded with 20 passengers travelling through small villages on the coast road out of Georgetown at a cool 75mph in a 70Km per hour zone