Bethany revisited

A resident about to do her laundry, while the little one holds his toothbrush

Bethany is a charming little village in the Pomeroon/Supenaam region. According to a recent census, it has approximately 406 residents, who thrive mainly on logging and farming activities.

The more than 100-year-old village was said to have been named for a place mentioned in the Bible. Though it began as a Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) settlement, with villagers being members of the little SDA church on a hill, and there is a school where persons from Guyana and other parts of world study to become missionaries, some are not as strict anymore as regards religion.

To get to the village one has to take a boat from the jetty at the Supenaam Creek. There are no regular boats working this route, as most villagers have their own, so one may hitch a ride with a villager at a cost of $500; or hire one for $8,000.