Dear Editor,
As I promised to write a second letter about my experiences on the new ferry, I want to begin by saying the 18 hours trip to Mabaruma was too long, not much different than the old ferry, took about 24 hours. We need a ferry to make the trip no more than 12 hours. We need continuous WiFi on the ferry. We need less seats and more places to put hammocks. The seats on the ferry, although comfortable to sit in, not comfortable to sleep in. Several passengers were sleeping on the floor, which was more comfortable. I took a five day trip on the Amazon River, and over 200 passengers slept comfortable in hammocks.
I am happy that the new ferry didn’t have any pigs or other animals on it. No bad odor. I’m happy it has air conditioning, but the air conditioners were not working well because too many passengers in and out. I want to see an emergency safety briefing before departure, like the cruise ships do. I’m happy no one got drunk and behaved bad. There were plenty of alcohol but no fighting. I’m happy that I got to sleep on the bow under the stars. I’m happy that I got to see the location where the oil companies were drilling for oil. I’m happy that the new ferry didn’t have much rocking and shaking like the old ferry. It was a wonderful and comfortable sailing. I slept well and was able to take a shower on board. I’m happy that it has showers on board.
I want the new ferry to return to Georgetown 24 hours after arriving in Mabaruma so I can do a round trip. To wait four days in Mabaruma to return to Georgetown is too long. Not much to do in Mabaruma for four days. No good WiFi in Mabaruma. The canteen should be opened at all times during sailing and serve full meals. The tickets for the ferry is inexpensive but no passenger without a ticket should be turned away from traveling because tickets sold out. There are plenty of places to sit on the bow. If fact, I prefer to be on the bow than inside the cabins. There wasn’t any loud music on board, and I like it that way. I would prefer that alcohol wasn’t selling on board, but I realized that I would be asking for too much. After all, this is Guyana and alcohol is a way of life.
Here is why I’m encouraging all of Guyana to take the ferry. Here is record of my journey. Hours passed. Evening came. Then it was nightfall. It was a moonless night with countless stars. The roasting heat gave way to cold. Sleep was elusive. When the weather was calm, the ocean was silent. I sat awake looking into the sea. The ocean was a featureless flatness. Somewhere along the way, I fell asleep. I have come to love sunrise and the warmth it brought, so in the morning I was lying with my eyes on the horizon, awaiting the sun to rise.
The day before, I saw the most wonderful and breathtaking sunset. All day, under a dark, gyrating sky, I rode the waves sitting on the bow. Then, the sky broke all at once. A sudden, slashing rain came down and the land vanished. The ocean began heaving and thrashing. The wind slapped the ferry in one direction, left to right or East to West. Not too hard to make the ride uncomfortable. Just soft enough to put you to sleep. Wave after wave slammed into the ferry, tipping it sideways but never peeling it upward, nor on the verge of overturning. On the old ferry, many times I thought the ferry was on the verge of overturning. The new ferry handled wave after wave like a cruise ship incredible smoothly.
The next morning, I woke to a strange stillness. The rise and fall of the ferry had ceased, and it sat virtually motionless. There was no wind. The ocean stretched out in all directions in glossy smoothness, regarding the sky and reflecting its image in crystalline perfection. I had this feelings like I was sailing on one of Carnival Cruise’ ships. I have never experienced this feelings before on the old ferry. I have traveled on the old ferry to Mabaruma before and the journey was long, dirty, dangerous and difficult. On the new ferry, it is nothing but smooth sailing. I was loving the ride.
On the new ferry, I saw some incredible and unique stuff. For example, I saw a star just pitched, and a bird flew down from the sky and grabbed a fish with his beak and another bird was fighting him to get the fish. I was able to see countless stars. As the ship rocked from side to side, it made it looked like the stars were dancing. Again, despite the few hiccups mentioned in my letter Sunday, I am strongly recommending all of Guyana to take the new ferry and enjoy a lifetime of memories.
Sincerely,
(Name and Address Provided)
