Bonfim Rodeo

A word about Guyanese inefficiency. It's not just that Guyana is a poor country, but it's the thoughtlessness that goes with it. Take the Takatu Hotel for example. Poor would explain the run down conditions like the pipe shower, the handles falling off, the cracked plastic surrounds and the general disrepair (which is cool, it all adds character). Thoughtlessness would explain why the room is laid out so the door opens smack into the bed, the brand new family size bar of soap they give you each day and why, day in day out, beer is rarely chilled but everything else is.

The Rodeo is cool but no different than Tursday: lights, fireworks and clowns. Only today there are 18 cowboys as oppose to the 20 on Thursday! All the Lethemites rubbish the Rodeo as being a tame, showbiz sell out event and that their Rodeo is the real McCoy. Proper hardcore shit with real wild bulls, not the tame, trained ones they have here. "Look!" they shout, "The bulls even walk back into the stalls of their own accord! We have to ground ours and man-handle them back. Pah, pathetic!"

We bump into Charlo and he tells us another amusing story about some character or other doing something foolish. I like Charlo's stories, they're entertaining, funny and invariably end with a laugh, a sigh and the words, "He's dead now..." (!)

I lay my eyes on the most gorgeous and stunningly beautiful girl. Woah! She has long wavy blonde hair and says she's from North Wales!? Bizarre. She's also snuggled up to the dude who runs Lethem's CyberCafe, who reminds me of the school bus driver in the Simpsons! Even more bizarre.

Alcohol is a jealous friend of mine. Meaning that to my detriment I probably don't give girls as much attention as I should and alcohol more than I probably should. Ian seems to think it's just a trait of being British, that I should drink up and get the next round in!

Posted by Steve Eynon