Georgetown

For those who don't know I'm here to do a Jungle Survival Course with Bushmasters.

After waiting ½ hour at the bar for a coffee and an egg toastie I return to my room to be greeted by Richard, another Bushmaster tourist. He's a bit shorter than myself, looks, sounds and is built like a public school boy. He's been working as a deck hand and tender captain on a £2 billion boat in the Caribbean for the past 9 months and flew in from Barbados yesterday. We go for a walk around Georgetown. We're the only white people around and suffice to say, we stand out. At the cash point I draw out the maximum amount allowed by the machine, some 40,000 groats (£100 ish) and it offers up a wad of cash the size of a brick! I have trouble closing my wallet. Previously Richard had drawn out 3 times that amount and now has fistfuls of notes pouring out of all his pockets.

We head to the market, it's total bedlam. Thousands of people jammed in little corridors fighting to get past each other. Every corner sells different stuff: fish, clothes, gold, food, whatever. We head out of the centre and walk along the Sea Wall, specifically because the Foreign Office doesn't recommend it! Walking back to the hotel we stop in a bar for a beer and couple games of pool. Richard is good. I lose.

Back at the hotel we knock on Ian "Bushmaster" Craddock's door. He's a small pleasant chap with a very un-assuming character which belays his Special Forces background (that's SAS to you!). We head out for beers and a burger and are joined by Sarah "Bushmaster" Jones and Graham, the other survivalist to be. He's a fair skinned, ginger, office job looking person who appears rather shy. Oh, and the airline has lost his main pack too! I share a twin room with Richard for the night as it's on the Bushmaster's tab.

Posted by Steve Eynon