THERE are many places in Guyana that can easily vie for the title of the most magnificent places in the world, but tucked away in Region One (Barima-Waini), is a quiet but fun-filled subregion known as Moruca.

The subregion, Moruca, is divided into 11 titled communities, including Hurradiah, Kumaka, Mora and Santa Rosa, just to name a few. Some of these communities are only accessible by water, which is exactly the mode of transportation I took to get to the region.

The journey to Moruca began in Georgetown at the populous ‘bus park’. Here, there are two options: the first is to take a bus ride to Parika, on the East Bank of Essequibo, which involves crossing over the Demerara Harbour Bridge; the second is to take a short boat ride from the stelling behind the Stabroek Market to Vreed-en-Hoop and then, take a bus from there to Parika. It’s really up to you, but personally, the boat ride offers more adventure.

At Parika, the next leg of the journey is to get a boat to the Supenaam Stelling. This should be easy enough as the speedboat operators are always eager to fill up their boats and once you’ve secured a spot in the boat, it’s a scenic trip to Supenaam. You’ll be surrounded by water and blotches of vegetation indicate the very many islands around. But even here, the trip has not really begun.

In Supenaam, there are several more eager persons waiting to scoop you up, this time in their taxis, where they will transport you to Charity, the next and final port before Moruca. The car ride there goes along one, long, straight road cutting through the Essequibo Coast. Rice fields and coconut trees are not strange appearances here.

As per norm by now, at Charity, boatmen will surround the taxi hoping to convince you to travel on their boat. They’re all travelling to Moruca, so it doesn’t matter which you take I guess, but ‘Peanut and Sons’ are quite popular and have a well-established service. And you might have to wait a bit at the Charity Stelling for the speedboat to be filled, so spend the time walking around the market and enjoying your ability to stretch your legs. You’ll thank me later.

SCENIC BOAT RIDE
Soon enough, the boat should be ready and as long as you’ve stocked up on egg balls and pine tarts, you’re good to go. The boat travels up the Pomeroon River and you know how they say the Pomeroon is famous for its coconuts? That was a gross understatement. Looking to your right, there are thousands of trees in sight but during my journey up, it was raining so my windows were covered for some time.

After moving up the Pomeroon, the boat makes a brief sojourn into the Atlantic Ocean where the ride gets very intense- with bumps and splashes just as soon as you’ve caught your breath from the former. And guess what? If you look way, way out- towards the direction of Trinidad- you still won’t be able to see anything but miles and miles (and miles) of water touching the horizon. Additionally, if your window is opened like mine was, you might not realise it but your shirt will for sure be soaked before you turn into the much calmer Moruca River.

Luckily, in this river, there isn’t much to worry about. Only trees casually falling across the river; floating vegetation and intruding mangroves all eager to impede the boat’s path. But no worries, it’s a short ride through here (as long as all goes well) and before long, you’ll see the famous ‘Moruca Bridge’ which signals your arrival in Kumaka, Moruca.

Before leaving for Moruca, I decided that since it was at the top of Guyana (and being closer to the equator and all), it would be much warmer; you know because of science and stuff. So let’s imagine my surprise when I arrived there and I began freezing. Furthermore, I only packed clothes for warm weather. But I wouldn’t let that deter me. I had to enjoy my time there.

Fortunately, the guesthouse- the Vincentia Guesthouse- that I was staying at for the few days was a five-minute walk from the landing. It was just a cosy place that felt like just like home and Uncle John, the proprietor, was the nicest man you’d ever meet. And, along the path to the guesthouse was a cook shop that sold any food you wanted for a really affordable cost.

MEETING THE PEOPLE
There’s one straight road cutting through Kumaka and connecting few other communities like Mora and along the way, Morucans are the most polite people I’ve ever met, and it’s quite easy to strike up a conversation.

For me, I was there during the Football World Cup group matches and it seems as though every Morucan has an unwavering support for the Brazilian team. Just off the landing where the boat would have dropped me off was a shop with a television that persons stopped by to catch a glimpse of the football before heading to work or school. Even if football isn’t your cup of tea, the excitement is infectious and, there is food and drinks all around here to ensure you have a great time just hanging out.

Aside from that, there are hundreds of schoolchildren flocking this area to cross over the bridge to get to the Santa Rosa nursery or primary schools.

Being a quiet area, one of the best things you can do for yourself is sit down by the river edge and place your feet in the water or relax in a hammock where it is guaranteed that you will fall asleep. Back at my guesthouse, Uncle John had enough fruit trees to keep me filled and I might have climbed his fence to get mangoes from his neighbour. It was all part of the fun.

Before long, work aside, it was time to leave the quiet little place and head back into the busier city life- but not before a bit of an adventure.

THE JOURNEY BACK HOME
Remember I spoke about the tree falling across the Moruca River? How fortunate was I to have that experience at six o’clock in the morning, soon after I departed Kumaka and as I was half awake and probably freezing. At least, I had Minister Valerie Patterson in my boat, so no worries, right?

At some point, men from the village came with a chainsaw to cut the tree out but in the meantime using your life jacket as a neck pillow is one of the best things you can do for yourself while munching on bake and saltfish from Moruca. If you happen to fall asleep, I hope you sleep soundly, because at that time in the morning, there are hundreds of birds waiting to serenade you. And if you have a camera with enough focal length, why not stand on top of the boat to get the shot of the tree in the river?

The boat ride out was just as eventful as the boat ride in, you know, looking for Trinidad and all. But this time the sun was in its full glory (and in my face) but this is why we travel in covered speedboats. But, how can you not want to open the windows and take photos of the Pomeroon in all its morning glory? Just ensure that you tell whoever is sitting behind you first, so that you don’t get scolded for waking them up or anything.

And every now and then, another speedboat would pass by and the captain tries to ease the impact by slowing down and cruising, but if you feel nauseated it might be good to keep some gravol tablets on hand and if you’re just a ball of excitement (like me) the rocking will be the best thing ever.

Speaking of the best thing ever, there’s something majestic about the sun bouncing off the Pomeroon or peeking through the thousands of coconut trees lining the river. The green and yellow edges of the coconut branches were illuminated like no other and it was a seemingly unending trail of the slender trees until the scenery slowly but surely become punctuated by houses.

But soon enough, the trip winds down to Charity. And while you might be content, like I was, you will most definitely be tired. All in all, however, the trip will be an unforgettable one as Moruca is simply an adventure waiting to be experienced.