By Jasmaine Payne

OF all the things we take for granted, it is perhaps those within closest reach that we overlook the most. Studies have shown that world travellers believe that you should tour your own country before travelling abroad.

In Guyana, this should include more than just touching the furthest ends of our borders, since, at the tips of our fingers rests our very own Garden City in all her renewed glory.
And while a drive around the city gives you an eyeful of all the historic landmarks and recently cleaned streets, an aerial tour could provide a bird’s eye view so picturesque, it is actually worth forgetting any possible fear of heights or tiny planes.

FROM ALL ANGLES
As Guyana heads steadily toward her 50th Anniversary of Independence, Guyanese should ensure that they take in every local experience from all angles, all in the name of celebrating our country in the fullest.
As such, in their considerations of things to do, Marketing Executive of Roraima Airways, Dellon Murray believes that taking an aerial tour of Georgetown would be a worthwhile addition to any tourist’s ‘to do’ list.
“We are ensuring that persons living here, as well as persons visiting, will be able to get that aerial view of our capital city, especially at this time, where we are bringing back our glory days of a cleaner Georgetown,” Murray said.
And so, resting on the words of Dellon, I set off with a handful of other professionals in the company’s Britten-Norman Trislander into the face of the setting sun to experience Georgetown from above.

First timers, be warned! There’s always that initial feeling of complete dread as you climb thousands of feet into the sky!
What’s more, it’s a tiny plane; one bound to test the nerves of any claustrophobe! But the fear eventually subsides, and is taken over by a sense of awe, as the buildings that moments ago towered over you become like tiny tokens on a board game.
The first sight that greets you is the rooftops of the buildings: A dappled array of oranges, reds, pinks and greens; a scene often marvelled at by tourists as something unique to our country.

CALM RUSSET WATERS
The tour first takes you west towards Kingston, before turning to head south along the Demerara River, above boats tearing neatly through the calm russet waters, and vessels docked snugly by the wharves.
The craft then flies quickly over the Demerara Harbour Bridge, before turning to head back north over central Georgetown. On the way back, one gets a clear view of the Providence Stadium,

before heading towards the historic downtown landmarks like the Stabroek Market and the St. George’s Cathedral.
It is up here that one gains a sturdy sense of respect for the unknown architects as you take in the tight formation of hundreds of thousands of buildings sitting along rigid streets and roads.
The plane then turns back to head south over the Giftland Mall and the Arthur Chung Convention Centre before skimming over the humble homes in Sophia among hundreds of coconut trees and sandy pathways.
This is the last scene on the tour, before the plane veers back down to the landing strip of the Ogle Airport, bringing the 20-minute ride to an end.

A BRIEF TRIP
It’s a brief trip that takes away a short amount of time, but adds a large amount of value to your experience of Guyana. What is more, the tour is also cost-effective at just G$4,000 per seat.
As such, people who have never left Guyana or even boarded a plane can easily get a taste of flying while taking in the splendour of their very own home. “You get to see the mesmerizing beauty of Georgetown,” Murray said, “Some persons living here may not have travelled outside of Georgetown, but it is historic, and has colonial history. And because of that, the wooden architecture and even the colour of the rooftops make it picturesque.”

The company also offers aerial tours to schools and corporate entities, he said, adding that it ensures the utmost safety of its passengers at all times.
“Roraima is known for our accident-free history, so we are able to say proudly that we do not fly single-engine aircraft. We have double engines, and we have just introduced our triple engine trislander. It’s safe, and we also have very strict criteria on the qualifications of our pilots and engineers,” Murray said.
With all that in mind, I left thinking of how, within a mere 20 minutes, I was able to cross yet another unique experience off my Guyana ‘To-Do’ List.
It is always good to know that as Guyanese, wherever we end up in this world, we take the richest experiences of Guyana with us.