WHEN last did you go “over the river”?  — If you live at any part on the east of the river, that is.

For persons living on the West Coast or West Bank of Demerara, boarding a ferry at the Vreed-en-Hoop stelling, or crossing the Harbour Bridge in an automobile to enter Georgetown is an everyday thing. But believe it or not, I have met people who never dared to take this short trip to explore Region Three. Their excuse is usually, “Ah frighten boat”, or “Ah doan know nobody deh”.
Well, you don’t know what you’re missing, as, for just $200 dollars (US$1) return fare if you take the boat, and $240 (US$1.20) if you take the bus, you can have a mini-vacation unlike any other right here in Region Three.
If you are ready for your Region Three experience, take notes. I will leave it up to you to decide what mode of transportation to use to embark on your little adventure. My only advice is that taking the ferry is faster, as it will take you only about ten minutes to reach the West Coast, while it will take about 45 minutes to get to Vreed-en-Hoop overland, which I have chosen to focus on here. However, the bus route is more scenic for first-time visitors, as you will also get to see a bit of the West Bank when you make the right turn at the Demerara Harbour Bridge en route to the Vreed-en-Hoop junction.
If you wanted to travel up the West Bank, then you would have had to use a route 31 bus, as the route 32 buses are Vreed-en-Hoop (up to Best Road or Crane Village) or West Coast (all the way to Parika, East Bank Essequibo).
Taking the ferry, though, will cause you to dock at the Vreed-en-Hoop ferry stelling, which will immediately place you at probably the best possible vantage point to begin seeing the ‘West Side’.
Vreed-en-Hoop is quite a large village that encompasses a few smaller communities, among them Crane, Ketley Street, Coglan Dam and a portion of Plantain Walk. The ‘Stelling Road’ is mostly commercial. There is a combined car park lined on both sides by a series of beer gardens, barber shops, record bars, a photo studio, a goldsmith’s shop, a shoemaker’s shop, and so on.
A walk down the road will lead you to outdoor produce markets, mini-malls, department stores, supermarkets, the police station, post office, and a branch of the Republic Bank. If you turn the junction and head left as if to go to the West Bank, you encounter Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) next to the Vreed-en-Hoop/Plantain Walk village sign.
There are small shops on both sides, displaying mostly clothes, shoes, handbags, costume jewellery, as well as some that specialize in phone accessories and unlocking services.
Crossing over the junction and maintaining your straight line will lead you up New Road, Vreed-en-Hoop, which is not quite a commercial district like Regent or Sheriff Street, nor is it a residential area like Roraima Park or Hibiscus Place. This village is neither, and residents co-exist peacefully with the beer garden or Chinese restaurant next door.
Heading up the road will give you access to a host of services that are of comparable quality to their Georgetown counter-parts. If you like to eat out, there is Chicken N Burger Delight at the Junction, a branch of M&M Snackette a stone’s throw away, Red Cherry Parlour up the road, a Chester Fries joint further up, and a host of Chinese restaurants, notably Lucky Garden, Golden Coast, Bright Star and ‘Dal ga Luck’. It would be remiss of me not to mention Tiger Palace, further up the stelling, which, despite its humble appearance, has some of the tastiest Creole food on the market. You should try the beef curry and rice (your choice of white or brown) served with dhall.
You will find extension offices to almost every convenience you need right in Vreed-en-Hoop, as apart from the two major commercial banks mentioned earlier, there are branches of the Hand-in-Hand and Demerara Mutual Life Insurance companies, offices of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) and the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI), just to name a few.
Vreed-en-Hoop is where the Regional Democratic Council Office is located, thus making it the administrative centre of the West Coast and West Bank of Demerara, and of the Essequibo Islands, which all comprise Region Three.
Vreed-en-Hoop is also home to the West Demerara Regional Hospital (more commonly referred to as ‘Best Hospital’ due to its Best Road location) which, despite loads of bad press, remains one of the leading hospitals in the country, and offers an ever-growing range of health care services.

A fun fact is that the name of the town comes from the Dutch ‘Vrede en Hoop’, translated as ‘Peace and Hope’ in English; and indeed true to the name, the residents seem somewhat more peaceful and hopeful than the city dwellers, as there are hardly any major incidents to disturb the peace at Vreed-en-Hoop.
Most people retire to their homes early, and from 9 pm or thereabouts, there is only the blare of television sets or the sound of passing traffic to break the silence of the evening.
If you’re a night owl, there are places you can go, of course. Just check out the spots at the stelling or up at the junction, which come to life at the latter part of the week and weekends. But that’s another story.
All I have to say is that, for me, having lived at Vreed-en-Hoop for more than ten years, ‘the West Side is the Best Side’.