By Francis Quamina Farrier
It’s been over four years since my last visit to the Rupununi, and I’m not proud to admit such a failing on my part. I also have to admit that I am becoming very worried not being able to

analyse the developments which are taking place there from up-dated first hand knowledge. My first visit to the Rupununi was way back in 1963, and I have been there many, many times since. Every time I am there, I am in awe of those Giant Ant Hills. How could such tiny creatures construct such magnificent structures! On my first visit to the Rupununi some fifty three years ago, I was part of a group of tourists from Georgetown and beyond.

That trip to the Rupununi was organized by school teacher and Girls Guide Leader, Ms Marge Rockcliffe – a relative of the well-known solicitor, Leon “Gunn” Rockcliffe. Teacher Margie, was one of Guyana’s first Tour Operators. She did it out of her heart, since she wanted ordinary Guyanese to see their country. Ms Rockcliffe had a simple system which included a little note book, into which she would enter your name and record every deposit her special penny-pinching tourists would make over time, until the full sum for the trip was paid.

My first such trip with her was to the mighty Kaieteur Falls in 1962. It was a one week return trip which took the following course. Day one from Georgetown to Bartica; Georgetown to Vreed-en-Hoop by the T&HD, MV Queriman ferry boat. From Vreed-en-Hoop to Parika by the West Coast Demerara T&HD train. And from Parika to Bartica by another T&DH ferry boat up the Essequibo river, where the group did an overnight stop-over in that tiny rivering village, referred to as “The Gateway to the Interior”.

Day two; by ‘bush bus’ from Bartica along the 111 miles trail, meandering over hills and mountains, creeks and rivers, which included the “Denham Suspension Bridge” over the “Garraway stream” (which that section of the Potaro river is called) on to Mahdia. The ‘bush bus’ was really a long lorry in which the seats were like hammocks. It was a long and tiring journey which took about ten scenic hours. Back then, some fifty four years ago, that Bartica-Potaro trail was much. much better then what is is when I travelled on a section of it just this last Wednesday, February 1, 2017. At present that trail is in a horrible condition.

On Day three, the group travelled up the Potaro river by open boat, skirting two powerful rapids – the Amatuk and the Waratuk. That necessitated everyone getting out of the boat, which was then manually pulled on land to the upper section of the river. There, is was gently pushed back into the river where the onward journey continued. That Day three journey, ended at Tukait, another powerful rapid which is to some degree, at the foot of the Kaieteur Water Falls. There were some comfortable cabins there, where we spent the night. On the fourth day, the party made the arduous journey by foot up the mountain to view the mighty Kaieteur Falls up close and awesome. That is a climb, only for the brave of spirit and the physically strong.

The return journey from the Kaieteur Falls was a reverse of the inward journey. A few days later, by arrangement, most members of the group met at Ms Rockcliffe’s resident on Middle Street in Georgetown, where we reflected on the highlights of the “trip of a lifetime”, as we exchanged photographs and enjoyed ice cream and cake provided by Ms Rockcliffe. For all of that and the Kaieteur trip , we had paid the mighty sum of SIXTY FIVE GUYANA DOLLARS.
So satisfied I was with that Kaieteur trip that I immediately signed up with Ms Marge Rockcliffe for an up-coming week-end trip to the Rupununi, and began to make regular deposits to that end. It was the Easter week-end of 1964. The party of tourists included both Guyanese and non-Guyanese. We were taken from Georgetown to Atkinson Field (Now the Cheddi Jagan International Air[port) where we flew in one of the British Guiana Airways Dakota planes to Lethem.

The group was based at the Lethem Guest House, from where we made trips to neighbouring St. Ignatius Mission as well as to Bon Fim across the Takatu border river in Brazil. At that time Bon Fim was just a very little settlement with a few shops. Most of the shopping which we did there was of wines. The big adventure and the highlight of the weekend tour, was to the Amerindian Mission of Sand Creek which is located a long distance south, around the Kakaku Mountains .

On that my very first trip to the Rupununi in 1964, and all my many other trips to Region Number Nine since then, I have always marvelled at those Giant Ant Hills. Going there some years ago to report on the victims of a very serious flood in the area, I noticed that not a single one of the ant hills was inundated. Just how could such humble tiny creatures know where to build their homes away from a likely flood? However, with greedy humankind and some negative ‘development’ advancing, I am extremely worried that those Giant Ant Hills are now under serious threat. It is my hope that very soon a law would be tabled in the Guyana Parliament making it a serious crime to damage or destroy one of those precious Giant Ant Hills which took centuries to construct. Who will table such a bill and how soon, is something to take seriously; VERY SERIOUSLY. Time is running out. SAVE THE GIANT ANT HILLS in the Rupununi. They contribute to our Tourism drive.