IT IS A PART of the city that one can safely say doesn’t sleep as it seems to be always teeming with the ‘hustle and bustle’ of traffic and people.

The downtown Stabroek Market area is referred to as “Jurassic Park” by many, and is a place of many characters, figuratively speaking of the good, the bad and the ugly, thus the name derived.

It is a place that is picturesque at night when the atmosphere has a starry glow with reflection from the Stabroek Market clock lights that was installed last year leading up to the festive season.

The area is usually packed with people from all walks of life, some heading to their respective places of work, vendors plying their trade, mini bus and taxi operators, and others even some criminal elements.

During the day, the downtown hub is not a stagnant place, usually overflowing with folks en route to their varying destinations.

Vending
At nights, the area transforms into a busy night life of food vendors, makeshift mini bars set up on the tarmac outside Demico fast food outlet to accommodate those in need of a cold beverage or more particularly an alcoholic drink.

It seems that after dark one can get almost anything at this hang out spot which attracts people of all statuses.

Jurassic Park is probably one of the few places one can get a proper box of cook-up-rice during the wee hours of the morning.

Stabroek Market area is the prime location for vending and one can make a purchase of bread, phone cards, fruits, clothes and almost anything that is relevant to the needs of passersby.

In the night, it is the preferred spot for limers, some youths both male and female, even ‘ladies of the night’, and others, who prefer to visit the location under the cover of darkness to carry out whatever activities they have to.

Effect on miners
The place seems to have a mind of its own and calls out to people to stay a bit longer than they actually intended, whenever they pass through and often most miners, who are lured there to spend their bits and pieces of hard-earned cash after spending months in the interior.

Some time ago, during a friendly conversion a group of friends, who are miners, told me that somehow whenever they come out of the ‘bush’ they would avoid the area because once they get there it’s like a magnet and it is very difficult to leave.
There, they would indulge in care-free drinking until they are intoxicated and would often fall prey to robbers and their female associates, who lure unsuspecting men to relieve them of their valuables.

Stabroek Bar
This bar is located upstairs of Demico House, just obliquely opposite Parliament Building and it has become the ‘chill spot’ for locals, both young and mature folks would frequent the place for a cold beer or two.

On Friday nights, the bar is packed to capacity with mostly youths, young women dressed in very revealing clothing which leaves little to be imagined and it’s like a ‘ghetto party’ where cannabis sativa is smoked and the drinking goes on until 03:00hrs in the morning.

Stabroek Bar over time has been attracting some rogue elements and within recent times it has caused the police to conduct some impromptu raids which yielded varying illegal instruments and small amounts of cannabis sativa (marijuana).

The party, there did had a few loud fights and it is so crowded some people sometimes get robbed by the very patrons, who mingle in the gathering afterwards as per norm.

Liming
A few mature folks, mostly men, told the Sunday Chronicle that in the evenings when the place is cooler they would frequent the makeshift mini bars on the tarmac overlooking the Stabroek market clock for a ‘drink’ as usual.

They converge with friends and have a chat and sometimes they imbibe until well in the morning.

An elderly man said, “It’s addictive being out here because with the bright lights you lose track of time, the place appears to be quite early but if you consult your watch the time will surprise you.”

This man, who is a ‘regular’ has many friends, who visit Jurassic Park every night to ‘sip and chat’ and just observe the happenings.

One woman told this newspaper that by just sitting there one would see certain things and that’s why people have to be alert.

At Stabroek Market area around the perimeter of Demico outlet and the route 40 mini bus park it is often crowded and also has many limers, some of whom are shady characters, waiting for an opportunity to snatch a chain or rob somebody whenever the opportunity arises.

All in all one can say Jurassic Park is a very peculiar place which encapsulates a hive of activities and carries a pull than few can resist.