By Wendella Davidson

THE common saying, `the beauty of Guyana lies away from the city of Georgetown’ is undoubtedly true, when one considers the beauty and breath-taking ambience of Adel’s Rainforest Resort; there, the tranquillity of the night is broken only by the sounds of howler monkeys or baboons, the croaking of frogs or the occasional throbbing of an engine, as a speedboat traverses the waterway. In the mornings, you awake to the chirping of birds outside your window and the loud but sweet sounds of parrots nearby.

And, as you indulge in breakfast, or relax in a hammock, you can see birds perched just at your hand’s reach, pecking away at fruits that were set aside specially for them.
This aptly describes Adel’s Rainforest Resort that nestles on a 58.2-acre stretch of virgin land that is surrounded by pristine forest, at Akawini Creek on the Pomeroon River; a family legacy that is now managed by Ms. Zena Bone.

Adel’s is accessed by joining a speedboat at the Charity wharf and enjoying a scenic 20 to 45-minute ride up the Pomeroon River.

Named after the late Adel Stoll (1882-1984), the resort pays tribute to a daughter of the soil who raised more than 12 children, sold produce from the farm and home-made sweets to take care of her family. It is her grandchildren and great grandchildren who now honour the memory of this much-loved matriarch.

Adel is Zena’s grandmother, who lived there during her marriage and Zena, during a recent visit, related to the Guyana Chronicle that she learnt the property was gifted to her grandmother as a matrimonial home by her father as a wedding gift. The first five of her grandmother’s children were born there, including Adel’s father, who was the second, and Zena said from what she has counted, they numbered more than 12.

After the fifth child, the senior Adel went to live in Georgetown. One of her sons was Wilfred Golding Stoll known as W G Stoll, and who was the first local to be the appointed Commissioner of Inland Revenue when Guyana gained its independence. Zena said she learnt her grandmother was very proud that her son and three others who were pilots had excelled from their humble beginnings.

She related that at the tender age of 13, a mishap happened in the family and her father was one of the children who had to return to the farm in the Pomeroon, in order to assist his mother with the other children in Georgetown. It was as a result of this that her father’s education ended abruptly at age 13.

Adel said her father subsequently got married and another of his brothers stayed at the farm, but when the brother died, Adel’s was left abandoned for many years. It was then handed down to another uncle, Wilfred Golding, who was not interested; thus, he handed the farm over to Zena’s brother Timothy Ovid, who even though he had an interest, unfortunately fell ill and subsequently died in 1991. The land was then passed down to Zena.

During that time Zena had lived and was working in the hotel industry in Barbados. Upon realising that the industry was declining, she said she grabbed the first opportunity she got to sell her business, with the intention of focusing on the land she was bequeathed in the Pomeroon.

Zena said when she returned and visited the land, the entire place was as a rainforest and she could not tell where a single house stood. She surmised that some 45 years had elapsed before human hands had touched the land again.

In 1995 Zena said she started work to develop a resort complete with accommodation, utilising her experience she had gained in Barbados, working in the United States and her many travels to various countries and where she lived, including Japan, Fiji, England and Barbados among others; and because she knew the history of the place, she named it “Adel’s Rainforest Resort,” in honour of her grandmother. Zena said she received rave reviews from persons who visited and overnighted, and had great plans to expand and attract more visitors.

However, when she was forced to leave to lend assistance to one of her daughters in the United States, Zena said she leased the resort to an Englishwoman for two and a half years. The woman, Zena said, gave her “such a nice talk” of the grandiose plans she had for the place, that she was convinced she was leaving the business in good hands; It was a decision she has regretted.
As a result of reports received from patrons who were disappointed at how “run down” the place was and the poor service they had received,” compared to when she (Zena) was there, Zena said she paid an unexpected visit and was shocked to find that the place, which was close to her heart, was in a shabby condition. “I had no other choice than to revoke the agreement and the business again went into silent mode as I returned overseas,” she related.
According to Zena, “I never earned a dime from that business arrangement. I have accepted my losses and am on a determined mission to make Adel’s a tourist destination worth anyone’s money. I want to continue to hear the `oohs’ and `aahs’ from visitors when they arrive; that’s what Adel’s is known for.” Meanwhile, plans are in train to have the facility further upgraded as a place for destination weddings.

The area on which the resort is sited is permaculture, as the heliconia, the almond trees is now a decorative arch, and many papaw, starapple, mangoes, lemons, guavas, are trees that decorate the resort as a result of droppings from the many birds. According to Zena, she is blessed, as all she has done is train and nurture the plants and the rest is history.
There are three 40 feet by 40 feet buildings, each self-contained, with the middle building serving as the `meet-and-greet’ lounge, relaxation, reading, and dining area. Guests upon arriving at the resort are offered a glass of cold coconut water and depending on the weather, a hot or cold rag.

The number one building consists of two self-contained rooms with two beds in each room that are fitted with nets. A foyer area is described as `a hammock area’ and above, works are underway to create another sleeping accommodation. The third building, Zena explained, had in the initial days of the resort, been used as a conference centre and it is hoped to have the area rehabilitated in the new year to again be used as such.

The resort is powered by solar energy and there is an abundance of water that is had from the Pomeroon River; however, Zena regrets that communication is quite unstable, but added that she is presently in discussions with a company to install a system that will boost communication signals.

Activities at Adel’s, which is six miles from the mouth of the Atlantic Ocean, depend on the time of visit, as visitors can indulge in night spotting. About three miles away, visitors can have the opportunity of seeing the Scarlet Ibis and White Egrets nesting. Tours can also be arranged to the Amerindian reservations of Wakapao, Moruca, and Akawini. The latter a logging area.

Meanwhile, a short distance downriver from the resort is the 1000-acre Enterprise Estate which is also family-owned. On six acres sits the 97-year-old family house where Zena and her siblings were born. The spacious house, she explained, was gifted to her mom as a wedding gift and Zena says she sleeps in what used to be her mother’s room. Her sister, June Van Sluytman, who assists her in managing both the resort and estate when she is overseas, occupies one of the rooms. Zena also does some farming on the six acres where the house is; the remaining portion is leased to a British company that focuses on the growing of spices and cash-crops. The company is also experimenting on grinding the discarded coconut husks to be used as mulch for plants. Some of the husks end up in the Pomeroon River and pose a serious danger, especially to speedboats.

Zena describes Adel’s as peaceful and nature-loving with the forest which does not speak, but breathes, as her neighbour. She is assisted in managing the farm by David Emanuel, 52, of Wakapao, who initially had asked for employment for only three days and has been there for six years; Matthew, a young man whom Zena is grooming like an adopted son and Roxanne Moses, the helper and cook.

Roxanne, 30, is the mother of a teenage girl and is an excellent cook who prepares the tasty `farm-to-table’ meals offered at the resort. Roxanne, who is originally from Moruca, but now lives at Grant Enterprise, says she would welcome any opportunity to receive formal training in food preparation, as it was always her desire as a young girl to attend the Carnegie School of Home Economics.