THE Easter weekend in Guyana usually features numerous activities and events that make the long weekend most enjoyable. This year, I visited the Rupununi Rodeo, one of the staple events of the Easter weekend, and got a glimpse into why people love this event so much.

Because this was my first rodeo, I’ll be the first to admit that I made several rookie mistakes- which, if you plan on attending the rodeo in the future- you should pay keen attention to.

I arrived in Lethem mid-morning on Saturday. The first real indication, for me, that it was rodeo weekend wasn’t the abundance of vaquero hats- seemingly worn by every man, woman or child. The real indication, again for me, was that food places and, by extension, accommodation spaces were filled to capacity. This is important because that meant that I didn’t necessarily have somewhere to stay.

I did not plan on staying for the entire rodeo weekend. I was only there to cover the opening and the first day for the News Room. And though I knew I wanted to go to the rodeo since it was announced at the beginning of March, I delayed making hotel/ guesthouse reservations until the week before. By that time, it was certainly too late to get any traditional accommodation. Lesson #1: Don’t dilly dally until the last minute when seeking to reserve accommodation for the rodeo weekend.

Now, I secured accommodation (of some sort) two days before I departed via plane; a teacher in the region was kind enough to let me stay in a room for the night for a small cost. The plan was that I’d arrive by flight sometime mid-morning on Saturday, I’d work throughout the day, and in the night, when I’m ready to shower and hit the sack, I’d go by the teacher. Sounds like a solid plan, right? Maybe.

When I got there, I was instantly caught up in the whirlwind of rodeo activities. Folks young and old, as I mentioned, were dressed in their vaquero outfits, and you can be sure that at every street corner and storefront there was some vendor ready and willing to sell you a cowboy hat to help you blend in with the rest of the community. At the rodeo ground, hours before the three o’clock start of events, the stands were already half-full and the surrounding area was abuzz with activity as the stalls were already set up and ready to market locally made products easily swayed travellers like me.

It wasn’t long before I got myself an ‘I love Rupununi’ shirt, replete with the green, blue and yellow Rupununi flag. And it wasn’t long before I started getting overwhelmed with the rush of activities- be it watching the vaqueros trying to tame a bull or the bareback bronc riders trying their best to hold on tight while the crowd counted down the seconds before they were thrown off the horse. In between being simply amazed at how these vaqueros (men and women!) were able to interact with the animals, I was shuffling between capturing everything and writing stories (because the rest of the nation needs to know what’s happening down in Lethem!). Turns out, that you should take time to fully immerse yourself in the rodeo activities instead of rushing from one thing to the next or else the Rupununi air will find a way to ‘simmer’ you. In my case, the loose, red earth and my shoes without good grip conspired against me, causing me to slip, bruise my hand and very visibly soil my khaki pants (which, by the way, was a poor wardrobe decision) as I was rushing to get something done. I learnt Lesson #2 the hard way.

And the fun didn’t stop there for calamity Jones (aka, me). Now, the rodeo is held in the beautiful hinterland area- Region Nine. Because Guyana still has ways to go in moving some of the disparities that exist, like with internet connectivity, I was struggling to get good data signal to communicate with just about anyone- including the teacher who I planned on staying by, to get the details on how I can get to her. And honestly, because I was so caught up in the rodeo fun, I forgot to check in with her until it was late in the evening and I started yearning for a bath and a bed.

It was just my luck that I couldn’t reach her and I started to panic. Lesson #3: Always secure the details before you travel to the region. Though, I was assured by some of my nice, fellow travellers that if I needed to camp out on the rodeo ground, I hoped that my teacher friend would come through for me, especially since camping out with some strangers without a clear idea of where I’d take a much-needed bath was not necessarily the most appealing thing. Thankfully, she did.

And after a long and exciting day, I managed to get to her house and wash the excitement off. Before long, it was day two of the rodeo and I, begrudgingly, left to come back to town. Lesson #4: Always stay for the entire weekend because one day is simply not enough.

If you would like to discuss this column or any of my previous writings, please feel free to contact me via email: vish14ragobeer@gmail.com