– ‘The little people’s culinary adventure’

IT’s a rather small, cottage-style house. Yet, it’d be enough to provide the sort of welcome that any nature lover can dream of. To begin with, the hosts are adorable. There’s Rayson O’Connell
who just happens to love entertaining friends and meeting new folks, and then there’s his mom, Alma, who probably makes the best homemade wine in the Rupununi.

Rayson was born in Maruranau in Region Nine’s Deep South Rupununi but he was raised in Lethem and Georgetown. Even as he eventually migrated to Canada for 15 years, he’d always come home whenever he could.

The rodeo is one thing for sure that he wouldn’t miss. “It was always my plan to come back to Guyana at some point. It was my holiday home during school breaks,” he said in an interview with Pepperpot Magazine a few days ago.

On one of his visits, he recalls how a dear friend who came with him fell in love with the place and asked him how he could have ever thought of leaving there.

This only propelled his ideas to come back and start up something meaningful – Piichillnau’s World (Piichillnau is a Wapishan word that translates to “the little people’s culinary adventure”).
Owing to his roots in the Rupununi, Rayson was friends with many of the established tour operators in Region Nine, and he was encouraged to set up one in the Deep South. “There was a need for a destination in this area and since I enjoy entertaining people, I decided I would set up a more food-based business, focusing on the culinary aspect of tourism,” he reflected.

Rayson realised that there was much more that he could offer instead of just food, so he designed an amazing tour with attractions that could be found in and around Maruranau. “My village is located right next to Shea, which is well known for ‘Shea Rock’, so I have incorporated this in the tour. We are also just a 10-minutes drive from the forest, so we are able to take people in to experience the natural beauty of the forest and the savannahs.”

Rayson and his mom also entertain persons at their home and at a friend’s farm in the area, which provides guests with the ‘farm to table’ experience where they are involved in the process of reaping and preparing the vegetables for their meals. Of course, they are able to experience some of the traditional techniques used in cooking in this part of the country.

“I loved to entertain. I enjoy people’s company and meeting new people and what better way to do this than at your home? I have fun doing it,” Rayson expressed.
In the dry season, people can sling their hammocks under the mango trees or on the hill itself under huge whitey trees.

Rayson’s plans, though, include constructing a building on the hill. Imagine a huge benab-style restaurant on the hill itself! And since there are hardly any waterways in and around the village, he wants to include a swimming pool.

As for his friend’s farm that he uses, Rayson has in mind constructing another benab there for accommodation. There is a small stream there, so another ingenious idea on the cards is to have it excavated so there’s a nice place to take a dip while in the forest.

The attractions mentioned in this article that are part of Rayson’s tour are just really the half of it.

“For an authentic farm-to-table experience within the South Rupununi, then look no further! Through Alma & Rayson O’Connell, you will enjoy a visit to the Terrence Farm, cultural presentations, horseback riding and even climbing Shea Rock. There’s so much to experience with this new tour,” the Guyana Tourism Authority has said.