Guyana
Our Posts about Guyana
Dear Santa,
I was a very good boy this year. I worked hard, traveled frequently and, together with my brother, published fresh new content each and every day for all the good readers of this blog. I did so without forgetting my anniversary. I even took my wife and kids along on an adventure to St. Croix, befriended a pound puppy in Grand Cayman, and graciously donated my time (and liver) in Barbados toward ranking the region’s top rums.
In short, I think I deserve something special this Christmas. No, make that something EXTRA special like El Dorado 15.
Yesterday, we gave you some behind the scenes insight into what it’s like, or rather what it takes to judge a big time rum competition. If you read it, I imagine most of you thinking:
Sounds like fun… too bad I’ll never get to do that!
Granted, the experience I had in Barbados last week is not the kind of thing you can buy through your local travel agent, but you don’t have to be a judge to enjoy the Caribbean Rum & Beer Festival. All you really need is a healthy appreciation for great rum, like the beauty pictured here.
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We’re celebrating another great milestone here at Uncommon Caribbean today as this very story marks the 500th post in our history! Considering that we publish new content each and every day, and we first signed on a little over a year ago (476 days to be exact), we feel it’s as good a reason as any to raise a special toast right about now.
But, there’s another even better reason to reach above the top shelf for today’s Friday Happy Hour and experience, at least in memory, one of the world’s most exclusive, super-premium rums, El Dorado 25 Year-Old.
You see, El Dorado rums hail from Guyana, that most uncommon Caribbean country that just so happened to celebrate the 45th anniversary of its independence from the UK yesterday.
In the Caribbean, where the most diverse wildlife is typically found underwater, Guyana stands out for the absolutely stunning array of animal species roaming its 83,000 square miles. As shown in the BBC video above, much of Guyana is still virtually unexplored, making it a prime place to find some really unique animals. How unique? One of the naturalists working with the BBC lays it out succinctly near the start of the video: “There are probably hundreds, if not thousands of species here that haven’t been seen by anybody.”
HUNDREDS, IF NOT THOUSANDS!
I’m guessing that many of them are not all that friendly, but imagine the thrill of capturing some of the country’s more elusive animal inhabitants on film during a trip there!
Few places in the Caribbean have as much to offer the “uncommon” traveler as Guyana, though some might argue that’s because Guyana isn’t actually in the Caribbean in the first place. True, the country is part of South America, bordering Venezuela to the west, Suriname to the east, and Brazil to the south, but Guyana is distinctly West Indian in its cultural traditions, heritage, cuisine, music and more. There are even strong political ties as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) maintains its secretariat headquarters in Guyana’s capital, Georgetown.
So yeah, Guyana is as Caribbean a country as they come. A quick look at the video above will show you that it’s also as uncommon a Caribbean destination as any.
Ingredients
1 live Iguana
1 large Onion
2 Cloves Garlic
3 Tomatoes
2 Green Peppers
4 teaspoon Achiote Oil
1 pinch Pepper
Salt — To Taste
The handsome devil pictured above may not look like much of a meal to you or me, but in Guyana, Trinidad, and other parts of the Caribbean he’s a delicacy. No really, I’m serious.
One of our Guyanese friends living in South Florida was going to cook one up for us to prove it, but she claims that all the iguanas near her house died during our unusually cold winter. Of course, she said this while fighting back a wry smile and wistfully rubbing her belly, so you be the judge of what really happened to all the SoFla iguanas.