3rd UPDATE 01/04/99

Wednesday 1^st of April. With a few hours delay, caused by some last minute logistical problems, and very relieved that Terry had managed to successfully sort them out, we left Lethem and drove north through the savannahs to reach Karanambo at sundown.

The journey was fantastic. We started off in pouring rain that the thirsty savannahs absorbed like a sponge. The air was cleaned and refreshed for us to enjoy its pure smell during the entire journey. The landscape around Lethem is quite arid and dry, but as one drives north, the vegetation becomes more lush and abundant. We passed huge cactuses, a multitude of anthills, lines of ité palm trees and scattered forest islands. These forest islands are like the oases of the savannah, rich in plant and animal life that can be felt and heard as one passes by. Travelling through the savannahs, it is also easy to see a large variety of birds, including hawks, egrets, herons, kiskadees and red cardinals.

As transport, we are using an almost 30 year old Landrover. At first glance, the car appears to be falling to pieces but Jason, our friend and driver, had assured us that an old Landrover is the most reliable way to travel in the often difficult road conditions of the savannah: at least, when there is a problem with it, you can always try to mend it! Despite a minor break down at about just 12 miles from Lethem, Jason proved to be right and five hours later we arrived to our destination safely. During the way, we had stopped frequently in order to get shots of the beautiful and constantly changing savannah landscapes, drink some coffee and fill the old car engine with water.

Karanambo is one of the most famous ranches in Guyana and was founded in the early 20’s by Tiny McTurk. An ancient Amerindian myth spread the belief that a cluster of stones which can be found in the ranch surroundings, were cursed and would blind any person who dared staring at them. This ensured that the ranch lands remained unoccupied for a long time. Tiny McTurk first arrived in Karanambo as a balata buyer and soon afterwards started cattle ranching. Diane McTurk, his daughter, came back to the Rupununi in the late 70’s after living in England for a few years, and has been managing the ranch ever since. At present, Karanambo is still a working ranch, with three out-stations and about 600 heads of cattle. However, like all the ranches in the Rupununi, Karanambo has suffered from a series of misfortunes: epidemics of cattle diseases in the 80’s have decimated herds. Meanwhile, rustling has been difficult to control: after the abortive 1969 secession attempt, police control diminished in the border areas. In addition, a growing population in neighbouring Brazilian state of Roraima began to offer a reliable market for stolen cattle.

As a result, Diane, like other cattle ranchers in the Rupununi, has had to look at alternatives to make a living. Accustomed to offer hospitality to many unexpected travellers and visitors, she decided in the early 80’s to turn Karanambo into an eco-tourist resort. The visitor will encounter the beauty and tranquility of the ranch itself, the warmth of Diane and the Amerindians that work with her and also real nature adventure: wild-life watching, fishing, walking and most of all, swimming with giant otters that enjoy playing and being stroked. But let us tell you about these amazing animals from our own personal experience, as tomorrow, we will be filming and swimming with the otters ourselves!

Thursday 2^nd of April. Early morning start again! We had breakfast at 6 o’clock in order to arrive on time to see open Victoria Amazonica water lilies in a nearby river pond (the flowers close up as day light comes). To get to the pond, we walked down to the river and travelled by boat for about half-an-hour, guided by two friendly Amerindian guides: Derek and Ismail. The view of the gigantic water lilies was incredibly beautiful and romantic: some had already started to close in the early morning light, but there were still many others that were open. The flowers varied in colour, white and violet tonalities predominating. Some of the lilies’ leaves are so big that they can support a baby. By the pond, we also saw a majestic black-collared hawk and on our way back to the ranch we glimpsed a river caiman. One can really enjoy an extraordinary diversity of wild-life in Guyana.

After a second and more solid breakfast, we walked to the river again, this time to film the giant otters. Two adult otters, named Peter and Lara, were swimming with a group of Amerindian children, while two girls washed clothes in the river. These otters, having been partly raised by Diane, are extremely friendly to people and they literally came out of the water to inspect us upon arrival.

As its name suggests, the giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), known in the local language as "the river wolf", is a formidable creature. More than twice the size of the European or North American varieties, the tropical otter can reach 30 kilos or more. Yet, its numbers are dwindling because of the trade in its purple-brown coats. Diane told us that fortunately this trade has been virtually stopped in Guyana.

We all really enjoyed our close encounter with the otters. As you can see in one of our photos, Peter was very inquisitive about the equipment and also about Ray’s bottom! The otters are given fish (specially caught for them by two fully employed Amerindians!) two or three times a day. They are very greedy animals and have not very good table manners when it comes to eating the fish, which they do among strong whining sounds.

Apart from Peter and Lara (the adult ones), we also filmed two baby otters that Diane is currently trying to introduce in the wild. The animals are usually taken to Diane by people who have unsuccessfully tried to keep them as pets. The otters can be very friendly and loving animals, but they have big, sharp teeth and can also be less tame and impossible to train for the normal individual. It was very funny to see how the young otters followed Diane everywhere with absolute despair and how one of them, Pluto, was terrified of the water and refused to swim with Diane and his mate, Persephone. It may take some time and patient on the part of Diane, but there is no doubt that the young otters will one day happily join a wild group, ensuring the survival of this remarkable species.

In the afternoon, after a fabulous lunch, we filmed an interview with Diane, who gave an incredible performance. She told us about the history of the ranch, the decline of the ranching industry in the Rupununi, the situation of Amerindian communities in the area, the otters…You will see by yourselves what a good narrator Diane is when our documentary is released. So remember, do not miss it!

Friday 3^rd of April. Today was a bit of a quieter day. We slept until about 7.30, had a full English breakfast and relaxed for a little while (a real luxury!). Soon afterwards, Ray, Sherwin and Jurgen took some general shots of Karanambo and a few more otter ones.

We left Karanambo after lunch, stopped a few more times on our way to capture more savannah scenes and calm the thirst of the old car’s engine, and we got back to Lethem at about 7.30 in the afternoon. Early night today, as tomorrow the rodeo starts and we must be fresh and ready for it!