By Gaulbert Sutherland
Photos by Arian Browne
At the RH Hotel in Mahdia, it is easy to believe that you are on a Caribbean island. The splendid pool, the bar, the ambience of the enclosed compound under the soft, purple lighting makes one forget the outside world of dusty streets and rusty buildings.
Hidden away much like the gems in the goldfields that surround the Region Eight (Potaro/Siparuni) community, the hotel is an oasis amidst the rush and bustle of a gold boomtown. A mining community is what Mahdia is known as, but intriguing possibilities arise once you have experienced the expanding community. Creole, Brazilian and Chinese restaurants as well as numerous snackettes offering various foods dot the community and the nightlife is vibrant with clubs and bars specializing in dancehall, Brazilian, reggae and other music. Throw in a few tours to places of interest such as an actual gold mine and Mahdia could be another tourist attraction. Who knew?
Despite its recent growth, Mahdia is still essentially a men’s town, with males from the surrounding goldfields making up the majority of customers to the businesses and bars. At dawn, with mist slowly rising off the dusty streets, the late night revellers can be seen making their way home while the early risers get ready for work, mostly in the goldfields. All males with only one