Dear Editor,
I was encouraged after visiting the Capoey resort on the lake for the first time; the experience was quite awesome. A newly created establishment is surrounded by serene black water and shining white sand which immediately captured my attention. I had anticipated that the road en route to the site would have been rough, but it is being admirably kept which meant that the time taken to drive from the public road to the resort is only about fifteen minutes.
The neatly and cleanly kept area is massive and includes the Capoey Mission among other sites which attract visitors on a daily basis. My journey though was to the north-western end of the lake leading to the area where the sand is bought and transported by trucks to help the region’s
economy. The route therefore is sometimes very busy, and the traffic may come to a standstill since the road is narrow and can only accommodate one vehicle at a time. This notwithstanding, the site is a breath of fresh air, especially for a family who will enjoy a romantic forested scene, with a fresh cool breeze, whispering but neatly trimmed trees and spacious open-built cabins. In addition, it is a sports oriented site geared to attract games such as cricket, football, volleyball and dominoes because of its sprawling but compact surface that seems unlimited.
There are not many villagers living in the surrounding area, but the few who are there provide additional fun. They will have available the Amerindian piwari drink, or seek to bargain over the sale of wild meat including iguana, labba, turtle. In addition, they have craft which is expertly designed.
I anticipate that this tourist site will become increasingly popular with additional infrastructural input including a hotel, beer garden and more cabins. The resort connects to other parts of the wide lake and one can hire a boat to get to the mission which is situated at the western end and which is about a five minute drive away.
The mission is occupied by about two hundred residents and has its own recreational facilities including a playground and deck bars that I had visited before. While there are other resorts situated along the Essequibo Coast, this emerging gem at Capoey is quite an extraordinary thrill for anyone visiting for the first time. In fact I was informed that former president Bharrat Jagdeo during his tenure had encouraged entrepreneurs to develop the site by leasing them land, an investment which seems to be succeeding since the Capoey resort is rapidly becoming an ideal tourist destination.
Yours faithfully,
Elroy Stephney