Lawrence

Lawrence was our guide for our stay and he was a small, eager man who reminded me of Heart from Captain Planet. The resemblance was uncanny (as uncanny as resemblance between a real person and a cartoon can be when there is a 20 year age difference).

Lawrence grew up in Fair View Community and "got a little education in Georgetown". He attributes his nature knowledge to two trips he went on with his Grandfather to Georgetown by canoe (this predates the road and took weeks).

When he was 16 he went to work at the gold mines which is a hard life. He told us about all the cocaine, violence (he saw someone hacked to death with a machete over competition for a prostitute), and toxins he was exposed to. He also told a story of seeing one of his cousins as a prostitute in the bar and sending her back home to the village.

My favorite conversation with him was when he was telling us why he was a good guide and other people don't have the necessary skills. "See, if you're a guide you have to talk to people! They ask you questions! They always say 'Lawrence what do you think about this, Lawrence how do you feel about that' and you have to talk!" Haha- I forget how loud and talky Americans are :) It totally explains why Gabriel was so put off by us and our questions. Some people just aren't used to constant chatter :)

Random other fact- Lawrence's father died when a tree fell on him and a sharp branch went through his eye. I was a little paranoid about falling trees after that story.