John Gimlette's Voyages

This is a Warao tribesman from the coast of Guyana (their territory also extends into Venezuela). The Warao may have been among the first Amerindians ever to travel to London.

Cinemas around the world. Often, I try and see a movie when I'm on my travels. Sadly, I was too late for this superb cinema in New Amsterdam (Guyana).

The water monkey. Originally, this was going to be the title of my book, 'Wild Coast', because I wanted something that was common to Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. Well, what is it?

For me, grappling with the concept of slavery was one of the most troubling aspects of my journey through the Guianas.

On the one hand, slavery seemed to have disappeared completely; the ‘yards’ have gone, and the impedimenta has rotted away (the photo shows a rare set of manacles, owned by a friend in Guyana).

This is the River Corentyne, on the border between Guyana and Suriname. In colonial times, the border was established running up the middle of the river. But what happens out in the estuary? The question didn't really matter until the discovery of potential oil deposits.

I would love to have written more about the Chinese on The Wild Coast, particularly in Guyana ( I had some research material). However, although I met a few people of Chinese descent (e.g Brian Li, the headmaster in the Rununi, and the Chan-a-Sue family in Mabaruma), I never found myself with a particularly Chinese story to tell.

There's still a lot of debate over the pros and cons of the Empire, and both sides tend to rely on mythology. However, it's the hardware of empire that fascinates me.

South America's quirkiest hotel. This is The Toucan Inn in Guyana. You can find it out at Meten-Meer-Zorg, which is a small town built on a grid of canals, with a temple, a mosque, and a market. Like the town, the hotel sprouts upwards and outwards.

The Hotel of Revolution and Tropical Ballet. As hotels go, the Cara Lodge (pictured) in Georgetown, Guyana, has a pretty exotic history. I loved this place, and occasionally stayed there whenever I needed to be downtown.

Revolution ranch. This is Pirara in the Rupununi (Guyana). When Evelyn Waugh called by, in 1933, here was ‘one of the most imposing and important houses in the district.’ He described a schoolroom, fruit trees and a compendious library with books on every conceivable subject ‘much ravaged by ants’.