Guyana

Guyana’s capital, Georgetown, has a reputation for being rough around the edges, and I found that to be largely true. The highlight of my time in the country came from leaving the capital behind and flying deep into the Amazon rainforest to visit Kaieteur Falls, one of the world’s tallest and most powerful single-drop waterfalls.

Getting there is an adventure in itself. The falls are accessible only by small charter aircraft, and flights depend heavily on the weather. I was fortunate that conditions cooperated. As we stood overlooking the immense waterfall in the middle of the rainforest, I struck up a conversation with another visitor named Bryce, an American Airlines pilot who shared a deep love of travel.

When we returned to Georgetown, we spent the rest of the day exploring the city together, wandering through the main market and grabbing a meal at a local restaurant. We stayed in touch long after we both left Guyana, and in the years that followed, Bryce became a close friend and a very generous supporter of my nonprofit work in Nigeria. Extraordinary places like Kaieteur Falls may inspire us to travel, but it’s often the people we meet there who leave the most lasting impact.