<<“Mahdia is the most wonderful place in Guyana!”, exclaimed Omeica Alphonso, a mother of three and popular fast food vendor who told Stabroek News that she was born there and lived in the mining community all her life.
Omeica is one of several roadside food vendors who serve the bustling and developing Mahdia on a daily basis with a variety of foods ranging from fish and chips, roti and curry to Chinese food among other delicacies.
(...)
The main public road passing through Mahdia. (...)
Another resident, a father of five, said that the area has the potential to attract more tourists sometime in the near future. He said, however, there is need for marketing Mahdia to the tourism world since there are many natural and man-made sites there which can compete with other tourist sites around Guyana. He listed the majestic Eagle Mountain which stands behind the airstrip as a natural beauty. He pointed out that the community has an effective transportation system, by air or road, which makes access to the community from the coastland easy. (...)
... while the plane ride offers one the luxury of viewing the area from the top, it is equally adventurous to see the various sights by road. The buses leave Mahdia for Georgetown at various times before noon and around midnight. Miners in the community take advantage of the service offered by the minibus operators for the transport and delivery of their mail and ‘top ups’ for loved ones on the coastland.
(...)
As the sun rises above the mountains surrounding Mahdia the miners, inclusive of a few pork knockers (miners who work independently with their batels, shovels etc, among other tools), sit about in front of the various food shops waiting for breakfast to be served. Most times the food handlers are yelled at as some call for their orders which were put in 30 minutes to an hour before. While Omeica, the young woman who declared that Mahdia was the best, prepares her food during the day to catch the evening hustle, others prepare food for lunch time but these orders are not much in number.
(...) As night steps in, the community’s central spot, which is landmarked by a cenotaph standing at the junction of the main roads in the community, erected in 1986 in memory of soldiers who fought in the two world wars, dozens of persons mainly miners, walk to and fro as some search for dinner, some for entertainment and others for the sake of avoiding boredom. Music from the various roadside shops, discos and guest houses blares and any new visitor to the community would have a hard time settling on a sound system to tune his/her ears to since they are so many. Different types of vehicles can be seen around the community at this time with ‘bush’ trucks occupying most of the parking space available along the road. Miners can be seen standing along the road with various beverage bottles in hand and munching from Styrofoam boxes containing mainly fish and chips.
Approaching midnight, the hive of activity tends to subside as shop keepers close their doors leaving a few persons walking up and down the main public road. Most of them at this time are ladies of the night. According to residents in the area, these sex workers travel to Mahdia from the coastland and book rooms at guest houses in the area for periods of time and they are usually paid huge sums for their services, a few miners revealed.
(...)Approximately 4,000 persons live in the Mahdia. The figure also includes residents from the nearby Amerindian village of Campbell Town, a community which is governed by a village council with a Toshao at its helm.>>
Text from
here
