One of the highlights of visiting the Botanical Gardens was to see the manatees; there were two living among the “water nut lilies”.Parents out for an evening stroll brought their children for a glimpse. The manatees did surface frequently; some visitors to the New Amsterdam Botanical Gardens sometime tried to feed them.New Amsterdam did have a Botanical Gardens; it was a beautiful garden, well laid out with palm trees, a variety of flowers, ferns and benches to relax. It also housed a gazebo, a lovers’ den at night,Cheap Jerseys Online, where many New Amsterdamers were conceived.It was a place where families can go to relax, to be among nature; where children could run around and play. You could always find a peaceful corner to meditate.Some of the younger folks might be wondering what I am talking about. There is no sign of a botanical garden ever being in New Amsterdam.It was where the High Court is located at the corner of Princess Elizabeth Road,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, Vryheid Street and Esplanade Road. There is a lot of history in the gardens, because the same compound once housed the seat of government of the then country of Berbice. Berbice was a separate country— New Amsterdam was its capital— until the three counties merged to become British Guiana in the 1830s.It was a beautiful time to live and grow up in New Amsterdam which was a very clean and peaceful town, a friendly town where almost everyone probably knew each other, where you were always greeted with a friendly “good morning” or “good afternoon”.I thought it ironic when I read the opening ceremony for the celebration of the 122nd anniversary as a Municipality.The ceremony which was held at the “Government House”, just across from where the Botanical Gardens and the very historic Court of Policy building were housed.The town is celebrating its 122nd Anniversary as a Municipality but its founding and history goes back a 100 years beyond 1891 when the Municipality was established.New Amsterdam, Guyana’s oldest Municipality is over two hundred years old, so the natural question one would ask is what progress has the town made in its 200 years of existence.If you are a visitor to the town today, you have to ask yourself, what progress.I visit my hometown (don’t get me wrong, I love my hometown) and I am ashamed to see the filthy condition the town is in.There was a time when the town was very clean, when the Town Council had a team of people just to keep the drains clean and cut all overgrowth and bushes. There was never an issue of flooding in the town unlike today “if rain set up the town flood”.I go to Vryman’s Erven a once neat and clean laid out housing, and I am appalled at the condition of the place, laced with potholes,Sale NFL Jerseys, overgrown bushes and garbage among some beautiful houses.This was a town that was very independent, one that provided its own electricity and water, where blackouts were not as frequent as they are now,NFL Jerseys China, because the Municipality once owned the electric and water supply plants.Do you know Republic Road (Back Dam Road) used to be the place to take an evening stroll; the parapets were clean, those large trees that lined the road had their trunks painted with “whitewash” which made the place even more attractive. As it got darker a few lovers could be spotted behind the huge trunks of the trees. In addition to the Gardens,Cheap Arizona Cardinals Hoodies, parents often used to take their kids for a stroll to the Esplanade,NFL Jerseys Cheap, sometimes for a band concert conducted by Mr. Randolph Bennet.One could also take an evening walk to the New Amsterdam stelling to enjoy some fresh sea breeze (at least when mosquito and sand fly not in season).I go to New Amsterdam and my friends take me outside New Amsterdam for entertainment.People used to come to the town for entertainment. Penguin Hotel used to be the place to stay or for entertainment. I recall my brother hosting his wedding reception there.Penguin Hotel has made moves to recapture its glorious past as a center for entertainment and culture. It has been promoting poetry night and other cultural activities.Wedding receptions, conferences are back and hotel rooms are upgraded. There was a time when visitors only stayed at the Penguin Hotel or Church View Hotel.Fast forward to the present, one wonders what can bring the town back to its glorious past. First the town has to get rid of the filth and garbage. I know that recently the Municipality has entered an arrangement to have the garbage picked up at regular intervals.What is needed is cooperation of its resid