Guyana is below sea-level at high tide (hence the muddy rivers) and so a protective sea wall stretches for miles and buildings are slightly raised from the ground.
By the time I returned to get my flight home, I was sure Guyana has more right than any other country in the world to make such a claim.
The only mystery is that despite it being on the Caribbean coast, English speaking and with an easy-to-spot population of jaguars, caiman, anteaters, giant river otters, manatees and tapirs, along with over 800 species of birds ("and still counting"), Guyana hasn't established itself on the adventure travel map.
The area of the Amazon rainforest – roughly 2.3m square miles – is larger than Western Europe and the forest stretches over nine countries: Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, French Guyana, Guyana, Surinam and Venezuela.
Indeed, Guyana means "land of many waters", after its 300 waterfalls and the numerous rum-coloured rivers snaking through it.
Way to go BIWA (British West Indian Airways) fly to Guyana via Antigua, St Lucia, Barbados or Port of Spain from London Heathrow or Manchester International from £605 return.
Like all of Guyana, this area is untouched by large-scale tourism, and so there are no stalls selling postcards, no internet cafes, no protective fences against the cliff's edge.
The coastal towns and villages of Guyana feel like being in India, the Caribbean and 1950s England - all at the same time.
If you become one of the 2,500 visitors a year who make it to Guyana, the small northern country that is 80% rainforest, wildlife spotting (to see giant river otters, jaguars, black caiman, giant anteaters and incredible birds) is likely to top your list.
But Dadanawa in the south-east of the country, and Guyana itself, should be famous for much more than the vaqueros.
For now, Guyana only seems to attract fanatical birdwatchers who are prepared to rough it, but the DeFreitas family who run Dadanawa are part of a growing group who realise the unique attractions of their country.
