Alaska Gold Rush Diary

The two arrived in Georgetown, the capital of Guyana, near dusk.

Zhou Xin and Edward didn't get to experience the unique tropical city; they took a taxi directly to their hotel to rest.

The next morning, the two began to stroll around the city.

Georgetown, located at the mouth of the Demerara River and bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the north, is a unique city.

This place boasts numerous well-preserved colonial-era buildings, blending European and local architectural styles. The wooden houses are brightly colored and uniquely designed.

As a resource-based city, Guyana has a good economy, so Georgetown is still quite prosperous.

Zhou Xin and Edward split up; Edward went to the local market to buy supplies, while Zhou Xin planned to find a broker who could help with the necessary paperwork.

The reason Edward was put in charge of purchasing supplies this time was mainly because he was needed to assemble and modify a ore washing machine, and he naturally knew better what was required.

After the two parted ways, Zhou Xin went to an international affairs service company based on information he had found online.

Although Guyana is a multi-ethnic country, it is still very rare to see people with Asian features like Zhou Xin.

As soon as he entered the company lobby, he attracted a lot of stares.

He was greeted by a Black girl, who warmly led him to an office after he explained his purpose.

He waited in the office for a short while before the Black girl led in a middle-aged man who was also Black.

"This is Mr. Chinoth. He has handled related matters for dozens of gold mining teams from other countries and has a wealth of experience," the Black girl introduced.

"Hello, Mr. Zhou, if you're interested in mining gold in this forest, contacting me is definitely the best option." Chinos politely extended his hand.

He looked to be in his forties, wearing a very formal suit and tie, with a gentle face and a very composed demeanor.

Zhou Xin shook hands with him: "I'm not planning to open a large, formal mine. I just want to try my luck in the forest with a friend."

Chinos wasn't surprised and smiled, "Many people come here to experience the gold rush adventure; it's exciting and fun enough."

However, this is also dangerous enough, and I hope you have a clear understanding of this.

It seems that this Chinos is a man of conscience. Instead of urging Zhou Xin to hire him quickly, he warned him.

"Thank you for reminding me. I had already done my research beforehand, but my desire for gold overcame my fear, and I still want to give it a try."

Chinos nodded: "Then I think you have made sufficient preparations, but I still have to remind you that the primeval jungle is full of dangers, so you'd better go with a few more companions."

"I will carefully consider your suggestion. Now, let's talk about the fees!" Zhou Xin said with a smile.

Chinos didn't show any particular excitement or enthusiasm, but politely said, "Thank you for your trust. I will do my best to ensure that your trip starts smoothly."

After some pleasantries, the two agreed on the service fee and signed a contract.

Chinos was responsible for helping them obtain all the necessary documents, for a fee of 20 Guilder Dollars, which is roughly equivalent to 1000 US Dollars.

Chinos was very efficient. As soon as the contract was signed, he drove Zhou Xin to start work.

They first found Edward, who was shopping at the market, and after taking his visa, identity documents, and other identification, they went directly to the office.

Some procedures only require the provision of relevant documents and do not require the person to be present, but some documents do require the person to be present for verification.

Chinos was indeed quite professional. He first completed the procedures that did not require the person's presence, and then let Zhou Xin determine the processing time for the remaining procedures himself.

During the process of completing the formalities, Chinos was surprised to find that Zhou Xin and his companion were only two people, and he once again offered his advice.

"I didn't expect there to be only two of you. That's dangerous. I think you need to reconsider."

Zhou Xin sighed, "There's nothing I can do. I can't find a suitable teammate for the time being. You know, if a teammate isn't reliable enough, he might actually put us in an even bigger crisis."

"You're right. Since you've already made your decision, I can only wish you all the best."

He knew that advice needed to be given in moderation; saying too much might offend the employer.

Chinos was very efficient; he got all the documents ready in just two days.

This includes documents such as gun licenses, which normally take a long time to obtain, but after spending some money, they were obtained smoothly.

Of course, all of this money was paid by Zhou Xin.

Next, they will be able to legally enter the primeval forests of the Guyana region to pan for gold.

Of course, they must comply with some local environmental regulations during this process, otherwise their permits may be revoked.

Moreover, they had to pay a 20% tax after harvesting the gold.

After completing the formalities, Zhou Xin immediately went to a gun shop and bought a Beretta 92F pistol, along with 50 rounds of ammunition.

He also bought a high-quality replica of the same air gun so he could practice shooting in his spare time while panning for gold.

With two guns in hand, he felt much more at ease.

In the past two days, Edward has purchased a portable small ore washing machine and made some initial modifications to it.

At Zhou Xin's request, he modified the ore washing machine into several parts that could be easily disassembled.

Normally, it can be stored in three large boxes. When needed, it can be taken out and simply assembled before it can be used.

The reason for this renovation was to take traffic issues into consideration.

Most of the primeval forest is without roads, and where there are roads, there are obviously no places to pan for gold.

Therefore, to transport the equipment to the gold mining site, either a road that could be driven on was built, or the only option was to rely on animal power and manpower.

Opening up roads is not realistic for them, not only because the procedures are difficult, but also because the financial investment is huge and not worthwhile.

This leaves only the method of transportation using animal power and human power.

That's why Zhou Xin asked Edward to modify the ore washing machine to make it easier to move.

After the ore washing machine cuts the ore into three parts, each part weighs approximately 100 kilograms.

In addition to the diesel generator, sand suction machine, and storage batteries necessary for operating the ore washing machine, the equipment alone weighs about 400 kilograms.

As for fuel, the diesel generators purchased here are not very efficient; one liter of diesel can generate about three kilowatt-hours of electricity.

The electric motor that powers the ore washing machine consumes about 10 kilowatt-hours of electricity every 10 hours. So, it would cost 300 kilowatt-hours per month, which is exactly 100 liters of diesel fuel.

Zhou Xin initially considered using photovoltaic panels, but the rainforest could not guarantee sufficient sunlight near the mining site, and the rainforest's climate was unpredictable, with the sun appearing and disappearing intermittently, which greatly affected the efficiency of photovoltaic power generation.

Moreover, photovoltaic panels are too large and difficult to transport.

So, in the end, he chose to use a diesel generator to generate electricity.

If calculated over three months, at least 300 liters of diesel fuel would be needed, which would weigh approximately 500 kilograms.

Including daily necessities, they need to transport at least 1000 kilograms of goods into the mountains.

Because the terrain in the jungle is complex and difficult to walk, a mule can only carry a maximum of 400 jin (200 catties), so at least two mules are needed. The remaining items will have to be transported by Zhou Xin and Edward by manpower.

This is definitely going to be a tough trip, and the amount of supplies we can carry will be greatly reduced.

Once we venture deep into the jungle, it will become impractical to come out and resupply.

Therefore, the living conditions during this rainforest trip will definitely be much harsher than in Western Australia.