St George's Cathedral stands 43 metres tall, making it one of the tallest wooden churches anywhere on Earth. When you look up at it from the street you can hardly believe the whole thing is wood - the spire stretches into the sky and the white-painted walls glow in the tropical sun. It was completed in 1892 and has been standing ever since, a remarkable feat of carpentry.
Georgetown's streets are lined with grand old houses raised on stilts - the stilts help keep the ground floor cool, allow air to circulate, and protect the building from occasional flooding. Many houses have wide verandas all the way around them, where families can sit in the shade. The style is sometimes called 'Caribbean Gingerbread' because of the decorative carved wooden details on railings and rooftops.
The city is built on land that is actually below sea level - a network of Dutch-designed canals and seawalls keeps the ocean back. Giant water lilies called Victoria amazonica float in the canals; they are so big and strong that a small child can sit on one. The Botanical Gardens in the centre of the city are full of tropical plants and a family of manatees lives in the ponds there.
Georgetown's markets are lively and colourful, full of tropical fruit, fresh fish, and spices. The Stabroek Market has a famous cast-iron clocktower that is a city landmark, and the surrounding streets buzz with bicycle vendors, minibuses and the smells of cooking that reflect Guyana's wonderfully mixed-up population.