Share this travel guide with your friends. - Suriname

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Esther Lijkwan
Suriname, South America
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Preface
The very first time I departed from drizzly Holland to sunny Suriname, I immediately decided to
stay. I emigrated to Suriname in 2002, never having set foot on this country’s fruitful soil before.
After being introduced to the “giant broccoli” from the air when approaching the airport my first
impressions were the warm blanket of the tropics (you could even see the air vibrating) and the
genuine beauty of the forest. All this greenery simply overwhelmed me. I kept staring at it in
sheer amazement.
Within ten minutes it was pitch dark, without any notice because Switi Sranan (Sweet Suriname)
does not come close to having anything remotely resembling a twilight! Despite having to protect
myself from mosquitoes, I immediately fell in love with this country.
Thank you for your interest in Suriname and enjoy the book!
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Esther Lijkwan
Index
Preface ______________________________________________________________ 3
Index ________________________________________________________________ 4
Introduction __________________________________________________________ 8
Chapter 1 – History __________________________________________________ 10
1.1 The original inhabitants of Suriname __________________________________ 10
1.2 Colonial times_______________________________________________________ 11
1.3 The plantations _____________________________________________________ 14
1.4 Short Story_________________________________________________________ 18
The Faith of a Dog _____________________________________________________________ 18
1.5 Paramaribo in flames ________________________________________________ 23
1.6 A time of gold and other minerals ____________________________________ 24
1.7 Independence _______________________________________________________ 25
1.8 War of the Interior __________________________________________________ 26
1.9 Flood _______________________________________________________________ 27
1.10 The Present _______________________________________________________ 28
Map of Suriname_____________________________________________________ 29
Chapter 2 – The Country: Switi Sranan __________________________________ 34
Chapter 3 The people and their culture _________________________________ 38
3.1 The Natives _________________________________________________________ 38
3.1.1 Native dishes ______________________________________________________ 39
3.1.2 Traditional dress and culture of the natives __________________________ 40
Culture ______________________________________________________________________ 40
3.2 The Creoles_________________________________________________________ 41
Bush Creoles and City Creoles ___________________________________________________ 41
3.2.1 Creole Dishes _____________________________________________________ 41
3.2.2 Traditional dress and culture of the Creoles__________________________ 42
The “Koto”___________________________________________________________________ 42
The Anisa ____________________________________________________________________ 43
The Pani _____________________________________________________________________ 43
Culture ______________________________________________________________________ 44
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Religion______________________________________________________________________ 45
3.3 The Jews____________________________________________________________ 45
3.3.1 Jewish dishes ______________________________________________________ 46
3.4 The Europeans / Farmers ____________________________________________ 46
3.5 The Lebanese _______________________________________________________ 47
3.6 The Chinese ________________________________________________________ 47
3.6.1 Chinese dishes_____________________________________________________ 47
3.7 The Hindustani______________________________________________________ 49
3.7.1 Hindustani dishes __________________________________________________ 49
3.7.2 Traditional dress and culture of the Hindustani _______________________ 50
3.8 The Javanese ________________________________________________________ 50
3.8.1 Javanese dishes ____________________________________________________ 50
3.8.2 Traditional dress and culture of the Javanese _________________________ 51
Chapter 4 Fauna and Flora ____________________________________________ 53
Fauna _______________________________________________________________________ 53
4.1 Mammals ___________________________________________________________ 53
4.2 Reptiles_____________________________________________________________ 58
4.3 Amfibians___________________________________________________________ 62
4.4 Birds _______________________________________________________________ 63
4.5 Insects______________________________________________________________ 67
4.6 Fish ________________________________________________________________ 70
Flora ________________________________________________________________________ 72
4.7 Trees_______________________________________________________________ 72
4.8 Flowers_____________________________________________________________ 73
Chapter 5 – The cities ________________________________________________ 75
5.1 Paramaribo _________________________________________________________ 75
5.1.2 Inner city and Waterfront (Waterkant) ______________________________ 76
5.1.3 Fort Zeelandia_____________________________________________________ 77
5.1.4 The Presidential Palace and the Palm Tree Garden (Palmentuin) ______ 77
5.1.5 The Tower of the Ministry of Finance ________________________________ 78
5.1.6 The St.Peter and Paul’s Cathedral___________________________________ 79
5.1.7 Central Market ____________________________________________________ 80
5.1.8 Wijdenbosch Bridge _______________________________________________ 80
5.1.9 The Goslar ________________________________________________________ 81
5.1.10 Paramaribo Zoo __________________________________________________ 81
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5.1.11 Modern buildings _________________________________________________ 81
5.1.12 Shops and Shopping Malls _________________________________________ 81
5.1.13 Entertainment district; Restaurants and Bars _______________________ 82
5.2 Nickerie ____________________________________________________________ 84
5.2.1 Bigi Pan ___________________________________________________________ 84
5.2.2 The road from Paramaribo to Nickerie ______________________________ 84
5.3 Albina ______________________________________________________________ 85
Chapter 6 The most beautiful spots of colourful Suriname_________________ 86
6.1 Close to Paramaribo_______________________________________________ 87
6.1.1 White Beach ______________________________________________________ 87
6.1.2 Surinamese Museum _______________________________________________ 87
6.1.3 Domburg _________________________________________________________ 87
6.1.4 Commewijne Tour_________________________________________________ 87
6.1.5 Marinalex Resort __________________________________________________ 88
6.1.6 Cola Kreek ________________________________________________________ 88
6.1.7 The Butterfly Nursery______________________________________________ 89
6.1.8 Pottery ___________________________________________________________ 89
6.2 From the city to the Brokopondo reservoir____________________________ 89
6.2.1 Overbridge________________________________________________________ 90
6.2.2 Jodensavanne______________________________________________________ 90
6.2.3 Babunhol__________________________________________________________ 91
6.2.4 Brownsberg _______________________________________________________ 91
6.2.5 Berg en Dal _______________________________________________________ 92
6.3 The Brokopondo reservoir or Professor Van Blommestein Lake__________ 93
Tonka Island __________________________________________________________________ 93
Paradise Island ________________________________________________________________ 94
6.4 From the south of the reservoir and deeper into the interior (extended trips)
____________________________________________________________________ 94
6.4.1 Anaula resort______________________________________________________ 94
6.4.2 Hotel Botopassie __________________________________________________ 95
6.4.3 Dan Paati _________________________________________________________ 95
6.4.4 Pikinslee __________________________________________________________ 95
6.5 Deep interior (extended trips) ______________________________________ 96
6.5.1 Raleigh Falls _______________________________________________________ 96
6.5.2 Apetina ___________________________________________________________ 96
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6.5.3 The Kasikasima Mountains _________________________________________ 97
6.5.4 Tafelberg (Table Mountain)_________________________________________ 98
6.5.5 Awarradam _______________________________________________________ 98
6.6 Western Suriname_________________________________________________ 98
6.6.1 Arapahu Island ____________________________________________________ 98
6.6.2 Kabalebo__________________________________________________________ 99
6.6.3 Blanche-Marie Falls ________________________________________________ 99
6.7 Eastern Suriname ________________________________________________ 100
6.7.1 Galibi ____________________________________________________________ 100
6.8 Boat trips _______________________________________________________ 101
6.8.1 Rivercruises ______________________________________________________ 101
6.8.2 Manoetje Tours___________________________________________________ 101
6.8.3 Sweet Merodia ___________________________________________________ 102
6.9 Other tours and other places ______________________________________ 102
Chapter 7 – Extra information ________________________________________ 103
7.1 Travel account/Internship and opinions about Suriname _______________ 103
My Suriname Internship ________________________________________________________ 103
Suriname____________________________________________________________________ 104
Assignment Suriname __________________________________________________________ 105
7.2 The National Anthem ______________________________________________ 107
Translation __________________________________________________________________ 107
7.3 Surinamese celebrities ______________________________________________ 107
7.4 Holidays in Suriname _______________________________________________ 108
7.5 Interesting websites ________________________________________________ 108
7.6 Medical Services: ___________________________________________________ 109
7.6.1 Hospitals: _______________________________________________________________ 109
7.6.2 Physician: _______________________________________________________________ 109
7.6.3 Dentist: ________________________________________________________________ 109
7.6.4. Bureau voor openbare gezondheidszorg ( Public Health Care Office):_______________ 109
7.6.5. Helicopter services: ______________________________________________________ 109
7.7 Tour operators_____________________________________________________ 110
7.8 Airlines ____________________________________________________________ 111
Inland flights _________________________________________________________________ 112
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7.9 Transportation _____________________________________________________ 112
7.9.1 Bus / local busses_________________________________________________________ 112
7.9.2 Taxi’s __________________________________________________________________ 112
7.9.3 Car rentals______________________________________________________________ 113
7.9.4 Bycicle Rentals ___________________________________________________________ 113
7.10 Cambio’s _________________________________________________________ 114
7.11 Casino’s __________________________________________________________ 114
7.12 Accommodations in Paramaribo and Nickerie _______________________ 114
7.12.1 Houses for rent _________________________________________________________ 114
7.12.2 Guesthouses and apartements _____________________________________________ 115
7.12.3 Hotels ________________________________________________________________ 116
7.13 Swimming pools and leisure clubs___________________________________ 118
7.14 Restaurants and bars ______________________________________________ 118
7.15 Important phone numbers _________________________________________ 120
Sranan tongo woordenlijst (Surinamese Word List)_______________________ 121
Checklist ___________________________________________________________ 123
Sources ____________________________________________________________ 124
Information sources: __________________________________________________________ 124
Pictures: ____________________________________________________________________ 124
Drawings: ___________________________________________________________________ 124
Books:______________________________________________________________________ 124
A word of thanks ____________________________________________________ 125
List for Prepared Traveling To Suriname________________________________ 126
List For Prepared Travel to Suriname with Kids __________________________ 129
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Introduction
This book is meant for people, who are interested in the Republic of Suriname;
interested in the country’s history, its various cultures living in harmony with each
other and its flora and fauna.
Furthermore this book serves as a useful guide for people who are planning to visit
this country. It is a complete and recent publication that can be an enrichment and
pleasurable addition to a trip here. The book can help to quickly and efficiently outline
a dream trip through a country waiting to be explored.
Most people that visit Suriname are: Surinamese people living in The Netherlands,
interns from The Netherlands and Belgium and people from the USA and the
Caribbean.
There is a considerable growth in tourism, the population is becoming more and more
aware of the opportunities this offers and a harbour fit for cruise ships is being built.
Twice such a cruise ship has even docked in the old harbour.
With this book I try to positively contribute to the establishment of a flourishing
tourist branch in this beautiful country.
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Chapter 1 – History
1.1 The original inhabitants of Suriname
When Christopher Columbus discovered South America in 1498, the original
inhabitants of this continent and therefore also of Suriname, were the hunting Native
Indians of various tribes.
There were the Arowaks, Waraus and Caribs which could (and still can) be found in
the coastal areas and the savannah belt of Suriname. Other tribes were the Trio- and
Wayana Native Indians living in the southern parts of Suriname, in Brazil, French
Guyana and Guyana.
In the Sipaliwini savannah region there have been archaeological discoveries
such as skulls and weapons of these tribes.
Marius, Basija (the Chief assistant ) of the Wayana Indians of Apetina.
Indian mother with child
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1.2 Colonial times
The British were the first settlers that arrived here in 1540 to set up plantations. They
started plantations for sugar cane, coffee, wood, cocoa, cotton, rice, tobacco, indigo
and rubber. Throughout the years approximately 700 plantations were set up spread
across the northern regions of the country.
Despite these settlers arriving with their own Negro slaves, they still tried to subject
the Native Indians to slavery. All attempts to turn the Native Indians into so-called Red
Slaves failed.
In this period Jewish settlers also arrived in Suriname coming out of Brazil. Chased out
of Spain as a result of the Inquisition, the Jews first left for the Dutch part of Brazil.
When the Portuguese captured this part of Brazil the Jews were chased out yet again.
The first Jewish settlement and plantations called Jodensavanne (Jewish Savannah) was
founded by the Jews on the banks of the Suriname River, close to the capital city at the
time, Toorarica. The Jews called it “Our new Jerusalem on the river.”
It is possible to visit Jodensavanne, where the remains of the first Jewish synagogue in
the western hemisphere can be seen. The synagogue, which came into use in 1685, and
which also served as a court of law, still draws visitors from all over the world.
At Jodensavanne there is a therapeutic spring with water that contains a lot of humus.
It is said that drinking water from the spring causes rejuvenation.
There also is a Jewish cemetery with marble gravestones which is quite remarkable
because marble was very expensive at the time and it had to come all the way from
Europe.
In 1667 the Republic of the United Netherlands went to war against
England. The Zeelanders of the Republic were aware of large numbers
of products being exported from out of Suriname, bringing in a lot of
money so they jumped at the chance to capture the country. Zeeland’s
Abraham Crijnssen was the one to do so by cunningly sailing up the
Suriname River under the English flag. He captured Fort Willoughby, as
the stronghold was named at the time.
After the war, the Breda Treaty was signed and it was so decided that Suriname would
remain property of Zeeland. Fort Willoughby which had been built by the English was
renamed Fort Zeelandia.
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There often were heavy skirmishes between the Native Indians and the settlers but at
one point the latter decided to make peace with the Indians, after which the Indians
again took hold of the Savannah belt.
In 1683 Cornelis van Aerssen van Sommelsdijck from the city of Amsterdam settled in
Suriname. Van Sommelsdijck, the city of Amsterdam and the West Indian Company
were all shareholders in the Patented Association of Suriname and this way they had
become the owners of the country. As he wanted to keep a close personal eye on his
property, Van Sommelsdijck settled in Suriname as Governor of Paramaribo.
There came an explosive growth in the number of plantations and slaves were shipped
in, in large numbers from Ghana and Sierra Leone in Western Africa. They were
brought to shore at the sight where today we find the “Waag” building. Here they
were weighed on a large scale which can still be viewed in the building, currently
occupied by an Italian restaurant. The “Waag” building also served as bank.
The slaves lived in constant and underwent continual abuse because they were
considered to be no more then commodities. Some resisted these conditions and fled
into the impassable forest from where they often carried out attacks on the
plantations.
Many of these runaway slaves, Maroons, as they are called, have descendants still living
in the jungle. They are also called “bush-negroes”. Two of the most prominent leaders
of the runaway slaves were Boni and Barron who fought many battles in the
Marowijne region.
In 1808 slavery was abolished in other parts of the world, but
slaves continued to be smuggled into Suriname until 1863.
Obviously, slaves became increasingly more expensive.
Suriname was one of the last countries to implement
emancipation, the abolishment of slavery.
The Surinamese call it Keti Koti, which is celebrated on the 1st
of July. Keti Koti (which literally means cut chains) symbolises the release from the
shackles and cuffs.
In 1684, Van Sommelsdijck made an attempt at peace with the runaway slaves to
prevent worse infringements. The plantation owners did not agree with this attempt
and preferred the opposite; a hard-line approach towards what they considered to be
nuisances. The battle cost a lot of money.
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With the peace treaty the Maroons were awarded the territory behind the rivers and
the settlers got the coastal areas. In reality the battle lasted for many more years.
In 1688 Van Sommelsdijck was murdered by his own soldiers who justified their
mutiny by arguing that the governor treated them just as bad as slaves.
As products from the plantations sold extremely well in Europe, people in The
Netherlands assumed that there was much money to be made in the colony. The rich
lent money to everyone and anyone in Suriname, which resulted in an explosive rise of
prices there. Slaves, land and houses all became more expensive. This would not have
mattered if the prices of the products would also have gone up, but unfortunately, this
was not the case.
Many landowners fell deeply in debt and because of high interest rates on top of that,
they were unable to meet their commitments to pay their loans.
As of that moment a new situation occurred where creditors became plantation
owners, yet at the same time continued to live in The Netherlands.They appointed
managers to carry out the work without having any control over what was happening
here. This led to theft and a slow decline of the many plantations. The managers and
directors who were send from the Netherlands, were people with low standards.
These were people who fled Europe, just came out of prison, and so on.
In 1689 the French admiral Cassard sailed into Suriname. He attempted to seize Fort
Zeelandia. When this failed, he avenged himself by setting fires across the river, ruining
many plantations, among which Jodensavanne.
In order to prevent this in the future, Fort New Amsterdam was built at the
confluence of the Suriname and Commewijne Rivers.
Fort New Amsterdam is positioned at right angles to the sea, which ensured a clear
view of all the vessels sailing into the country. Canons were ready to welcome such
vessels. Today the fort serves as an open air museum.
The time of plantations was coming to an end, there were soaring debts, slaves were
freed and many people moved towards the new capital Paramaribo, which for the
better part was built up by Van Sommelsdijck.
Eventhough the state control law obliged the freed slaves to remain working on the
plantations for 10 more years; there was still a search on for new immigrants. They
came from Macau in China, from East India, India and Java in Indonesia. They were
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contract labourers, who could either return to their home countries after their
contract expired or they could choose to stay. Most of these immigrants stayed.
The Javanese did not have this choice, they all had to stay.
All immigrant groups kept to their own ways of traditional dress and culture, which
resulted in great variety. Mosques and temples were built.
In the 19th century, British Indian contract workers out of India, the coolies (which
literally means porters) were placed in the district of Nickerie. The Javanese went to
the district of Commewijne, the European farmers went to Saramacca (with the capital
city of Groningen) and the Chinese went to the Marowijne regions. Many immigrants
later continued as independent farmers.
1.3 The plantations
There were various plantations bringing forth different products: sugar, coffee, cocoa,
cotton, rice, wood, rubber (or so-called balata) and tobacco.
Saramacca had the most sugar and coffee plantations.
The cotton plantations were mostly situated in the districts Nickerie and Coronie.
Sugar plantations brought in most money, sugar being very expensive at the time.
The sugar plantations worked with mills; some were set in motion by horses or mules,
others were pushed by water or steam. The sugar cane’s juices were squeezed out
and collected in a reservoir. From there the juices were transported to the kettles
where there was a fire burning continuously.
The canes that were squeezed out were used to stoke up fire. After this process a
boiling substance was poured out of the kettles into barrels. This thick syrup-like mass
was called molasses. It was used also to produce rum. From the foam coming off the
boiling sugar a beverage called dram was made which contained alcohol as a result of
fermentation and which was well-loved by slaves, Indians and sailors.
The barrels were stored in a warehouse and later transported to the Republic of The
Netherlands.
The coffee plantations were less profitable because only after three years could the
first input be taken out again and it took seven years for these plantations to turn in a
profit. However, after these seven years, coffee plantations would remain active for
many years to come.
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The coffee beans were stripped of their pods and soaked in water overnight. The
following day they were left to dry in the sun. Then the beans were stored and
churned from time to time. The special floors on which the beans were put to dry can
still be seen at some plantations.
The cotton plant consists of a flower with a green fruit.
When the fruit ripens the seeds pop open and the cotton
around the seeds becomes visible. The flocks of cotton
fall off the ripened seeds, onto the ground or can be
taken of.
Cocoa is the fruit from the cocoa tree. Each fruit has approximately 30
heart-shaped pips, the size of olives. They are oily and bitter of taste.
After the outer layer was stripped off, the pips were put to dry for a
couple of days, after which they were packed and shipped. The pips are
called cocoa beans and they are roasted and burned and thus turned
into chocolate.
Rice is still the main crop cultivated in Nickerie. Driving through this district, passing
Wageningen, many rice fields can be seen. Two of the largest rice companies are
Manglie and Paloma. They also export rice abroad.
Most of the plantations had the same structure. With a large number of barracks for
the slaves, one large mansion for the owner and a smaller house for the overseer. The
mansions were built on wooden poles and the higher the poles, the higher the social
standing of those living in it. There also were special houses for physicians.
Some plantations were named after places in Europe, like Alkmaar and Berlijn. In
lesser times the names of plantations would also adapt to this and names like Zorg en
Hoop (Worry and Hope), Nijd en Spijt (Spite and Regret), and Zorgvliet (Stream of
Worries) appeared.
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Historical plantation house
There were a lot of plantations with French names stemming from the French
Huguenots, many of which had also fled from Europe to Suriname.
Among them were Ma Retraite, Tout Lui Faut and Tourtonne. The French built their
plantations on the outskirts of Paramaribo.
Beautiful plantations worth a visit are “BergenDal” and “Frederiksdorp”; the latter can
only be reached by boat.
BergenDal (Hill and Valley) is currently undergoing renovation to bring it back into its
original state, along with the setting up of a museum and frogs and butterflies
nurseries. One can also active the canopy sport and hiking or kayaking here, which is
really adventuress. When you wish to spend the night, the luxerious lodges and the
swimming pool with restaurant assure a prefect stay.
There is an amazing boat trip to Frederiksdorp on a boat named Sweet Merodia under
the guidance of Mrs.Cynthia Mc Leod, Surinamese author of several historical novels.
For those interested in Suriname’s history it would be worthwhile to read her novels
about the plantations or the revolution. However, not all have been translated into
English. Cynthia Mc Leod has also written a book about the Marienburg plantation.
Marienburg is an interesting place to visit because
this plantation also had a factory. In its prime, no
less than 23.000 people lived and worked there,
making it the second largest living centre in
Suriname at that time. It was said that the director
of the plantation was the second most important
man in the country, right behind the governor.
Some even argued that he was even more important than the governor because he
brought the country a lot of money!
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The plantation is said to be haunted because there is a mass grave there. It is a grave
of workers who were executed after lynching the director during an uprising.
Successors of this director all lost their lives in a violent way. One fell to his death
from the top of the factory building, on top of the machinery below, another died
when hit by a train.
The Marienburg Rum is named after this plantation.
There are a lot more plantations to visit, too many to discuss here, but the local tour
operators have all the information about these plantations.
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1.4 Short Story
In 2006 I wrote a short story for the international festival of literature “Werelden in
Ontmoeting” (Meeting Worlds). It is a fictional story about a Chinese girl that was
send to Suriname to work on a plantation. It is based on true facts on which I had
done a lot of research. The story won second prize at the festival and since it is set in
the time of plantations and immigration, I thought it would be appropriate to
incorporate it into this book.
The Faith of a Dog
The swirling seawater slowly coloured brown as muddy streams hit the wooden ship’s
hull, leaving white foamy tips behind. Staring at it, I sensed that the new land was near.
I smelled the mossy odour of old leaves as it invaded my taste buds.
Tightly holding onto my father’s silver coin in my hands, I was surprised by the dusk
setting in because it did not seem all that late. After so many miles on the Marie
Thérèse, the sense of time had also gone lost on me.
I looked at the sky and the first stars seemed to extend me their dazzling smiles. The
moon stood amongst them as a shepherd guarding the flock and I was convinced that I
would be able to touch him if I would just stand on the tips of my flattened lotus feet.
The wind seemed to have changed into a sultry warm caress as if tender hands were
stroking the tiresome journey off my body.
Someone called and I turned to look at him. Wild-eyed, his skin blistered by the sun,
he pointed in the distance.
“There! Land! Look.... land!”, he forced out from his dry throat. His dull, sorrowful
eyes seemed to glimmer with hope.
Drawn by the promise I eagerly turned towards the direction he pointed at and I
could make out giant shadows and clusters of trees, one towering higher over the
other as we sailed up the river’s estuary. In the darkness, the roots of the Mangrove
trees seemed like enormous spider legs.
Hundreds of sounds filled the air. Bizarre sounds, I had never heard before. A new
beginning.
My old life dispelled. Alone.
Starting all over, with nobody.
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I looked at the others; strangers of whom I had gotten to know and experience their
deepest emotions. Everybody cramped together with barely enough room to breathe.
Than-Chi, the dead baby wrapped in cloth in her arms, her tears were a ceaseless flow
like a perpetual waterfall.
She had never stopped crying. The rags on her body smeared with blood from the
gruesome delivery, the crazed horror was etched in her eyes.
Her husband had attempted to take the child from her arms but she had cursed him
and since then she had been mumbling: “My Xi-An, my beloved daughter,” tenderly
rocking the child in her weakened lap.
In the rear of the long, stretched out deck the corpses were rotting away, smelling of
tainted flesh, the flies inseparable from them. I wondered who would bury them;
would they be laid to rest in the new soil or would they receive a watery grave
like so many did before them?
Some had lost their sanity or had fallen ill with the most horrible diseases through lack
of sleep, good nutrition and hygiene. Our clothes were the same as what we came
aboard with and we smelled like rats in a pile.
Still I had, had no choice. I’d been forced. Sold and disappeared, never to see Macau
ever again. My family had left me.
Finally the tears flowed down my smudged face. I wanted to scream, pull the hairs
from my head, throw myself overboard, but it was too late. I was given a second
chance.
All the endless hours rolling on the waves of the desolate, ruthless sea, I had managed
to stay alive. I wanted to live.
My last memories invaded my mind. I saw my mother, sitting in the small, stuffy room
with stone walls, my little brother in her arms, barely a week old.
My kid sister on the plaited mat, the worn abacus in her counting fingers, tight braids
hanging around her yellowish face. They didn’t even cry when I left.
“There is not enough food for all of us,” my father sternly declared while he brought
me to the Hong Kong harbour. “The Taiping revolution has angered the Gods and
brought disaster. But the boy will bring us good fortune.
You are the eldest.You have been chosen to walk this path. Be proud, girl! The Dog
has chosen you.”
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I cried and I begged him to let me stay and that I would be a Pig or a Tiger, but he
would not listen.
At a small table on the noisy quayside a man as white as a sheet sat and introduced
himself to my father as an officer of the Dutch Immigration Company. After signing a
contract with the stroke of a fine brush he slipped my father a velvet poach.
My father then kissed me on my forehead pushed a silver dollar into my palm and left,
turning around only once as he stroked his hands across his eyes.
“Father, father,” I cried out, my voice breaking, while being ushered up the
gangplank with my fellow travellers. “Father,” I called out one last time at the top of
my lungs. He didn’t hear me anymore. My eyes followed him until he disappeared
as a tiny dot on the cold horizon of packed vessels and drunken, boisterous
sailors.
Why did I have to be born in the Year of the Dog? The Dog was brave, a
messenger used to put the angered Gods in a favourable mood. But, why me?
The river banks seemed to close us in and some people had gotten up to study the
new land. I listened to their excited whispering. “It almost looks like Macau,” one
young man with a long braid on the back of his head said to his wife. “Ah but it doesn’t
smell like China at all,” she replied.
I peered at the primeval forest on the banks and bitterly determined that it
should never be like my country. I roughly wiped my wet face and sagged down on the
deck which was sticky with vomit, right next to a woman who was talking to herself.
An unbearable weariness came over me and I closed my eyes.
I was startled by a firm shove in my left side. A tall Chinese pulled me up by my arms.
“Walk! We’re disembarking, or would you prefer to stay here?” he loudly snapped in
my ear. I sleepily tried to move my tied up feet. That would be the first thing I would
free myself from, once I’d gotten ashore.
The crowd off passengers around me held me up and slowly pushed me off the
gangplank. Right at the end I lost my balance and fell forward on the hard
ground. My hands lay in the tall, sturdy grass. It smelled of overripe fruit. In the light of
the moon, I could make out an extremely large ant clambering across my hands. For
just a moment I allowed myself to look at it until it bit me and painfully
brought me back to reality.
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“Father, mother, where am I?”, I said in fear. The long line of people moved
through the unknown territory. We stayed close together, as if something might jump
at us at any moment. Trees with thick roots and stumps were all along the side of the
sandy road.
Fluorescent, poisonous frogs and pimply toads jumped out ahead of us in the
pitch dark, alternately producing chirping and belching sounds. The foreman kept
urging us on. I pulled the rags from my sore feet and briefly massaged the numb,
crushed toes.
Long distances really were a problem, but I was yet again, left with no choice. It was
either plodding along or dying amidst the wild animals of the frightening forest.
We walked until only the stars and the moon were visible. I listened to the soft
shuffling of hundreds of feet. I felt limbs rustling past my cramped body and I could
smell the different body odours.
“Come on, we have very little time” the foreman yelled again. He even seemed a bit
desperate. A rustling sound came from between the cropped up branches. We were
followed closely by animals, but from high up in the protective trees.
“A little under a mile to go,” was murmured from out of the crowd. I didn’t know
who could verify that but I wanted to believe it. It seemed as if we had covered
hundreds of miles.
The hike had silenced my fellow-sufferers and there was no enthusiasm among them
when we arrived at the house that would become my new home.
It was a wooden house built on pillars. On the front of the house it read: “House of
the Chinese.” I dragged myself towards the bed appointed tome and meditated
before dropping onto it. I wrapped my worn out feet in the ragged blanket to relieve
the pain. I could hear muffled voices in the many rooms of the house but paid no
attention to them. I just wanted to sleep. I was lost in a new world, the night timidly
entered the house and I fell into a deep, restless sleep.
I dreamt of Macau and its streets, of my uncle who secretly taught my little niece
about school. I saw my little brother when he just started to walk and my sister when
she was old enough to be married.
Everybody was there, except for me; I was invisible. I cried when waking up to the
singing of the countless birds. I listened to the beautiful sounds and thought of the
Chinese nightingale in her cage that used to wake me up. The bright sunlight poured in
through the open window.
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We took turns bathing outside with cold rainwater which was collected in a barrel.
The last one in line hardly had any water left. I had no clothes and got a couple of rags
to wear. We ate rice with sea salted fish.
Again we left in a long line and this time I walked extremely slow. Giant blue
butterflies fluttered over our curious heads. I now saw the many houses along the
road. Various wooden houses with different people, people who appeared to be black,
others that were brown. They stared at us and we stared at them. I heard them
speaking but didn’t understand them. The sounds they produced were unfamiliar to
me.
Where was I? And with whom?
Tears were welling up but got stuck behind my eyelids. I screamed: “Father!” and my
fellow countrymen, both the old and the new, looked at me with disapproval. Then I
saw the gate the ornamental signs on it, which I suspected to be letters.
“Sugar plantation “La Resolutie”, the foreman said, “Everybody registers! Name, age
and length of contract. After this the work schedule and everyone’s separate tasks will
be explained.”
I followed the line of people and answered the questions asked by the Chinese man
behind the table.
“Li- Chi, 18 years old.” “Length of contract?” the man asked gruffly. “I don’t know.”
He checked the characters on the list in front of him and found my name. “Where are
you from?”
“Macau, sir. Wh… where am I, sir?”
“Near Frederiksdorp station in the Dutch colony Suriname. You will work at the
cooking station, since you cannot walk a whole lot,” he said, disapprovingly looking at
my feet. “Who is your companion?”
“Nobody,” I replied, saddened by the thought that my new life would be one of
hardship.
Only the Gods knew how much I missed my family. They were alive but I would never
see them again.
Sources used: www.nationaalarchief.nl:
Names of characters ( Than-Chi, Li-Chi) Ship’s name ( Marie Therese)
Name of plantation ( La Resolutie) Locations: Hong Kong, Frederiksdorp, Macau
Dutch Immigration Company.
Chinese astrology: The Years of the Dog; Erna Droesbeke, Christina publishing About the zodiac sign The Dog.
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1.5 Paramaribo in flames
In colonial times Paramaribo had only wooden houses. The roofs were made of pina
leafs and walaba singels, both products from trees. Paramaribo was called the Wooden
City. This was a disaster waiting to happen of course!
In 1821 almost the entire city burned to the ground. The fire started in a small kitchen
in the backyard of one of the houses at the Waterfront (Waterkant). A domestic slave
woman was baking cakes and the kitchen caught fire. Soon the fire spread to the
houses and the adjacent buildings.
“The Big Fire” as it was called lasted for almost 24 hours. This was catastrophic
because there was no adequate fire extinguishing system. It took a couple of years
before the city was rebuilt. Important public buildings that were lost were the
Parliament building, the Waag building, the theatre, the Roman Catholic Church and
the Protestant church, the last one had just been renovated.
In 1832 there was another fire, set by runaway slaves.
These slaves were caught and sentenced to death. After the second big fire it was
decided to build houses from slates.
All the buildings that were rebuilt can be distinguished easily around the city because
they look alike. The buildings have the same basic patterns,a simple symmetric front, a
rectangular floor plan, a high roof and all are painted in the same colours.
Lim a po straat, inner city
The house itself is white, the shutters and doors are green and the painted bricks are
red. The beautiful inner city of Paramaribo is since 2002 on the UNESCO world
heritage list.
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1.6 A time of gold and other minerals
In 1874 gold was discovered in the Marowijne district. No less
than 38 kilograms was found in 1876. The country became an
eldorado for gold diggers. Besides gold, bauxite was also found.
The “Gold Express” railway was built to transport the gold and
connect the interior with the capital.
The land that had been inhabited by the Maroons, for many years and which they
considered their own, was, in a sense, being taken away from them again. Prospecting
on the Brownsberg Mountain resulted in the discovery of gold there as well. Until this
day you can still see the traces of gold digging that took place in that area.
From 1900 on, the Republic of The Netherlands aimed at many expeditions and mineral
research throughout the country.
As these expeditions were successful the Netherlands were prepared to develop funds
to open up the interior more. Houses and schools were built.
In 1963 one decided to build a factory at Paranam in order to melt down the bauxite
which was found in the territory. A flood-control dam was erected in the Suriname
River, creating a reservoir and generating enough energy to operate the factory. This
reservoir, a huge lake, was called Lake Van Blommenstein, after the professor who
came up with the plan.
The popular name for the lake is Lake Brokopondo and its creation led to the flooding
of 1560 square kilometers of Maroon territory. Within a year the whole area had
disappeared below the surface, and now the lake has a depth of 40 meters.
Animals that were removed to prevent them from drowning were brought to
Brownsberg. The territory’s inhabitants were lodged in transmigration villages.
One such villages is Brownsweg at the Brownsberg. People from 9 different villages
have been brought together here. Flooding the area was a radical change in the lives of
these people, which was also a violation of their regular way of life.
Brokopondolake
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Other transmigration villages that can be visited are Awarradam, Isadou, Gunsi and Jaw
Jaw, to name a few. Here you will get to know the Maroon culture. Besides gold and
bauxite also Kaolin clay and Ceramic clay were found.
To protect the bauxite-economy the USA sent troops to Suriname during World War
II. As the largest bauxite producer in the world at the time, Suriname was of great value
to America. The troops often hung out at the Waterkant and in the Dixiebar, named
after the music played there all the time. The bar is located on the premises of the
Cornerhouse. It is no longer accessible to the public.
1.7 Independence
The year 1975 was a turbulent one. On 25 November 1975 Suriname was declared
independent from The Netherlands. Dutch Prime-Minister Joop den Uyl signed the
declaration, an act he would later regret. He had hoped that independence would
benefit Suriname rather than the opposite. This part of history has been the subject of
a stage play called “The Tears of Den Uyl”.
The people had the choice between remaining Dutch subjects or becoming
Surinamese. Many emigrated to The Netherlands, to settle in Amsterdam in the
notorious Bijlmer neighbourhood.
The first president of Suriname was J.H.E. Ferrier.
Every year on 25 November the country celebrates its independence or
“Srefidensi”. All around Independence Square there is a market where you can buy all
sorts of souvenirs, food and drink and lots more. There’s music being played all over
the city and in the morning there is a military parade.
Independence day
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1.8 War of the Interior
In 1980, on 25 February to be exact, the country’s political climate changed drastically
by way of a military coup by sergeants of the army, led by Desi Bouterse and Roy
Horb. Bouterse wanted to set up a communist regime in Suriname and had the support
of countries like Grenada and Cuba.
Many of the poor were happy with the subsidised packaged foods
Bouterse provided. He also provided cheap housing for the
lower income classes. Later, several attempts to take over the
country would follow, all of which failed.
A curfew was instated at the time. In the night of 7 December 1982, sixteen potential
opponents of the regime were arrested, fifteen of which were executed on 8
December 1982. Among them were journalists, lawyers and soldiers.
The War of the Interior started because rebels - primarily
Maroons - led by Bouterse’s former bodyguard Ronnie
Brunswijk, took up arms against the army chief. They called
themselves Jungle Commando’s. The war was fought out in
the interior for the most part.
The Maroon village of Moiwana was destroyed and the people brutally murdered,
children and pregnant women among them. The riverside resort Albina was also
destroyed.
There came a shortage of many products, soap being one of the things that was hard to
come by. People ate whatever they could plant themselves. During the interior war
there was a lot of decline. At the moment there is a trial going on against former army
chief Desi Bouterse for his involvement in the “ 8 December Murders.”
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1.9 Flood
In May 2006 a large part of the interior was flooded due to an unusually high amount of
rainfall over a short period, during the rain season. There always are many showers
during the rain season, but this time there was a lot
of rain for days on end.
The rivers burst their banks and many Maroon and
Native Indian villages became victim to the water.
Many houses were flooded and children were unable
to attend school. Fortunately there were no
casualties, but the damage ran in the millions of Euro’s. Many people had to be
evacuated.
This state of emergency highlighted the relationship between Suriname and The
Netherlands yet again. The former motherland set up various rescue operations,
money was donated, there was a fundraising telethon and helicopters flew up and down
to the afflicted regions with food and emergency aid.
Now almost everything is back to normal, most of the farming
land that was destroyed can be used again and finally, after many
years, there has been some attention and support to improve
conditions in the interior. So there was a good side to this story!
There were new houses and schools built.
Some of the villages that became victim to the flood were: Palumeu, Awarradam, Gunsi
and Pikinslee.
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1.10 The Present
Until a short while ago, Suriname had a huge drug trafficking problem. Together with
Curaçao, Suriname was the most prominent transit port of drugs coming from
Columbia and going to Europe and America.
Air strips in the interior were used regularly for droppings. In Paramaribo, quite a few
enormous mansions have been built from the profits of drug trafficking.
For the past couple of years Dutch immigration and customs have instated a 100%
security check for all flights from Suriname, with destination The Netherlands, which
proves that the problem is not one to be taken lightly. The measures have had their
effect because the amount of drug-transports via the Dutch Schiphol Airport has been
reduced significantly.
A couple of years ago Suriname became a member of the
Caricom, the Caribean Community. This is a trade organisation
that tries to improve trade and economic relations between
the members of the community. Within Caricom there is free
trade of products and services.
Comparing Suriname to a couple of years ago one will notice that the country has
indeed improved. Roads have been asphalted, new international telecommunication
companies have been introduced, leading to honest competition and also more and
more higher educated Surinamese people who have been living abroad, return to this
country. Slowly, but surely the country is moving forward.
The country is doing this with almost no support from outside, since there is not a lot
of aid from The Netherlands coming this way anymore.
The tourist branch is expanding, beautiful and better equipped resorts are being built
and the quality is improving.
Unfortunately there still is a lot of poverty going around among large parts of the
population and Suriname will remain a Third World country still.
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Map of Suriname
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Chapter 2 – The Country: Switi Sranan
The democratic republic of Suriname lies on the South American continent bordered
by French-Guyana in the east, Guyana in the west and Brazil in the south. In the north
the country is bordered by the Atlantic.
The country counts 10 districts. From east to west they are: Marowijne, Commewijne,
Paramaribo, Wanica, Para, Brokopondo, Saramacca, Coronie,
Nickerie. The interior falls under the Sipaliwini district.
The current president is Ronald Venetiaan.
Paramaribo is the capital city of Suriname and most of the country’s
inhabitants live there; approximately 200.000 people. The population
density here is much higher than anywhere else in the country. But
still, Paramaribo is just a “big village.”
The meaning of the name Paramaribo is not very clear, there are several theories to
this, one version being that it means “city of flowers”, but in any case, it’s a Native
Indian name.
The second largest city is (New) Nickerie. Both cities lie on the northern coast,
Paramaribo in the center and Nickerie to the outer west. From Nickerie there is a
ferry which will take you to Guyana. Valid visa are required for this!
Albina, a smaller town, is situated in the north-eastern corner. Before the interior war
this was a beautiful riverside resort. From Albina you can cross the river by ferry or in
a small boat to St. Laurent, French Guyana.
The rest of the country has numerous small communities and towns, large and smaller
villages like Groningen, Wageningen, Friendship and Moengo.
The country has a tropical climate under the influence of the rain forest which gives it
a year-round average temperature of 28 degrees Celsius (82,4 Fahrenheit) Evenings
and nights are not much cooler but certainly not unpleasant.
The seasons are not like in Europe or other parts of the world, instead there are a
short and a long rain season and also a short and a long dry season. The short rain
season is from December to January, the long rain season from May to Mid-August.
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The short dry season is from February until April, the long dry season from MidAugust to November. The long dry season is the hottest time of the year. Nowadays
the seasons do not elapse as exact as they used to.
“Sibi Busis” occur regularly during the rain season: typical tropical rainstorms that
come and go in an instant and almost comparable with a warm shower. Suriname is
composed of highlands, savannah and a coastal area.
The highlands which actually consist of medium high mountains are characterised by
steep, bare tops rising above the forest, like the Voltzberg.
Besides this there are marshes, mangrove forests, muddy coastal areas and of course,
the tropical rain forest. Large territories here are protected. In fact the rain forest
forms the lungs of the earth.
Medium high mountains with bare tops
There are several rivers that run across the country. The largest ones are the
Corantijn, Coppename, Suriname and Marowijne. Important but smaller branches of
these four largest rivers are in respective order the Nickerie, Saramacca, Commewijne
and Cottica rivers. The Cottica is a tributary of the Commewijne River. All rivers
have their sources in the southern parts of Suriname.
There are many waterfalls and “Sula’s”. Sula’s are strong rapid streams in which it is
great to take swim.
Suriname does not have real beaches like other countries in the caribean, although
there are two beaches where turtles lay their eggs, which can be visited. Other
solutions for this have been found as well; there are river resorts where beautiful
white sand has been raised to create beaches which are just as appealing as the real
thing!
The water from the rivers is quite dark, coming from the Amazon region, but it is also
quite clean.
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The water in the interior can be drunk although for tourists this may not be advisable
because of the high level of minerals in the water. If you are not used to that, your
stomach might not agree with it. In the interior the best thing to do is to drink cooked
rain water, if regular water is not available.
Suriname is a great country for adventurers, nature- and animal lovers. There is a wide
variety of wildlife, with many rare species among them. It is a real challenge for those
who have made bird watching or fishing their favourite pastime.
With a total population of 480.000 and measuring no less than 163.270 square
kilometres this country counts about 3 inhabitants per square kilometre. As
mentioned earlier, most people live in the cities and towns in the northern part of the
country, mainly in Paramaribo.
In January 2004 the monetary unit was changed from the Surinamese Guilder into the
Surinamese Dollar.
The main languages spoken are Dutch and Sranan Tongo (a Surinamese dialect).
Sranan Tongo has traces of English, Portugese and Dutch, which has to do with the
turbulent history of the country. Besides these languages the different communities all
have their own languages. English is a much used language as well.
Suriname is a religious country with a great variety of faiths: Christian, Hindu, Muslim,
Jewish and primitive. The different religions live in harmony with each other. In this,
Suriname serves as an example to the rest of the world. In the inner city of
Paramaribo one can see a synagogue and a mosque right next to each other, even
sharing a parking lot!
Over 200.000 Surinamese people live in The Netherlands, which explains the
close ties between the two countries. Virtually every Surinamese citizen has at least
one family member on Holland.
Nowadays many higher educated Surinamese return to the home country
bringing with them a large doses of know-how.
This country has an enormous supply of minerals and natural resources. It is
therefore not surprising that it is the 17th richest country in the world for this
statistic. Unfortunately the natural resources are primarily exploited by foreign
companies, so the country does not benefit from this enough. The reason for this is
the lack of know-how.
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Some of the minerals found here are gold, bauxite, crude oil, platinum, diamonds,
kaolin and ceramic clay. Bauxite is exploited by Suralco and Billiton, crude oil by the
state oil company Staatsolie.
The Surinamese economy primarily rests on the exploitation of these minerals. Other
income for the country comes from agriculture, stock breeding, trade (primarily
imports), fishery and tourism.
The Surinamese flag has great symbolism. There is the star with the 5 points
indicating the 5 main ethnic groups: Hindustani, Creole, Javanese, European and
Native Indian. The star’s yellow colour stands for the unity between the groups.
Surinamese flag
Besides the star the flag has 5 horizontal lines in the colours green (for freedom, hope
and fertility), red (for love, innovation and progress) and white (for peace and justice).
The time differential with Suriname is UTC –3 hours.
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Chapter 3 The people and their culture
3.1 The Natives
The Natives, or Indians, still live in seclusion and provide for their food by hunting,
fishing and agriculture. Nowadays they hunt primarily with modern weapons (rifles and
guns).
A visit to a Native Indian village may give the opportunity to go on a nightly hunting
trip with them. In a number of Indian villages (like Kwamelasemoetoe and Apetina)
unique wall and rock paintings were found, some of them from ancient times.
Every Indian village has a village leader or Captain who has many Basija’s working for
him. Basija’s speak on the Captain’s behalf, to avoid misunderstandings.
Inscriptions in rock
The Captain is also called Granman. He takes all decisions
for the village and is also responsible for the villagers’
well-being. The Granman is chosen by the villagers after
having proven himself to being a good leader for several
years.
The various Indian tribes all have their own customs and their own dances, which are
nice to watch. The Carib Indians have a dance which is accompanied by many drums
called the Samboera.
The Arowak, Trio and Wayana Indians use flutes (made of bamboo) and maracas. The
Wayana’s have a dance in which they dig a ditch, cover it with wood and then stomp
on it, providing a nice hollow sound.
Anyone interested in the Indian tribes should read the book
“Tussen Apoera en Oreala” (Between Apoera and Oreala) of
Surinamese author Clark Accord. It is a lovestory against the
backdrop of the native cultures and the countries Suriname and
Guyana. (I am not sure, if the book is translated already)
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3.1.1 Native dishes
The Indians traditionally plant a lot of cassava, both bitter as well as sweet ones. From
the bitter cassava they make their bread, which is hard and is near what is regularly
considered bread.
The cassava is grated and sifted in a so-called matapi,(a sifter) making it granular and
causing the poison of the bitter cassave to run out with the juices.
The cassava is then baked on a large hot plate. The gum-like substance in the cassave
binds the bread, which is baked on both sides, after which it is dried in the sun. There
is a good chance you will be able to witness this process when visiting an Indian village.
Most of the time, the casasave bread is laid down to dry on the roofs of the huts.
Kasiri, the traditional Indian beverage, is also made of the bitter cassava. The juices are
grated out of the cassava. Then the juices are heated to get rid of the poison and sugar
is added. After fermentation the juices will contain alcohol. In the past this beverage
was made by first chewing on the cassava and spitting it into a bowl and letting it stay
for a while. Kasiri is a strong alcoholic beverage which can get you really drunk.
Sweet cassava is used in soup. Besides cassave bread and kasiri another typical Indian
recipe is Peprewatra (pepper water) soup. Its name says it all; this dish contains a lot
of peppers. The Indians like to cook with smoked peppers because they have no
refrigerators and this way they can preserve their peppers better. In fact, they smoke
almost all their food for this very same reason.
Cassava
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3.1.2 Traditional dress and culture of the natives
The traditional native dress is brightly coloured and contains many tufts, beads and
feathers. They tie rattlers around their legs for the dance, their bodies and faces are
painted frequently.
Art craft is one of the means of income for the natives. They make hammocks, and
cheerful clothes of cotton, wicker baskets and fans. They also make colourful jewellery
from beads and seeds and their own pottery out of clay.
Culture
Most natives have turned Catholic nowadays, a religion which has some common
ground with primitive religions. Primitive religion is a lifestyle aimed at respect for the
creator, the creator of the rivers, the trees and mankind.
The Pyayman has the role of intermediate in the contact with the spirits.
A typical Indian ritual is the initiation. When a young Indian grows into adulthood he
must withstand a test. A mat filled with bees is placed on his chest and he must
withstand this without showing, he feels any pain. The ant test is a similar sort of test.
The young Indian will sit on a nest of ants without showing signs of pain. These types
of tests are held during important moments in the life of an Indian.
The houses or huts of the natives used to be closed completely, top to bottom. The
dome-shaped huts are made of various types of palm tree leafs and carry the
name Toekoeispan. Nowadays, a lot of the huts are partly open as well.
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A Toekoeispan (historical picture)
Inside of a Toekoeispan
3.2 The Creoles
Bush Creoles and City Creoles
The Creoles are descendants of slaves transported to Suriname, primarily from West
African countries like Ghana and Sierra Leone. The group of Creoles is divided into
City Creoles and Bush Creoles (or Maroons).
City Creoles are descendants from slaves who remained in
the city after they were released and started agricultural
farming themselves. Maroons are descendants from
runaway slaves that had fled into the forest. There are
several tribes among these Maroons, namely the Aucans or
N’djuka’s, the Saramaccans and the Paramaccans.
Up to this day there still are many Maroon villages in the jungle that can be visited, for
instance Awaradam, Jaw Jaw ,Gunsi and Pikinslee.
3.2.1 Creole Dishes
The Maroons primarily plant cassava, just like the natives. With this they make their
bread and dollop. They use the dollop together with dried grated cassava to make
porridge. The dollop can also be found in supermarkets across the capital.
The Maroons are also hunters and fishermen, in short, they live of the forest.
Nowadays they do buy groceries in town, which they later trade among each other.
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Typical dishes from City Creoles are rice dishes and various soup dishes. Examples of
these are rice with stringed vegetables called kousenband and salted fish, moksi alesi
(mixed rice) kidney beans with rice and salted meat, her’ heri (bananas with cassava,
sweet potatoes, and similar rootlike fruits and salted fish.
Some real Creole soups are Griet’ Bana, Cassava, Masoesa, Ochre and Chinese
Tajersoup.
A beverage the Creoles love is called Podosiri, made from the seeds of certain palm
trees. These seeds are mashed to a pulp in water, turning it into sort of a fruit juice
that holds a lot of iron, supposedly very healthy for women who are pregnant or have
just given birth.
A strange phenomenon is eating “pimba” which is calcium from the calabash. It seems
Creole women get a real craving (lostu) for this during pregnancy. Pimba, however
contains a lot of lead which is quite bad for unborn children!
3.2.2 Traditional dress and culture of the Creoles
The “Koto”
The so-called Koto was a creation of slave master’s wives who were jealous of the
female slaves walking around half-naked all day. The wives were worried about their
husbands taking advantage of the well shaped, athletic female slaves. In truth, this
happened frequently.
The Surinamese marriage, which allowed men to take a second wife without being
legally bound to her, also contributed to this behaviour.
The brutal slave owner’s wife Susanne de Plessis cut off a breast from a female slave
that was her husband’s favourite, once. She did so out of pure frustration and jealousy.
This same woman also drowned a baby, with her own hands. The baby who kept
crying, and couldn’t be sussed by the mother, annoyed Susanne de Plessis so much,
that she took action and stopped the crying by drowing the poor child. She was an
awful lady.
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So the female slaves had to wear special clothing
and the “Koto” was born. Kotos were large wide
dresses which concealed all shapes and forms.
Kotomissis with anisa
The Anisa
The Anisa is headwear worn by female slaves. It served as a means of communication
understood by only the slaves. They tied the knots of their Anisa’s in such a way that
their fellow slaves could understand the messages like “See you at the corner” or
“Let’s go dancing”, while keeping the information secret from the plantation owners.
The Pani
This is the clothing of Maroon women, a nicely
coloured cloth, sometimes decorated with
embroideries, which is tied around the body.
Women can easily move around in this and do
their chores. It is no hindrance to them and it’s
not warm. The Pani is sold on the Brownsberg
Mountain and in other Maroon villages.
Pani’s and a cultural dance of the Maroons
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Culture
Part of the Creole culture is their special way of burying their dead. The deceased is
first laid out, after which the next of kin throw themselves on top of the body,
screaming in agony. They ask the deceased all sorts of questions to which they get no
reply, of course. Only then are they convinced that the spirit of the deceased has
passed on.
The body is bathed and dressed up nicely. The so-called Dragamans then carry the
coffin with the body through the streets, dancing as they move towards the final
resting place. This is the last dance.
Another aspect of Maroon culture is the fact that a man is allowed more than one
wife, which probably is a remainder of colonial times, when the “Surinamese marriage”
was in place. Out of this a new phenomenon developed: The Mistress.
In The Netherlands people often think a Surinamese Creole often commits adultery,
which probably is a result of this cultural habit.
It often so happens that a Maroon male is many years older than his wife. It is not
strange for 13 year old Maroon girls to become pregnant.
Other cultural phenomena are the “wasi” (washing), the “winti pre” (spiritual dance)
and the “kroetoe” (gathering).
A ritual “wasi” is held to get rid of evil spirits or bad fortune, which are called “Ogri
eye” (evil eye). There are various sorts of “wasi’s”, against different evil troubles.
A “winti pre” party is held at a person’s home. Special “winti pre” music is played,
sending some attendants into a trance. Sometimes they portray animals. As a tourist it
is not easy to get into such a party, unless you are invited. Ask your tour operator,
who knows!
A “kroetoe”, is a gathering, held by the “Granman” (chief) to take decisions regarding
the village.
Real Creole music styles are the unique Kawina and Kaseko. Kawina music is
characterised by a lot of drum sounds.
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The Maroon community also does a lot of arts
and crafts, especially wood carving. They make
nice little benches out of wood or rowing
paddles, many of which are true works of art!
Art Craft
Religion
Many Maroons have turned Catholic but they still profess their primitive religion. To
fend off spirits their houses have low entrance doors and they have a strip of palm
tree leafs in front of the village entrance or at the river in order to keep out evil
spirits. They are convinced that spirits cannot stoop so this way they will not be able
to enter. The Maroon culture contains countless old African customs.
A typical Maroon village
3.3 The Jews
The Jews, along with the English were the first real immigrants coming to Suriname.
Fleeing the Spanish Inquisition, they first went to Brazil and later found their way here.
They built settlements and plantations. It is because of the Jews that there is a
synagogue in Suriname.
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In the colonial times they led lives of riches and luxuries. Some of the real Jewish
family names that are still present in Surinamese society today are De La Parra,
Samson and Emanuels.
There is only a small group of Jews left in Suriname.
3.3.1 Jewish dishes
A typical Jewish dish is “Pom” an oven dish for which baked chicken and spices are
added to a grated root like fruit. Many people think it is a Creole dish, but it’s not,
although the Creoles gratefully adopted Pom into their kitchen.
The Jews like to eat their own special bread called Matze.
3.4 The Europeans / Farmers
The “Boeroes” are descendants of the Dutch colonists. The first farmers came from
the Dutch Province of Friesland.
They came to set up farms, but they met with a lot of hardship at first. About half of
them died within 6 months after getting here as a result of a variety of diseases. The
remaining group moved to the town of Groningen in the Saramacca district and
started farms there.
Their primary produce was milk, vegetables and bananas. They also held hurds of
kettle.
These farmers’ decendants are still into agriculture. Do not be surpised when you
come across white citizens who speak fluent Sranan Tongo, they are real Surinamese
and not Dutch! Typical names of these Boeroe families are Van Dijk and Tammenga.
In Groningen there is a monument to comemmorate the first Boeroes that died in
large numbers, soon after their arrival here.
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3.5 The Lebanese
On their way to Antigua and coming from Lebanon, these people were shipwrecked in
front of the Surinamese coast and the ship was pulled into the harbour of Suriname.
So the Lebanese came here by accident.
They settled down here and many started their own little shops, mostly in the textile
industry. Their businesses flourished and soon they sent for their families to join them
out of Lebanon. The results of this shipwreck are nowadays visible in the form of large
stores like Lucky Store and Beirut Bazar.
At the Men’s Cook Out, in hotel Torarica, you can always come across some nice
Lebanese snacks, which are very much worthwhile.
3.6 The Chinese
The first Chinese came from East India, which belonged to The Netherlands, and from
Macau. They were put to work on the plantations under contracts that lasted for
several years.
Many started their own grocery store after their contracts expired. Nowadays you will
find them on the corners of many streets, the so-called Chinese stores. Many of these
Chinese had little or no chances in their home-country. This is still noticeable among
Chinese that come to Suriname today. Now many families are coming over. In the past
only men came, ultimately marrying local women. This has led to a large group of
mixed Chinese Surinamese people.
The Chinese that come to Suriname today don’t speak a word of Dutch and learn
Sranan Tongo with difficulty. This often leads to poor conversations.
3.6.1 Chinese dishes
Chow Mein or Chop Suey, virtually all Chinese dishes can be found in Suriname and
they taste a lot better than in The Netherlands. This is a result of these Chinese
coming here directly from China, bringing along their culinary skills.
There are many Chinese snackbars and restaurants here, serving great food. One of
those restaurants which is very popular is Chi Min. Another one is Palm Palace. It’s
also possible to pick up Chinese food at the smaller restaurants- around-the-corner, of
which there are many all over Paramaribo.
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My Chinese teacher Danning Chen with his beautiful pictures
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3.7 The Hindustani
The Hindustani were British subjects brought to Suriname after England and The
Netherlands had agreed that the latter was allowed to offer them a contract.
The first Hindustani arrived here on the ship La La Rookh in 1873. They were treated
horribly and carried all sorts of deadly diseases. The English were furious over this and
their anger resulted in the setting up of medical care in Suriname. England would
otherwise not allow any subjects from India to be brought to Suriname anymore.
Despite this, the treatment of these people was horrendous. As punishment they
sometimes were locked up with a stick between their legs for 24 hours on end, left at
the mercy of mosquitoes and other vermin.
The Hindustani worked the plantations and at the end of the colonial period they all
received 100 Dutch Florins and a piece of land to cultivate. Two thirds of the
Hindustani that came to Suriname stayed here. Some went into trade. At present the
Hindustani excell in the trade business, next to the Chinese and Lebanese.
3.7.1 Hindustani dishes
Hindustani generally like spicy food with a lot of curry, often vegetarian. They use
curry in the famous Roti, a pancake with vegetables, meat, potatoes and sometimes a
boiled egg.
You can get Roti at Chris Rotishop or Roopram. Also well-known is the Massala
Chicken of which a meat-version was introduced in Suriname.
They have several snacks like Bara, made of yellow peas and spices, baked in oil.
Samoza and Gougeri are other great tasting snacks. When there’s a party Hindustani
will also prepare Plauri which is a sweet-tasting delicacy.
A typical Surinamese sandwich filling is the hindustanic: curried boiled egg. Sandwiches
are available all over the city in sandwich bars. If you are asked if you want pepper or
other spices on your sandwich you might wish to refrain from those if your stomach is
not used to it!
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3.7.2 Traditional dress and culture of the Hindustani
The Hindustani women often wear Sari and they have henna paintings on their hands.
When Hindu women get married they wear a bright red dot over their head, in the
hairline.
The wedding ceremony lasts for 3 days. On the first day they bake corn, on the
second day the woman is picked up by her future husband for the wedding ceremony
and on the third day the couple goes home together, which often is the male’s
parental home. At the parties people always dance gracefully, mostly to music played
on a “tabla” which is a flat drumlike instrument producing a kind of jingling sound.
Many Hindustani are of the Hindu faith. During
these ceremonies, no alcohol is served or only for
the men.
Statue of Hindustani immigration
3.8 The Javanese
In 1890 the Javanese were the last contract workers to come to Suriname, out of the
province of Java in Indonesia. Actually they did not have a contract because they were
not in a position to return to their former homeland. That is why all the Javanese that
came here stayed permanently.
They were brought here from the then Dutch colony of Indonesia and were put to
work on plantations in Commewijne. Most of them worked at the Mariënburg
plantation.
Nowadays many Javanese still live in Commewijne and also in Saramacca. A lot of
them make a living doing agriculture.
3.8.1 Javanese dishes
Javanese love Bami (fried noodles), Nasi Goreng (fried rice), Pitjil (vegetarian vegetable
mix with a special hot sauce made from peanuts and peppers), Baka Bana (fried
bananas) and a milky coconut drink called Dawet which is coloured pink or green.
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The famous Javanese soup Saoto can be found in the Javanese quarters of northern
Paramaribo called Blauwgrond. Other favourite dishes are Saté (grilled meat on a
stick), Telo (fried cassava), Goedangan and Nasi Koening.
They serve snacks like Cassava and Banana crisps, Shrimp crackers and Pejeh (baked
slices of dough with peanuts on them.) If you are staying in the southern, parts of the
city you might visit Sarinah or Jawa, two restaurants close to each other that serve all
these dishes. There are many other variations which you can look up yourself.
3.8.2 Traditional dress and culture of the Javanese
Javanese women wear a Sarong when there are festivities going on. They carry their
babies close in a cloth called Slendang.
Men wear batik shirts and a petji which is a sort of hat. Batik shirts are beautiful to
see and have countless different designs.
One of the cultural feasts of the Javanese is Bodo, known as Id ul fitre among
Hindustani Muslims. During Bodo, the feast after the Ramadan (time of fasting), there
are a lot of festivities and lots of eating. People visit each other to enjoy special rice
tables that are served this day.
Javanese dancing
Djuran kepang is the Javanese counterpart of the Creole winti pré and is composed of
the horse dance, the monkey dance and the tiger dance, all carried out to the sounds
of the gamelan which are typical Indonesian gong instruments. During these dances
participants will go into trance.
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All Javanese boys are circumcised according to cultural custom. After prayer, the
circumcision is carried out after which there is a big feast.
Most Javanese are Muslims.
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Chapter 4 Fauna and Flora
Guyana and Suriname are the only two countries in South America that are still
involved in international animal trade. As there is a huge market for this type of
business, the WWF has control over the animal trade to prevent over- exploitation
and to protect rare animal species.
The WWF mission is to protect the characteristically natural communities and
preserve the important ecological processes and services from the Guyana’s in order
to protect the biological diversity in the region and keep the social- economic benefits
in place.
There are many different animal species in Suriname and it is highly probable there are
species unknown to mankind as of yet. There is a wide variety of tropical animals,
rare ones among them. To name all of them here would be an endless task and would
turn this book into an encyclopaedia.
Therefore I have made a choice of some interesting animals that I think are appealing
to one’s imagination. A distinction was made between mammals, reptiles, amphibians,
birds, insects and fish.
For every animal there is a short description, along with both the English and the
Surinamese name as far as possible.
Fauna
4.1 Mammals
The first mammals we come across are monkeys. Suriname has many different kinds of
monkeys. The best known are the Surinamese Tamarin, the Capuchin, the Squirrel
monkey, the Red Howler monkeys and the Black Spider monkey.
The Surinamese Tamarin, or Saguwenke is one of the smallest
monkeys in Suriname. Its head, face and body are black; except for
the yellow or yellow- brown back and the gold coloured hand and
feet.
The Saguwenke has a long black tail. The animal will grow to no
more than 20 to 28 centimeters. Groups of Saguwenkes live in
trees, mostly in Savanna forests and alongside rivers.
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They are mostly active in the daytime.
The Capuchin, or Keskesi as it is known in Suriname, has a wide head with a dark
brown cap that runs via its temples, past the front of the ears, a dark line with hairs
standing straight up, resembling a cap.
Its hand and feet are darker than the rest of its body and it can roll up its tail. The
Keskesi will grow to a length ranging from 35 to 49 centimeters.
This group animal lives in tree tops and is mostly active during the day.
The Keskesi
The Squirrel monkey, or Monki-Monki is a small, slim, short-haired animal with a
round head. Its mouth is black and the white hairs around the mouth, covering the
eyes, chin and throat resemble a mask.
The Monki-Monki has a tail but it is not able to use it for grasping things. The species
ranges from 25 to 32 centimeters in size and it is a group animal, living in trees close
to water.
Sometimes Monki-Monkis can be spotted on the
outskirts of the city.
The Monki-Monki
The Red Howler monkey or Babun lives alongside rivers. It is a
small, yet robust animal, very timid and easily recognisable by its
impressive howling which makes it seem 10 times its actual size.
Living in packs, it is often the leading male who will start and end a
howling concert, free of charge. Its body is a reddish brown to
golden orange with a black face.
This howler monkey is a vegetarian, contrary to many other South
American monkey species. If you take a river tour and you wake
up early you are sure to hear these packs. The Babun is a bearded animal that will
grow to up to 50 centimeters in height.
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The Black Spider monkey or Kwatta
monkey. This monkey is a popular pet. It
has a long tail with which it can grasp things.
This black monkey has a pink mask in the
face, has long limbs, relatively large hands
and feet and is quite agile.
The Kwatta monkey
The dolphin or Profosu is a mammal that inhabits the
Suriname rivers. It moves around the mouths of the rivers
in both freshwater as well as saltwater.
This dolphin, or Profosu as it is known in Suriname, is a
small type with a short mouth and a little lump on its
forehead. Its colours are mostly grey, brown or blueish on
the back and light grey or white on the belly.
The Profosu can grow to between 1,3 and 1,9 meters in length. They are mostly active
during the daytime and there’s a big chance you will be able to spot some of them
during a day trip on the Sweet Merodia, a boat which will take you on a plantation
tour to
Frederiksdorp under the guidance of Cynthia Mc Leod. You could also book a sunset
dolphin tour with Liesbeth Gummels and you will be sure to spot them.
The Giant Armadillo or Granmankapasi as it is
known in Suriname has really thick and sturdy armour that covers its back.
The sides of the armour are light yellow and its belly is bare. The Granmankapasi has a
small head and small eyes but it has really large feet.
Its massive paws are the largest of all animals. It will reach a length of between 75 and
100 centimeters with a 50 centimeter tail.
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Living underground, the Giant Armadillo is active primarily during the day.
The Bush Hound, or Busi Dagu in Surinamese is a stocky dog with very short legs, a
short tail and small round ears. It is light to reddish brown which gradually turns black
towards its behind, with soft and long fur.
The Bush Hound can grow to between 60 and 75 centimeters. Although living in packs
and active during the day, the dog is rarely ever spotted.
It lives in the forests around savannas and close to water.
The Busi Dagu
There are several felines in Suriname, some of which can be quite dangerous. Among
them are the Jaguarundi, the Ocelot and the Jaguar.
All of these differ in built, colour and size.
I will only describe the Jaguar (Penitigri) which is a big, stocky, spotted cat with
short, thick legs and large feet.
The Jaguar has a big head and strong jaws. It
has yellow fur with black round spots and a
long tail. It can grow to 1,85 meters in
length and lives on the ground, although it is
an excellent climber and swimmer.
The forest areas, near water are its habitat, but sometimes it will turn up in cultivated
areas, like once when one was caught at Apetina where the cat made life miserable for
the Native Indians there. This, the largest predator of the America’s, walks alone and
is active both during the day as well as at night.
Surinamese Hare, or Hei in Surinamese.
This hare is heavyset and resembles a small pig. Its back is
a reddish brown with white spots. The short tail is hidden
beneath its hair. The Hei lives on the ground alongside
rivers and small streams. Mostly active at night, the
monogamous Hei either walks alone or in the company
of its mate. The animal is a regular prey for hunters.
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The Giant Ant-Eater(Tamanwa) is the largest anteater in the world, with a long body,a long snout and a
shaggy, plume-shaped tail. This toothless species is grey
to black in colour and has a white-trimmed black band
running from its cheeks to its back. The front paws are
white, with sharp claws.
The Tamanwa will grow to between 1 and 2 meters in length. Living on the ground in
savanna areas and open forests, this species is active days and nights.
The Giant Otter or Bigi Watra Dagu (giant waterdog)
is the largest fresh waterotter there is. It has silky brown
skin and its throat and upperlip are white. It has a round
head with whiskers and small ears and a thick tail with a
flat pointed tip.
This otter with its short, thick legs and large feet grows to
1 or 1,5 meters in length.
It lives in family groups in rivers in the lowlands and lakes in forest areas, preferably in
dark water and is active during the day.
I have been fortunate enough to view these beautiful animals on the Corantijn River
near Kabalebo.
The Sea Cow or Seku has a colossal, round and grey body with a small square head
and a protruding upperlip. It has paddle-like flippers, each with three big nails and it has
a broad, flat tail.
Usually the Seku grows to between 2,5 and 4,5 meters in length. It lives alone and
swims in quiet streams and rivers just below the water’s surface in both fresh and
saltwater.
This animal is active days and nights and there is a
reasonable chance to view one coming up for air.
The Seku
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The Sloth, known as the Loiri owes its name to its
slowness. It has thick, rough, long-haired, grey fur.
Other characteristics are the rather small head in
comparison to the rest of its body and the very sharp
nails, which it uses to cling to trees, its main habitat.
The Loiri grows up to 60 centimeters.
4.2 Reptiles
As far as reptiles is concerned, there are several sorts of lizards in Suriname, among
which are the Iguana, the Bush Anole, the regular Garden Lizard, the Rainbow
Whiptail, the Argentine Teju, the South American Chameleon or Plica Plica, the
Mophead Iguana and the Asian Domestic Gekko (Kamrawenke.)
The Caimans are a more dangerous sort of reptiles in Suriname, one of which is the
Spectacled Caiman.
Then we have a wide range of turtles like the Gibba
turtle, the Amazon Toadheaded turtle, the TwistNecked turtle, the Green Sea turtle, Hawksbill turtle,
Olive Ridley turtle, Pond turtle, Mud turtle, Yellow
Tortoise, Red Foot Tortoise and the age old
Leatherback turtle.
The final reptile species we will mention here is the snake. There are the Boa
Constrictor (or Common Red-Tailed Boa), the Emerald Tree Boa, the Amazon
Tree Boa, the Brazilian Rainbow Boa, the mind-boggling Anaconda, the Forest
Pitviper, the very toxic Common Lancehead Viper and the dreaded Bushmaster
which is the largest Pitviper in the world.
There are some 76 other species of snake in Suriname.
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The Iguana (or Legwana in Surinamese) is the largest
type of Iguana in the northern parts of the continent. This
big green lizard has a large bag under its throat and a
crest on its back.
Its body can grow to 1,8 meters in length. The Iguana
lives in all sorts of trees, mostly around water and this
animal is active during the day.
There’s a pretty good chance you will come across one in Paramaribo.
The regular Garden Lizard (Lagadisa) is often seen in
the yard or in the street. It has grass-coloured skin with
dark brown bands along its flanks. This loner with the
pointed snout grows to no more than 17 centimeters
and lives on the ground.
The Rainbow Whiptail, or Wai Anu in Surinamese
has brown to grey skin on top with 9 or 10 black and
cream-coloured stripes. It will grow to up to 9
centimeters. This animal can be seen; living alone,
outside in the street or in the garden and it is active during the day.
The Spectacled Caiman or Wetberekaiman as we say here, has a bony ridge
between the eyes and a yellowish green coloured back. The belly is somewhat white. It
has strong jaws with very sharp teeth.
This Caiman can be spotted sunbathing on the river
banks and sometimes in trenches in cultivated areas.
Active mostly at night, their eyes will be reflected
brightly when shined upon with flashlights.
Running into a Caiman is not unusual.
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The Green Sea turtle or Krapei as the locals call it, is a very large turtle that will
nestle itself on the beaches of Galibi, provided
the time is right. It has a smooth shield, a
relatively small head which is topped off at the
front.
Adult animals vary in colour from brown to green
to almost black. They are yellowish underneath
and grow to between 85 and 140 centimeters in
length. The Green Sea turtle roams virtually all
the tropical seas in the world.
The Leatherback is called Aitkanti in Surinamese
and it is the largest endangered sea turtle in the
world and can grow to the size of a bug (the car, not
the insect).
It has leatherlike skin, hence the name, without
scales or a shield and 5 ridges running along its back.
The skin is black and marked with white spots. The
tail is relatively long and some animals can grow to
up to 2 meters in length.
The Aitkanti lives in tropical and subtropical seas and lays its eggs on beaches like
Galibi.
In the period from February to August you can see these large turtles nestle on the
Galibi beach. The Leatherback stems back from the time of the Dinosaurs.
The Boa Constrictor or Common Tree Boa is known in Suriname as the
“Daguwesneki”. This contrictor has a beautiful skin pattern with regular white, brown
and black geometrical drawings over a pink to light brown base. These drawings
change to different shades of white, black and red
towards the tail.
Its average length is 2 to 2,5 meters but there are
some that can grow to up to 4,5 meters. This Boa
lives on the ground and in trees, sometimes in
cultivated areas close to forests and is mostly active
at night. The Daguwesneki
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The Anaconda (watra-aboma) is a watersnake with a predominantly light-green to
brown skin with brown and black spots spread symmetrically across the body. On its
belly it has blackrimmed yellow spots.
The Anaconda can grow to between 4 and 6 meters in size but I have had the
opportunity to see one of 9 meters long at Redi Doti, a Native Indian village near
Blakawatra. A boat transporting logs had caught the animal in its nets. Every now and
then the Anaconda will appear in trenches around the city but usually it lives in rivers,
canals, small streams and swamps. It is mostly active at night.
Anaconda
The Common Lancehead (Labaria) is a Pitviper
with a lance-shaped head and skin that varies from
olive-green, brown, grey and yellow to rusty colours
with right- or multi-angled spots. Its length is about
0,7 to 1,2 meters but there have been cases known
where species of 2 meters have been spotted.
It lives on the ground in the forest, near water,
usually in savannas, swamps and agricultural
territories. This night crawler is extremely dangerous because it is very poisonous.
One bite can be fatal.
The Bushmaster, known locally as the Makasneki is the longest viper and also the
largest toxic snake of South America. It has a wide, rounded off head, beige to orangebrown skin with brown and black, diamond-shaped spots across the spine.
The belly is yellowish and it has a thorny tip at the end of the tail.
The average size is 1,2 to 2,5 meters but there is a case of one that was 3,6 meters in
length. The Bushmaster lives on the ground in the forest, is active mostly at night and
it also is a highly toxic animal with a potentially fatal bite.
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4.3 Amfibians
Among the amfibians in Suriname we have frogs and toads. Some frogs are poisonous
and they have beautiful colours. Many of them produce high-pitched, whistling sounds
rather than croaking. You can hear this quite clearly at night and if you don’t know
better, you will think it’s the sound of birds singing at night.
If you go to the interior you are bound to run into such frogs. Examples of frogs are
the Blue Poison Dart Frog, the Blue/Yellow Poison Dart Frog, the Striped Poison
Dart Frog, various Tree Frogs and Amazon Milk Frogs.
The Toad (Todo) is a large species with poisonous glands
behind the eyes, a head with ridges and a stocky, fat body,
short legs and wart-like skin. This brown coloured animal can
grow to anything between 4 and 25 centimeters and it lives in
the forest, in savannas and in backyards.
The toad moves around in groups and is active at night. They are very bold going as far
as eating the dog food out of the troughs in my backyard.
The Blue Poison Dart Frog has azure blue legs, is heavenly
blue coloured on the sides, the head and the back, which are
also spotted black.
It has wide fingertips and a clear hunchback when sitting down.
The animal can grow to between 3,8 and 4,4 centimeters,lives on the ground, but can
climb trees to up to 5 meters in height and it is active during the day.
The living quarters of this poisonous frog are the rocky streams of the Sipaliwini
territory. One of these animals was photographed by tourists in Apetina.
The Blue/Yellow Poison Dart Frog (Okopipi) is one of the largest and most
colourful poisonous frogs in the world. It has smooth skin and the patterns and
colours of the skin have a lot of variety. Generally yellowish white to yellow on a black
base on the back, the Okopipi has azure blue to dark blue legs with black spots.
It can grow to between 3 and 4,5 centimeters in
length, lives on the ground but can also climb
trees of up to 5 meters high. Active during the
day this creature’s living areas are moist forests
near flowing water.
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4.4 Birds
There are some 700 different birds in Suriname, many of them interesting to
birdwatchers. Here are some of them:
The Harpy Eagle which is one of the largest and fiercest eagles in the world, The
Jabiru which is one of the largest storks in the world, the Screaming Piha with its
very distinctive call, the very rare White Woodpecker, the Red Cotinga, the Orange
Cock-of-the-Rock, the Blue and Red Macaw, the Yellow-Green Grosbeak, the
Blue-Black Grosbeak, the Thick-billed Seed-Finch, the Chestnut-bellied
Seedeater, the Peregrine Falcon, the Vulture, the Yellow-headed Blackbird, the
Giant Cowbird, the Ruff, the Hoatzin, the Orange-winged Amazon, the Mealy
Parrot, the Red and Green Macaw, the Red and Yellow Macaw, the Peachfronted Parakeet, the Hawk-headed Parrot, the Green-romped Parrotlet, the
Purple Gallinule, the Black-necked Aracari, the Green Aracari, the Red-billed
Toucan, the Channel-billed Toucan, the Snipe, the Purple Honeycreeper, the
Silver-beaked Tanager, the White-lined Tanager, the Burnished Buff Tanager, the
Paradise Tanager, the Swallow Tanager, the Blue-Grey Tanager, the Scarlet Ibis,
the Black-tailed Trogon,the Hummingbird, various species of Owls, the Kingfisher
and the Kiskadee.
Unfortunately I have had to leave out many. Birds that really frequent Paramaribo’s
skyline are the Hummingbirds, some Thick -billed Seed-eaters, the vulture, the Greenromped Parrotlet, several types of canaries, the White-lined Tanager, the Blue-Grey
Tanager and the larger Kiskadee.
The Harpy Eagle or Loiri Aka as it’s known in Suriname is
one of the largest eagles in the world. It has a huge crest on
its head, its feathers are grey and black and the chest and
belly are white. The wings are short and round, the legs are
thick and strong and the beak is impressively large and greyblack.
The Harpy Eagle grows to between 86 and 93 centimeters in size, the males growing
larger in size than the females. This bird lives alone in the interior forests.
The Jabiru (Blasman) is a very large stork with white
feathers, a bald, black head with a red spot at the bottom of
the neck and a large black beak, tilting upwards.
Its legs are long and black and the animal will grow to up to
1,3 meters in height. The Jabiru usually lives alone in swamp
areas and wet savanna land.
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You can see this bird at the Paramaribo Zoo as well.
The Screaming Piha, or Busi Skowtu in Surinamese is grey on top and its long tail
and wings are brownish grey. The beak is black and brown and the bird grows to
about 23 centimeters.
It lives in solitude in savanna forests and rain forests. Its call is like an alarm which is
why it carries the name Busi Skowtu which literally means Forest Police. This bird will
alarm other animals in the forest when there is a threat and in the forest you can often
hear its distinctive call.
Ask your tourguide to indicate it to you.
The Orange Cock-of-the-Rock lives in groups in the rain
forests in the interior close to rock formations and large rocks.
These birds will grow to about 33 centimeters.
The male is completely orange except for the wings which are
brownish black with light orange. It has a large crest running
from the beak to the neck with a slim dark red edge at the top.
The male also has a short tail and the beak is coloured darkorange with a yellow dot.
The Female has dark olive-brown feathers with even browner wings and tail. She has a
small crest and a black and yellow beak.
The Thick-billed Seed-Finch is named Twa-Twa in Surinamese and it has become a
rare species over the years. The male is black and white with a thick shiny blue-grey to
blue-white beak. Females are brown on top and brownish yellow below. They have a
thick brownish beak.
The Twa-Twa lives in open swamp areas in solitude or in pairs. Their average size is
14 centimeters.
The Onti Aka, as the Pelegrine Falcon is known in Suriname,
is a bird with pointed wings of a dark blue-grey colour. The
head and neck are black and a spot resembling a mustache runs
from the eye to the cheek. The skin around the eye and beak is
bright yellow, the throat and upper chest are white, the tail has
dark strands and a white tip and the beak is a blueish grey.
The Onti Aka will grow up to between 38 and 51 centimeters.
Living alone at the mouths of the rivers and mudbanks along
the coastline, this bird comes flying in from the north.
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The Hoatzin resembles a pheasant, has a long crest of
orange-brown feathers on its head and blue coloured skin
around the eyes. Its back is dark brown and the neck has
yellow stripes, while the throat and chest are yellowish. The
rest of the belly is red, the tail is long, with round feathers
coloured black with yellow.
The beak is black.
Averaging 60 centimeters in height this bird lives on the lower river banks, in brushes
and low trees. The Hoatzin does not appear in the middle and eastern parts of
Suriname.
The baby Hoatzin doesn’t fly at all and uses its claws to hold on to the trees. Adult
animals do not fly very well, they move around rather clumsily and they spread a
musty odour.
The Blue and Gold Macaw(Tjamba-raaf) has sky-blue
feathers and a yellow belly. A green spot on its forehead, black
neck and beak and black and white lines around the eyes are
some of its other characteristics.
This Macaw will grow to up to 84 centimeters in length. The bird lives in palm trees
and other trees in coastal areas, the interior and also in savanna areas and swamps.
They live in pairs.
The Red and Yellow Macaw (Bok-raaf) is almost completely red with yellow-green
and yellow-blue dots on the wings, a cream coloured beak with black at the base and
grey at the bottom, white skin around the eyes. This Macaw will grow to 84
centimeters in size.
They live in pairs or multiple pairs in the interior forests, close to water.
The Green-romped Parrotlet or Okroprakiki is the smallest
parrot of the species. It has green wings, light-green at the
bottom and its beak is white. It lives in all sorts of different
environments, from the vast forests of the deeper interior to
the city. You can run into flocks of this bird anywhere.
For a creature no larger than 13 centimeters it also produces a
lot of noise.
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The Purple Gallinule has remarkable red eyes. The Blawkepanki, as the locals call
this bird, has a purple-blue head, neck and chest fading to black towards the belly. It
has a small shield, light-blue, right over the red with yellow beak and yellow-green legs.
The bird grows to 30 centimeters in size and inhabits swamps and rice paddies, usually
in pairs, sometimes in groups.
The Red-billed Toucan is better known here as the Bigi. It is
almost completely black but has a yellow spot at the top of the
rump, a red one at the bottom of it.The neck and cheeks are
white, with a red trim at the bottom. The skin around the eyes
is blue.
Its beak measures no less than 16,5 centimeters in length and is darkbrown and red.
The top has a yellow stripe and the bottom has a blue patch. In between there are
black stripes.
The animal can grow to up to 53 centimeters. It lives in groups in the interior and
throughout the savanna belt in open spaces close to rivers.
Its call has a raw sound to it.
The Blue-Grey Tanager (Blawki) is predominantly blue-grey of colour, the tail and
lower back being more blue than grey. At the end of the wings there is a black band,
the beak is black and the lowerbeak is light-grey.
The Blawki can reach a size of 16,5 centimeters,lives in savanna areas, open spaces in
the forest or at the forest’s edges, mostly in pairs, sometimes alone or in groups. It is
quite common to spot these birds in backyards.
The Scarlet Ibis is called Kori Kori in Surinamese. Its
characteristics are the bright red wings, black at the tips.
The face and beak are pink. This bird wades through
mudbanks in the mangrove forest areas along the
coastline. The average height is 58 centimeters.
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The Scarlet Ibis lives in large groups of up to 30 birds. Bigi Pan is an excellent place to
go looking for these exceptional animals.
The Big Kiskadee or Grikibi has a white band running across its black head, with a
tiny yellow crest on top. The back is brown, the belly is yellow, the neck is white and
the beak and legs are black.
The bird grows to about 21,6 centimeters. Its habitat
consists of open areas, forest edges, and backyards
and gardens.
They usually go around in pairs and they are very
aggressive towards other birds. If you listen closely
you will hear the animal constantly calling its own
species’ name …… Grikibiiiii …...Grikibiiiii.
4.5 Insects
Suriname is full of insects, something you will have to be able
to deal with, when visiting here. The city is not too bad but
in the interior you will run into a wide variety of them.
Mosquitoes, bees, wasps, ants (very tiny ones but also
pretty large ones), dragonflies, butterflies, fireflies,
grashoppers, beetles, mampiera’s (very tiny mosquitoes)
and the ever so filthy cockroach are creatures you will come across in the city. As far
as the cockroach is concerned, you will not find them in clean and tidy houses, hotels
or restaurants.
The Walking Stick, the Giant Stag Beetle, Scorpions, Bush Spiders and the larger
species of Grashoppers are found in the forests.
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There is such diversity among the insects that I will not name them all here. Two
important species to mention are the dengue and malaria mosquitoes because of the
diseases they spread.
The Dengue Mosquito, or Dengue Maskita as we say
here does appear in the cities but not in such a way that
you run the risk of catching the Dengue-fever.
The animal looks like a regular mosquito only slightly
larger and with black and white stripes on its legs. They
are found around still waters, where they lay their eggs.
Even if you do get stung by such a Dengue mosquito, you
will not automatically catch the disease. If this mosquito
is infected with the virus, only then will you catch the disease.
Symptoms of the disease are fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, nosebleeds, fever and
body-aches. If you think you have these symptoms you must immediately contact a
physician or a hospital for immediate aid. In most cases Dengue is cured completely.
The Malaria Mosquito, or Malaria Maskita as we say here, is a bit more
dangerous, but does not appear in the city. You must really go very deep into the
interior before you run into the Malaria Maskita.
Your touroperators know all the areas that are at risk
and they will certainly not send you there without the
necessary preparations. You can take medication to
prevent the disease and you can get this medication
along with all the necessary information at the Public
Health Care Office (B.O.G. - Bureau voor Openbare
Gezondheidszorg). The cost of this medication is very
low, probably much lower than when bought in your
own country so you might consider this option.
If you do not plan to go to the deeper interior you will not need the medication at all.
So don’t waste unnecessary time, money or worries on it.
The Malaria Mosquito has long hind legs so it appears to be tilting forward. Symptoms
of the disease are headaches, body-aches, high fevers at intervals, feeling cold at one
moment, and hot the next.
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If you do get stung you should take immediate action. The incubation period is
between 2 and 6 weeks and the sooner you treat the disease, the better and faster
your recovery will be. Should you notice the symptoms when you have already
returned to your own country, always point out to the physician that you have been
to the tropics.
The same goes for when you notice strange wounds or lumps or anything of that
nature. Suriname probably is a totally different country than the one you are from so
you have to be aware of this. I do not want to scare you because from all the tourists
coming here every year I have never heard any of them catching any serious disease.
In nearly every store in Paramaribo you can buy products that will protect you from
mosquito bites and they probably are a lot more effective and a lot cheaper than what
you buy in your own country.
The Surinamese Wasp (Marbonsoe) is larger than the common wasps in Europe and
they can deliver a nasty sting. They are red-coloured, with a long slim lower body and
long legs.
Other nasty stingers are the Hornet and the so-called “Broko Ston”. The latter looks
like a small triangular black fly. When it stings it leaves a big lump and a lot of aching
behind.
There are some large types of dragonflies,
some with long tails some short and in all sorts
of colour combinations.
We also have a wide variety of butterflies
among which is the beautiful bright- coloured
Blue Morpho, which you will find at
Brownsberg a lot.
These are not seen often and according to Surinamese superstition you will receive a
message when you spot this butterfly.
There is a butterfly nursery at Lelydorp. Ask your touroperator for possibilities to
visit.
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4.6 Fish
Suriname is a paradise for sportsfishermen. Besides an enormous amount of different
species of fish, the places fishing can take you are also breathtaking. Come to the Van
Blommestein Lake and sail to one of the islands and let your guide take you to the
places where there are enormous schools of fish.
Catch the Tukunari, Piranha or Koebi. Deeper into the interior there are the Giant
Trahira (Anyumara), the Red-tail Catfish, Tarpon and others.
The Kabalebo Resort is a must for all sportsfishermen! There is a Catch and Release
policy there so all the fish caught there must be thrown back.
The swamp areas offer the Brown Hoplo (a type of Catfish, locally known as Kwie
Kwie), Wolf Fish or Patakka, Cichlid Fish or Krobia and Pencil Fish (Matoeli).
You will often run into people who have thrown out a line from a stick made out of
bamboo.
Deep-sea fishing is also possible in Suriname. At sea you will find Acoupa Weakfish
(Bang Bang) and a type of Bass called Kandratiki.
Where can you get the best fishing accessories? Actually Tomahawk and the Tackle
Box are the two shops that have everything you may need. Tomahawk is located in
the Hermitage Mall in the southern part of Suriname, at the Ma Retraite Mall in the
north and at the Wagenwegstraat in the center of the city. The Tackle Box is located
at the Zwartehovenbrugstraat.
The Peacock Bass, or Tukunari is a beautifully coloured predator fish with yellow
and black circles on a green base. It can grow to considerable size and is a very
popular catch. It also tastes great. The Tukunari roams the fresh water rivers and the
Brokopondo reservoir and will grow to a length of 50 centimeters.
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The Piranha - Pireng as we call it - is found in the
rivers and streams and the Brokopondo reservoir. The
skin is a pearl coloured blueish grey and this fish has
round red eyes. They are very aggressive when attacked
or when they smell blood. They feed on other fish and
they are known to try and catch fish that have already
been hooked by fishermen.
The Piranha has sharp teeth and very strong large jaws. This fish can be eaten although
I find it rather dry, but it tastes fine in fish soup. The predator can grow to be 30
centimeters long.
The Giant Trahira, better known as the Anyumara to the locals, is a huge predator
fish living in rivers of the deeper interior. This brown-coloured giant has a long
stretched body and large rows of very sharp
teeth.
Anyumara
The Anyumara is a real treat. When you catch one you will not pull it in easily because
this fish always fights a huge battle and you will have to be patient. Thrashing about
wildly this fierce predator will often disappear back into the deep, the moment you
think you can haul him in. It is a very strong fish and therefore a great one to catch
The Brown Hoplo (Kwie Kwie) is a swamp fish caught
mostly in coastal areas. In Nickerie you will often see
people selling the Kwie Kwie by the side of the road. They
will show you with their hands what length the fish are.
This hardshelled Catfish is very popular and can be
prepared in many different ways; in masala, or with
tomato or coconut milk.
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The Red-tail Catfish is a catfish with a wide head a large wide mouth and a distinctive
set of whiskers. The fish can grow to a sizeable 1,3 meters and is a popular catch as
well. It is found mostly in the Amazon regions and it owes its name to the reddish
orange colour of the tail. The rest of the body
is dark grey with lighter grey spots and a white
band across its entire length.
Wouldn’t you like to catch one?
Flora
4.7 Trees
Suriname has a tropical climate so fruit trees grow everywhere. There are many
roadside stands where you can buy fresh fruit,like mango (manja), oranges, bananas, a
fruit called “zuurzak” literally meaning sour bag, papayas, grape fruits, pomegranates,
tamarind seeds, coconuts and tropical cherries, all of which taste great.
Watermelons can be bought everywhere at roadside. You even find almonds and trees
that produce cashew nuts.
The tamarind seeds are used to make tamarind lemonade. Most of these fruits trees
will grow in any yard in the city.
The Cashew
The Noni
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Soursop
Besides fruit trees, Suriname also has a wide variety of palm trees. Some have names
like King’s palm, Fan palm, Miami palm, Red palm and a lot more.…
In the rain forest trees will grow very high. The largest tree in the forest is known as
the Kankantri (Wild Kapok Tree); it will grow to up to 60 meters in height and it is a
holy entity to the Maroons.
The trees in the rain forest provide oxygen for the world.
Suriname has a Mangrove forest at the coast.
The roots of these significant looking trees are
above ground.
The Kankantri: Giant of the forest
4.8 Flowers
Paramaribo is sometimes called the Flower City, which is not so strange if you
consider all the colourful flowers growing in the wild, in brushes and trees. There are
Orchids, Jungle Flame, beautiful Lillies (in the Nickerie waterway), Rosemallows, a
flower called Bokkepoot (literally Goat’s Foot) and one called Pokai Tongo (Parrot’s
Tongue) all of which will make your day a lot brighter.
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The Heliconia (Palulu) is a flower you will certainly find at Brownsberg Mountain.
If you want to buy flowers you can do so in the inner city right across from het Vat,
where there is a small flowermarket, or at the airport when you depart. The flowers
will keep for quite a while. It is rather typical that there are not that many flowers in
the interior.
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Chapter 5 – The cities
5.1 Paramaribo
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5.1.2 Inner city and Waterfront (Waterkant)
Paramaribo became the capital of Suriname when Cornelis van Aerssen van
Sommelsdijck became governor. He built many plantations around the city and had
many acres impoldered. The first buildings in the city were already there before Van
Sommelsdijck arrived: Fort Willoughby, now Fort Zeelandia, and the Lord House now
the Presidential Palace.
Even today the inner city is full of wooden houses. After the big fires of 1821 and 1832
when most of the Waterfront buildings burnt down, parts of the city were rebuilt by
an architect who had studied in southern USA. This is the reason why so many houses
then looked alike and there was an obvious “Louisiana” style to them.
The houses at the Waterfront were owned by the
most influential white people among which was the
very cruel slave owner Susanne de Plessis. She first
lived in the first mansion on the corner also known
as “Cornerhouse”. When she got divorced she
moved to the house next to where is now the
Tower of the Ministery of Finance. Next to the
Cornerhouse is the hotel “La petite maison”.
At the Waterfront there are several small snack bars like the very popular Uncle Ray
where you can enjoy some food while relaxing by the side of the Suriname River.
Further down from the small snackbars there is the “Waag” building, that serves Italian
food and then there’s Broki, where you can lie in a hammock, while sipping a drink.
The Central Market is a couple of hundred meters further up the road but before you
reach that you will run into the busses. If you wish to take a ride on a bus you can get
on one here. These busses have fixed routes and they generally stop anywhere along
them.
Some interesting buildings worth viewing are the
Tower of the Ministry of Finance, the St. Peter
and Paul’s Cathedral, the Synagogue and Mosque
next to each other that have shared parking, the
Presidential Palace with the Palm Tree Garden
(Palmentuin) behind it and the recently finished
modern buildings of the Foreign Ministry and the
High Court.
Mosque and Synagogue side-by-side
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Paramaribo’s inner city, which is on UNESCO’s World Heritage list, is regularly
painted and renovated.
5.1.3 Fort Zeelandia
Fort Willoughby was renamed Fort Zeelandia, by the Zeelander Abraham Crijnssen
because it was his frigate the Zeelandia that had sailed down the Suriname River and
captured the fort from the British.
The fort served as a defensive stronghold for the
whole country which later proved to be in
insufficient.
The attacks by the French admiral Cassard who
created havoc at Jodensavanne, led to the building
of Fort New Amsterdam. Positioned at the
confluence of the Suriname and Commewijne
rivers, the Atlantic was clearly visible from the
new fort.
From then on Fort Zeelandia only served as defense for Paramaribo.
During the (Civil) War of the Interior it was in Fort Zeelandia that the 8 December
Murders took place. Influential men from society were dragged from their homes and
brought to the fort where they were executed. Today, the fort is a historical museum
about Suriname, where exhibitions are held regularly.
5.1.4 The Presidential Palace and the Palm Tree Garden
(Palmentuin)
The Palm Tree Garden actually is the President’s
garden because it belongs to the palace. It is open
to the public and it is nice to take a stroll through
it. For reasons of safety, it is not recommended to
do so at night.
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Our president does not reside at the palace; he lives in a residential area among
regular citizens of Paramaribo. The palace was formerly known as the Lord House as
Lord Willoughby was the one who had had it built and who also had lived in it.
When Van Sommelsdijck landed with the so-called Patented States, he took hold of
this beautiful mansion and he had the Patented States emblem applied to the front of
the house. In the emblem the coat of arms of Amsterdam can be seen, as this city was
a shareholder of the Patented States.
The palace, unfortunately, is not open for public viewing. The Palm Tree Garden is a
regular fixture for special holidays.
5.1.5 The Tower of the Ministry of Finance
This beautiful building was initially meant to become
Paramaribo’s city hall. The architect, a mister Voigt
designed the city hall, actually without the tower.
So how is it that the tower came there after all?
It was because of a very demanding governor’s wife who
kept pressing her will. She just had to have a tower and
this led to huge conflicts with the architect. In the end, the
tower was indeed built on top, eventhough it took a lot of
arguing.
Strangely enough the building never served as city hall, it became the Tower of the
Finance Ministry.
The front of the building shows an image of King Willem III who reigned over the
Netherlands from 1849 to 1890. It was King Willem III who officially abolished slavery
in Suriname in 1863. For this reason his facial image was granted a spot on the
building’s front.
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5.1.6 The St.Peter and Paul’s Cathedral
This is the largest wooden cathedral of South America and
the Caribbean. The building was put to use as a cathedral in
1885 after years of having served as a prosperous Jewish
theatre.
The building was first a private home of one of the richest
Jews of that era. The building was turned into an immense
and beautiful theatre called the Phoenix Arisen.
The theatre was only accessible for Jewish people because elsewhere another theatre
had been built which would not allow Jews in. The Jews considered this an outrage of
course, and this rich Jewish man granted them his home to serve as their theatre.
The Phoenix Arisen was more beautiful and it had more theatre shows then the other
theatre, Thalia. For many years the Jews enjoyed their theatre.
After the big fires of 1821 the Catholics had lost their place of worship and eventually
the Jews sold the theatre to the Roman Catholics. On their turn the Catholics built
their cathedral around the Jewish theatre.
This is the reason why there are countless Jewish elements still inside the building,
which have never been removed. The inside of the cathedral is drawn up in unpainted
cedar wood.
Unfortunately the building has fallen prey to termites which of
course is the downside of the wooden building. It is currently
being renovated.
St. Peter and Paul’s Cathedral
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5.1.7 Central Market
The Central Market is composed of a number of huge halls where vegetables, meat,
fruit and fish are sold. Besides this, a lot of odds and ends are sold, like cd’s make-up,
jewellery and books.
The market is rather chaotic, warm and muggy and I find it to be not very hygienic.
What is nice to see is how these market vendors sell their goods and for nice, cheap
fruit this is the right place to be.
The market is open daily, except Sundays. There are several other markets and Sunday
Markets as well.
5.1.8 Wijdenbosch Bridge
The Wijdenbosch Bridge owes its name to former
president Wijdenbosch who had it built. The bridge
measures 1,5 kilometers in length and was erected in
a round and steep arch. At its highest point you have
a magnificent view of Paramaribo and the
Commewijne District.
From there you can also see the wreckage of the old German merchant vessel, the
Goslar.
Many Surinamese thought the bridge to be a waste of money but it has opened up the
Commewijne District and thus it has brought
progress. In the past the district could only be
reached by ferry which was a very slow undertaking,
causing a lot of delay.
Nowadays everybody can just cross the bridge. The
bridge was built by Ballast Nedam and this company
is also responsible for its maintenance.
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5.1.9 The Goslar
The German merchant vessel the Goslar was in Paramaribo in 1940 when news
reached the colony that Germany was at war with Holland. The Goslar’s captain then
sank the ship to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Dutch.
5.1.10 Paramaribo Zoo
The Paramaribo Zoo is just outside the center of the city. Here you will find snakes,
monkeys, many birds like Macaws, owls and the Jabiru, Pecarry’s, Caiman, some lost
Ostridges, Tigers and a number of other animals.
The zoo is worth a visit. The zookeepers do work very hard to make the Zoo look
better every time! They are all volunteers who do their utmost to keep everything as
neat and tidy as they possibly can. Do drop by if you wish to support the zoo.
The former manager of the Paramaribo Zoo, Joep M. Moonen published a book with
all the animals of Suriname in it and all the funds raised selling this book are awarded
to the zoo. Some of the drawings in this e-book are copies from mister Moonen’s
book.
5.1.11 Modern buildings
Two new buildings that have been erected in the city recently are the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and the High Court. The first one was built by a Chinese contractor
and the latter by a Dutch one. Both buildings are around the corner from the
Presidential Palace and across from the Tower of the Ministry of Finance. Both these
buildings were designed with the old style of the city’s other buildings in mind and
quite successfully so.
5.1.12 Shops and Shopping Malls
Clothing shops, both the cheaper as well as the more expensive, fancy jewellery shops,
shops for shoes and other footwear, arts & crafts shops, Paramaribo has them all, as
the people really fancy nice new clothing and shoes and they love to dress up and
look good.
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The more expensive and exclusive shops can be found in the shopping malls, rather
than scattered around in the city. Paramaribo has 5 shopping malls which are the
Hermitage mall in the southern part of the city, the Maretraite mall in the north, the
Kersten mall in the center, near hotel Krasnapolsky, the UNmall also in the center and
the Lalarookh mall again in the south of Paramaribo.
Yellow gold, white gold and red gold
are available at all jewellery stores. You
are sure to find something to your
liking in their large assortments.
The Hermitage Mall
Gold in Suriname is a bit more yellow than usual because it is 24 karat gold. Always try
and bargain for a discount, it is often worth the effort. Most jewellery shops are
located in the city center, in the Maagdenstraat.
People who are keen on footwear like mules or slippers will find their money’s worth
here. You can find these all over the city in all sorts of variations, colours, shapes and
sizes.
5.1.13 Entertainment district; Restaurants and Bars
The area from the Palm Tree Garden (Palmentuin) up until the hotel Torarica is the
real entertainment area. However, outside this area you will also find many
discotheques, restaurants and bars that are certainly worthwhile.
One bar which is frequented by tourists is “het Vat”, where you can relax outside on
the terrace and enjoy a Parbo beer or a bite to eat. Many foreign students and interns
like to visit La Caff, right across from “het Vat”, where they have dj’s playing music
regularly. You can also have something to eat there.
In between “het Vat” and Torarica there are small restaurants; like Queens Garden of
the Queens hotel. You will also come across Starzzz discotheque there and Tangelo
where you can get cocktails and pastries. Two bars - The Spot and Zanzibar - are the
last ones.
Going around the corner into the Van Sommelsdijckstraat you will get to “Het
Lekkerbekje” which is a fish restaurant, followed by the famous Pannenkoek and
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Poffertjescafé which specialises in all types and sizes of pancakes and which also is a
favourite among (Dutch and Belgian) interns.
There are various casinos in the city where you can also have food and enjoy dance
shows. When playing, snacks and beverages are free of charge.
If you need to exchange money you can do so at a bank or at one of the many
exchange offices (cambio’s). Cambio’s should have better exchange rates compared to
the banks but the differences among themselves are never too large.
Some nice disco’s and bars are Zsa Zsa Zsu, Mystique, Millenium, Zus en Zo, Chillz
and Fubar. If you like going out you certainly can do so here!
Rumors in the Krasnapolsky hotel has a Jazz night every Friday and if you can sing you
can join the band called Time Out for a jam session. You will notice they play Salsa,
Merengue, R&B, House-music and Jazz. They have a variaty of dishes available there.
There also is a wide variety of different Surinamese restaurants all over Paramaribo.To
start with Javanese: At Blauwgrond in the north you will find many of those, Mirosso
being the best known. Southwards you will find Sarinah and Jawa.
Then there are Hindustani restaurants: Roopram in the city and various Roti shops
scattered all over.
Chinese restaurants are Chi Min, Palm Palace, Lucky Twins and there are a lot more.
Don’t forget the tiny ones around (almost) every corner!
European food is available at Dok 204, Spice Quest (which also serves sushi) Park
Avenue, the Waag (Italian), Zus en Zo and d’Optimist (great Pasta!).
American food is served at Silverado, a real Cowboy Bar and for fastfood you can go
to McDonald’s, KFC, Pizzahut, Allegria (great ice cream) and Naskip.
There is the Garden of Eden for Thai food and a magnificent scenery. If you wish to
order in you can call Bingo pizza. A great idea is to go on a cullinairy tour, which takes
you to some nice restaurants from the different kitchens.
Whether it’s the theatre or the casino, out to eat or to a disco, bar or party, anything
is possible, even a visit to a gallery.
At the Anton Dragtenweg you will find Gallery Steinhoff which regularly has some
great art collections on exhibit. Who knows, you might find something you like.
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5.2 Nickerie
In the west of Suriname lies the second largest city of the country, New Nickerie, a
city of 12.000 mostly Hindustani citizens.
In the District of Nickerie there are many rice fields and the harbour of Nickerie is
there for the export of rice. There is not much
to do around the city.
If you should visit there, spending the night at
the Residence Inn Hotel is recommended. There
is a discotheque named Zeppelin and there also
are casinos.
There is a sea wall which is often visited and
which offers a great view of the Corantijn River. It is possible to pay a visit to the local
mosque.
5.2.1 Bigi Pan
In Nickerie you will find the beautiful bird reservation Bigi Pan which is an enormous
marsh with predominantly Mangrove vegetation. Besides the Scarlet Ibis this is the
habitat of Fish-Hawks, Terns and various other birds.
The Scarlet Ibis can be spotted here from November to April. The countless birds of
the area are accompanied by Caimans.
The Surinamese fishermen are active in this territory, fishing with nets from their little
platforms above water.
5.2.2 The road from Paramaribo to Nickerie
The road from Paramaribo to Nickerie actually runs in one long straight line. It is a 3,5
hour drive on a reasonable road and you will enjoy the scenery of the different
landscapes. You will travel through the Districts of Saramacca and Coronie, the latter
famous for its coconut trees and coconut oil. Alongside the road you can stop at stalls
to by some cold coconut juice.
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You will also pass Wageningen, and nearing Nickerie you will see more and more rice
fields.
5.3 Albina
In the east of Suriname we find the town of Albina. It is a small town and used to be a
riverside resort. Unfortunately, during the civil war the city was largely destroyed,
some of the houses still showing the evidence of this.
In Albina you can take a small boat to go to Galibi, or cross the border to the French
Guyanese village of St. Laurent, with the typical atmosphere that French villages have.
Going out to eat at the boat restaurant there is really enjoyable. You can also reach it
by car or by boat. Either way, you will enjoy the exquisite French kitchen on this boat,
which sailed all the way from France to be docked and turned into a restaurant.
Other activities in French Guyana are Devil Island (Papillon) and Kourou (rocket base)
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Chapter 6 The most beautiful spots of colourful
Suriname
Suriname is full of natural beauty and a lot of potential. The interior of the country is
the best part, along with the rich cultural heritage. The cities and towns are nice for a
while, maybe longer for those who are just looking for good food and going out.
To get you an acquainted with some resorts I will list the most spectacular, but there
are a lot more than the ones mentioned here. I have divided the country into
territories to indicate the location and I will also inform you what type of trip you are
taking to each specific resort, be it an adventure, a cultural journey, a nature trip or
just going out to relax.
I really hope that from all these possibilities you will be able to put together a suitable
journey either with or without the help of the local touroperators. I should advise you
not to organise a trip to the interior yourself as I have seen some tourists do. Since
you do not know the way, nor the environment you might easily get lost in the forest!
Good touroperators know the interior, they know the animals, they know the areas
plagued by mosquitoes and they have well-trained tourguides who can keep the
customers out of harm’s way.
Here’s an example: A group of Dutch tourists had decided to undertake a really long
hiking journey through the deep forest. They argued that having climbed the Mount
Everest, this would be an easy trip for them. So they set out a route and planned to
walk the distance in 10 days. They had 10 local Native Indian guides with them, all of
which told the tourists that this distance could not be covered in 10 days, but the
group left, nevertheless. They arrived safe and sound but only after 15(!) days and they
survived on food that the Indians provided by hunting. So don’t be headstrong and let
experienced people guide you. The interior can be inhospitable yet at the same time
this also makes it exciting!
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6.1 Close to Paramaribo
6.1.1 White Beach
The name speaks for itself, White Beach is a
resort with a beautifully laid out strip of white
sandy beach. The resort is parted in three with
different sorts of huts or cabins which you can
reserve so you can sit and relax in the shade. A
net is put out in the water, covering the length of
the beach to prevent fish to come close to the
beach, so you can freely swim in the river.
There are three different restaurants where you can get barbecue dishes, various
beverages or good snacks. The resort is laid out very professionally and it really is a
great sight to see. There is a hotel there where you can spend the night.
I like to go there myself, and I even got married at White Beach!
6.1.2 Surinamese Museum
Museum about Suriname situated at Fort Zeelandia. Guided tours only during the
weekends.
6.1.3 Domburg
Domburg is a small town 40 minutes away from Paramaribo. Here you can experience
the old sugar plantation Domburg. Rent a bike and stay in the Guesthouse Domburg!
6.1.4 Commewijne Tour
The Commewijne Tour takes you to 4 plantations. There’s the old sugar plantation
Marienburg, where the sugar factory was. Then there’s the Zorgvliet plantation, where
you can see the special floor where the coffee beans were dried on. People actually
still live on this plantation.
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The Leliëndaal plantation, located a bit farther from Zorgvliet, is now an orphanage.
Finally there’s Frederiksdorp which you have to reach by boat. This is truly a
magnificent sight as it has been completely renovated with the various plantation
buildings kept intact. Here you can get some snacks and drinks like bakabana and cold
coconut juice. It is possible to spend the night at Frederiksdorp.
This tour includes a visit to the open air museum of Fort New Amsterdam. The
various touroperators include the plantation tour in their program, albeit with
different content and schedule.
6.1.5 Marinalex Resort
The Marinalex resort is close to the airport of Zanderij, in savanna territory. Driving
to Carolina you will go past the monument for the victims of the planecrash of 1989.
In that year an airplane of Surinam Airways crashed after hitting high tree tops. There
was a thick fog and the pilot, who had been formally suspended at the time for landing
on the wrong runway, made a calculated error.
Marinalex is a quiet resort at a nice little stream; you can take a swim and take it real
easy there. There are some simple cabins scattered on the terrain where you can
spend the night. You have all the facilities to cook yourself or you can eat at the
resort’s restaurant, which also has a small bar and shop.
6.1.6 Cola Kreek
Cola Kreek lies close to both Zanderij and Carolina and it is a very well-attended
resort, as opposed to the quieter Carolina. There’s a
stream which runs through the resort and there are
cabins and huts all over the place where you can sit
in the shade and enjoy the scenery.
Because of the leafage falling in the water, it has the
same colour as Cola, hence the name Cola Kreek.
Colakreek
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6.1.7 The Butterfly Nursery
Near the village of Lelydorp there is a Butterfly Nursery. It focusses on export of
butterfly pupas and the owner is Ewout Ericks. The nice thing about this nursery is
that you can follow the whole process, starting with the egg and going on to the pupas.
And of course you will find a wide variety of tropical butterflies there. The pupas are
exported abroad to other butterfly nurseries.
Butterflies in the sand.
The breeding Morpho butterfly
6.1.8 Pottery
Pottery is an age old tradition of the Native Indians. The pottery is located in the
District of Para, about a 45 minute drive outside Paramaribo. Here you can see what
pottery items the Indians produce and how they do it. People have the opportunity to
buy their products of course.
6.2 From the city to the Brokopondo reservoir
If you drive to the Brokopondo reservoir
(officially, the Professor Van Blommestein
Lake) you do so on a road of reddish clay
called the Afobaka road. You will find yourself
to be in the middle of the forest.
Every now and then you will pass a small
Maroon community and there also are various
resorts along this Afobaka road. Some of the
larger ones will be presented here.
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6.2.1 Overbridge
The Overbridge resort is in the middle of the forest
on the banks of the Suriname River. A beach was
created with light coloured sand which was
scattered here.
You can relax and bask in the sun in this wonderful
environment, perfect for families to visit and much
quieter than the lively White Beach, and much
farther away from the city as well.
There is a restaurant where you can have a sumptuous dinner but you can also enjoy a
great breakfast there if you have spent the night in one of the huts or cabanas. In the
huts you can hang hammocks to sleep in but if you are going for a more luxurious stay
you should reserve one of the cabana’s which have airconditioning, a microwave and
hot running water.
From Overbridge you can take a boattrip to
Jodensavanne which lies on the other side of the
river.
The town of Toorarica must have been located right
across from Overbridge on the other river bank.
6.2.2 Jodensavanne
Jodensavanne is an old sugar plantation where you can view the remainder of the
oldest Synagogue in South America, now a mere ruin. You can also take a walk to the
Jewish cemetery and to the spring that many believe to have water containing healing
powers. Even the boattrip there is very nice.
Let your tourguide tell you everything about this old plantation.
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6.2.3 Babunhol
Babunhol is a very quiet resort on the Suriname
River. A bit further from the city than Overbridge,
Babunhol lies between the Maroon villages Klaaskreek
and Marchallkreek. Here you can really enjoy total
peace and quiet.
Babunhol used to be a citrus plantation, later it
served as a breeding farm for cattle. During the civil war these activities were all
stopped and the former plantation has not been active for years now.
The resort has huts roofed with special branches and leaves which we call “Pina” leafs.
Here you can enjoy your food and drink which you have to bring along yourself! Or
maybe your touroperator takes care of that.
6.2.4 Brownsberg
A bit further away, passing the transmigration village of Brownsweg there is a
mountain called Brownsberg. You can view Brownsweg from the bus as the villagers
do not appreciate strangers walking through their quarters.
The Brownsberg Mountain is a protected territory with fantastic flora and fauna. You
should wear hiking shoes and descend the mountain towards one or more of the 5
waterfalls.
They are the Irene Falls, Leo Falls, Kumbu Falls, Mazaroni Falls and Witi Kreek. They
are excellent spots to cool off and take in the breathtaking
views. The water is even fresh enough to drink.
The mountain’s top is called the Mazaroni Top, from which you
can see both sides of the Brownsberg. You will have a
magnificent view of the Brokopondo reservoir and the tropical
rain forest.
You probably will run into wildlife here: the Howler monkey,
squirrels, some frogs, maybe spiders, snakes and many birds
show themselves often here.
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The Morpho Butterfly
A trip to Brownsberg can easily be combined with an overnight stay at Overbridge in
one of the luxurious cabanas. The facilities to spend the night at Brownsberg itself are
not that good, unfortunately.
The Brownsberg Mountain is very steep so it is not recommended to go and try to
drive up the mountain with your own means of transport. Especially during the rainy
season the road is very slippery and the deep ravines at the side of the mountain can
be very dangerous.
6.2.5 Berg en Dal
Berg en Dal (Mountain and Valley) used to be a wood plantation, now it’s an ecoresort; which means that jobs have been created for the people of that area with
which they can preserve the local culture, flora and fauna. Berg en Dal is located just
before the exit to the village of Brownsweg and the Brownsberg Mountain.
At the moment the resort offers facilities to go hiking, mountainbiking, canoeing on
the river and the great “Canopy.”
This so-called “Canopy” is a funicular across the river taking you on a “guided glide”
from tree to tree from one side down to the other side of the Suriname River.
If you are not scared of heights this really is a spectacular ride to take.
Berg en Dal has luxury lodges which enable overnight stays and extended stays. The
resort has been split up in two parts. On the one side there is the Blauwe Berg (Blue
Mountain) which is for nature and the animals.
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The other side of the mountain is where the old
plantation is being restored, the plantation houses
are being rebuilt and a museum is set up to exhibit
how things were at the time the plantation was
blooming. This part will also house frogs and
butterflies nurseries.
6.3 The Brokopondo reservoir or Professor Van
Blommestein Lake
This lake was created when the flood-control dam was built in the Suriname River in
the sixties. An enormous area was flooded and some 20 villages slowly disappeared
below the water’s surface.
The strange sight of barren treetops sticking out of the water on the lake is a
fascinating and unusual experience.
The lake is full of fish; Tukunari (a type of Bass),
Piranha, Sriba (a tiny fish used as bait), Kwana
and Koebie (also a type of Bass) can be caught
here, so if you like fishing, the lake is a good
place to be. There are many islands on the lake; I
will give information on some of them.
Tonka Island
Tonka is the island closest to the dam. There are 3 separate houses and a large
guesthouse you can choose from to spend the night. One of the houses will flood
when high tide is in and you will be able to take a dive right from the porch. On Tonka
you can go hiking through the bush, you can swim and relax and it is a great place for
fishermen! The tourguide can take you by boat to the best spots to catch fish.
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Paradise Island
To get to Paradise Island you have to travel a bit
further by boat, but it’s worth the journey because this
island even has its own swimming pool. There is a large
sleeping area for groups and small separate houses for
those who wish to have more privacy. There is a
kitchen you can use to prepare your freshly caught fish.
There are many Tukunari in this area. From Paradise
Island you can travel by boat towards the southern
parts of the lake where you can meet with Maroon villagers.
6.4 From the south of the reservoir and deeper into the
interior (extended trips)
6.4.1 Anaula resort
The latest and most luxurious place in the Upper Suriname region lies at the shore of
a beautiful island. There are cabanas with four-poster beds and mosquito nets, private
bathroom facilities, your own porch to retreat to, an excellent restaurant and bar,
swimming pool, even a telephone service!
The resort offers a hike across the island or a walk
through the Maroon villages of New Aurora and Gunsi.
In those villages you will be able to see Maroon dances
and a lot more about the Maroon culture.
You could also go on a trip to the Caimans. A short
ride in a canoe will take you to the rapid streams of the
Ferolassi Sula where you can take a swim.
Anaula can be reached by airplane. It is also possible to go by bus and the final part by
boat but this is a rather long and tiresome journey.
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6.4.2 Hotel Botopassie
Near the Marroon village Botopasi lays the nice hotel
Botopassie. You can sleep in one of the 5 smaller
wooden houses and experience the Marroon housing
or take a room in the bigger building.
At the beautiful terrace your breakfast is served as well
as dinner and you can enjoy Surinamese rum in the
bar.
The beautiful sula (stream assilaration) Tapawatra is not far away.
6.4.3 Dan Paati
Dan Paati is Saramaccan (a Maroon language) for ‘the island of Dan’. The Dan Paati
resort is built on an island close the village of Dan. It also is a luxury resort with many
conveniences, electricity, private bathroom and shower.
The lodges are made out of wood and in Saramaccan style. The resort supports the
lasting development of the economy and environment in the region and cares for the
children and the elderly living in the area. You can admire the traditional arts, have
great meals of healthy food and get in touch with the Maroon culture.
You can learn about the traditional weaving techniques from the Maroons. Exciting
nightly trips to look for Caimans are part of the program on this island. Here, it is also
possible to swim in the sula’s (rapid streams) and relax!
6.4.4 Pikinslee
A very long ride and trip by boat will get you to the village of
Pikinslee. You sleep in small cabins with very low entry doors
which are meant to keep the evil spirits out.
If you want to sleep in a hammock this is also possible. You
will discover the magnificent art crafts and learn about the
plants in the forest.
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You can become one with the local rastafarians and
live it up! From Pikinslee you can travel by boat to
the village of Kumalu.
Colourful canoes at Pikinslee
6.5 Deep interior (extended trips)
6.5.1 Raleigh Falls
The Raleigh Falls are situated in the Central
Suriname Nature Reserve which is 78.170
hectares in size and one of the largest nature
reserves in South America.
You stay on the Foengoe Island where you are
brought to by airplane. The island lies in the Coppename River in between sula’s and
rocks.
There are over 400(!) different bird species, so if you are a birdwatcher you should
really come here. From the island it is possible to go to the Manarie Falls. A forest
hike and a stiff climb up the Voltzberg Mountain will demand a great deal of effort
from you but the result is well worth the blisters.
6.5.2 Apetina
Apetina is a native village of the Wayana Indians, where you
can enjoy the mighty culture of these people.
The village is on the Tapanahony River, at about 1,5 hours
flying from the city.
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You can meet with the Granman (Chief) and villagers during a nice stroll through the
village.
Besides this you can witness the fabrication of hammocks and cassava bread.
A boat will take you to the foot of the Tebu Top, 400 meters high. You may take the
opportunity to climb this mountain and you will be able to camp in the forest in that
area.
Some of the fish caught here are Anyumara, Koebie and Piranha.
Tebutop
6.5.3 The Kasikasima Mountains
If you are looking for a really exciting vacation, this should be your choice. These
mountains are deep in Suriname’s south, nearing the Brazilian border. This is really
Amazon territory.
Leaving Palumeu by boat, you will be on the river for about two days before reaching
the impressive Kasikasima. During these two days you sleep out in the open. You will
probably come across a lot of wildlife.
Kasikasimagebergte
When reaching the Kasikasima Mountain you
start on a 7 hour hike. You get an hour’s rest
on one of the peaks and you will be witness to
the most breathtaking sights imaginable.
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6.5.4 Tafelberg (Table Mountain)
The Tafelberg nature reserve measures 140.000 hectares. The territory covers 2
different types of landscape: savanna and tropical rain forest. There are countless
waterfalls here. The Tafelberg is 1026 meters high making it one of the highest
mountains in the country. It has steep walls and a flat top from which the view is truly
magnificent. It is possible to go on an expedition to the top of the mountain.
6.5.5 Awarradam
Awarradam is a Maroon village. It lies south of
Atyoni, the most southern village that can be
reached via the road. Awarradam is on the Gran
Rio River along which there are many more villages.
You can visit those as well.
You travel on the river towards Awarradam,
pronounced Awaadan by the locals. Awaa is Awara,
an orange-coloured, stringy fruit and dan means rapid stream.
At Awarradam you can swim, relax, learn about local habits like their use of medicine
and building of huts. You can also enjoy Maroon dances and music. One specific dance
by the Maroons is one where they are carried around in the air on wooden planks or
poles while they dance. You can take a look at the selfmade souvenirs or buy yourself
a pani.
6.6 Western Suriname
6.6.1 Arapahu Island
Arapahu Island is on the Corantijn River in the west of Suriname. Near the village you
can see rock carvings and petroglyphs and imagine yourself in another era in the past.
The beauty of Arapahu island resort is that the flora and fauna surrounding it are really
untouched. There is a great chance you will run into all sorts of wildlife.
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You can spend the night in a lodge with a spectacular view, you can dream away in a
hammock or an easy-chair on your porch or have a drink at the public bar. There also
is the opportunity to swim and relax as the Frederik Willem IV and the King George
waterfalls which are closeby. Fishing is a nice option as well.
6.6.2 Kabalebo
A luxurious resort where you will enjoy privacy in an exclusive environment. There is
wildlife in excess here. Kabalebo is in the southern part of Suriname in uninhabited
territory.
There are no villages or people in these parts, so it’s just nature and the animals and ...
you. This is the heart of the Amazone forest and you can come across some rare
animals like the Jaguar, various birds and a wide variety of fish like the Redtail Catfish.
As far as fishing is concerned there is a Catch and
Release policy at Kabalebo resort so as that the
ecological balance remains intact as much as
possible.
You can also go kayaking or visit Misty Mountain.
This 500 meter high mountain is always covered by
a misty blanket in the morning.
I highly recommend this.
6.6.3 Blanche-Marie Falls
The Blanche-Marie Falls are in the west of Suriname,
300 kilometers away from Paramaribo. They are
named after the wife of the explorer who first found
them while travelling down the Nickerie River in the
19th century.
The waterfall measures approximately 10 meters in height and you can take a swim or
let yourself be massaged by the water cascading down.
Powerful sula’s will only add to your enjoyment.
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It is possible to stay overnight in one of the houses and you can also visit the nearby
village of Apoera.
6.7 Eastern Suriname
6.7.1 Galibi
Galibi is a Native Indian village at Suriname’s border
with French Guyana, in the east of the country and it
is located on the banks of the Marowijne River. From
Albina you can take a canoe to Galibi.
During the trip you will be able to see the French
Guyanese shoreline or you may even decide to pay a visit to St. Laurent. This should
be no trouble with a Dutch passport. You can also go straight to Galibi where you will
spend the night and see how the people there live. At night you go by canoe and travel
with your guide towards the Stinasu research center to view the Leatherbacks and
Green Turtles.
They will crawl out of the ocean and onto the beach,
huffing and puffing, because these can be really big
animals. They will each dig a hole to lay their eggs in,
which takes some time so you will have ample time to
witness this.
As these protected species are very shy, people must
beware not to disturb the animals. The animals need
peace and quiet to fulfill this task.
From here you can take the boat again and go to spend the night at one of Stinasu’s
locations. The beach of Galibi is nice to hang out on.
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6.8 Boat trips
6.8.1 Rivercruises
There are several tours that allow you to explore the plantations, the rivers or places
like Overbridge by boat. You can embark in Paramaribo and return, often in the late
afternoon. Underway you will get the chance to disembark to view the interesting
sights.
Most rivercruises have good cooks and you will probably receive a great Surinamese
meal. Some boats have sleeping facilities like four-poster beds or hammocks hanging
on deck under mighty star-filled skies.
In Suriname the stars in the sky seem to be closer and shine brighter than anywhere
else. There is a chance you might see dolphins jumping out of the water at the mouths
of the rivers.
6.8.2 Manoetje Tours
Embarking on a boat of Manoetje Tours in Nickerie will give you a chance to travel all
the way to Kabalebo. This is a really wonderful trip, going down the Corantijn River
and passing various villages.
At some spots there are sandbanks in the river where you can take a swim and enjoy
total peace. You will see nobody else on the river except for some small fishing boats
of the natives who will go by once in a while. On this trip I was able to spot some
river otters.
You spend the night on the boat itself as it will anchor in the middle of the river. It is
possible to go look for Caimans or go fishing at night as well.
The boat will dock at Apoera, a village on the Surinamese side of the border, and at
Orealla, a village on the Guyanese side. You can take long strolls through the villages
and admire the Native Indians’ art crafts. One of Suriname’s authors, Clark Accord has
written a book “From Apoera to Orealla”, about these villages.
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6.8.3 Sweet Merodia
The Sweet Merodia is a boat owned by the famous author Cynthia McLeod. She gives
guided tours to the Commewijne plantations and she will tell you about past and
present in a wonderful and captivating style. Again you will be able to enjoy a great
Surinamese meal and dream away while taking in the magnificent views of the river.
6.9 Other tours and other places
Over the past few years many new and interesting tours have been added. Tourism is
blossoming at the moment which of course benefits the tourists because tours,
services and facilities are improving. You can even go on a Four- Wheel-Drive Safari.
I have not yet had the opportunity to go on all the available tours or visit all the places
that are open for tourists now, but you can find all the information at the
touroperators. They will advise you on all the possibilities and match them with your
wishes.
This e-book should serve as an indication of all the interesting possibilities this country
has to offer. There really is something for everyone here. At the better touroperators
it is even possible to plan your own trip, combining visits to villages or mixing up
different tours. Unfortunately, sometimes tours can be expensive, due to some areas
being difficult to access.
The harder it is to reach a specific area, the higher the rates to get there. On the
other hand, places that are hard to reach are also more interesting and you will find
that such places are not swarmed by tourists, which will ensure more privacy and
personal attention.
Preserving this environment is very important, so that we may enjoy it for many years
to come, in this exceptional state, this, the Lungs of the Earth.
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Chapter 7 – Extra information
7.1 Travel account/Internship and opinions about Suriname
My Suriname Internship
My internship in Suriname at the Torarica Hotel was a great experience and challenge.
There I was in a strange country with a different culture, but great weather everyday
of course! I felt at home in Paramaribo right away. This was mainly because the cordial
and hospitable way Surinamese people welcome you.
The difference in culture took some getting used to during my internship. I really had
to adjust to the different way in which Surinamese people experience time. Meetings
never start on time and if you have an appointment at 4 o’clock, this could just as
easily become 5.
As a very strict Dutchman this took some adjustment on my part but as the locals say:
“No spang”, which means “Don’t worry” and you really shouldn’t. If you adept to this
you will find that it actually is a relaxed way of living. There are no schedules so this
leaves room for many nice spontaneous outings, for instance, to the interior. I really
enjoyed that tremendously.
In the interior people still live according to age old traditions which are a really great
experience to witness. There are really great villages in the Surinamese jungle which
can be reached by airplane but also by car from Paramaribo.
The jungle is breathtaking, the environment is so beautiful and untouched and you will
see so many exotic and sometimes scary animals.
You may choose to stay with Native Indians or Maroons for a couple of days and learn
more about their culture and swim in rivers, go on boat trips or relax in hammock
with a glass of wine.
The trips to the deeper interior made my stay in Suriname an exceptional experience
but there also are many nice spots to spend a day, which are closer to Paramaribo. I
have great memories of White Beach where we went regularly with a group to swim
and enjoy barbecue and cocktails.
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Paramaribo is a busy and enjoyable place with great restaurants. Because of the
different cultures in Suriname there also is a lot of variety in restaurants. There’s Chi
Min for great Chinese food and Sarinah for the best rice table I have ever had. I also
enjoyed the Brown Beans with Rice at Uncle Ray’s on The Waterfront (Waterkant).
Sometimes I missed the European dishes, but then I went to the Waag building or Dok
204 for a nice steak.
On weekends after dinner I often went out into the nightlife. At first it took some
getting used to, all the action starting at 1 o’clock in the morning. But then we would
go to La Caff to enjoy some caiperinhas, after which we would go to Starzz to dance
all night.
I really liked the nightlife because there are not that many places to go to so you
would run into everybody in the same places. So enjoyable and great crowds!
Rosalie Dijk
Suriname
I have been to Suriname twice, once for 4 months and the second time for 2 months.
On these two occasions I have had the opportunity to explore the various beautiful
aspects of the country. One of the high points of my travels was a visit to the forests
of the interior near Blanche-Marie. Spending 3 nights in the middle of the jungle,
bathing in streams and exploring the environment and wildlife during the day is a very
special experience.
Besides this I visited one of the islands in the Brokopondo reservoir, Kwana Island,
where you can relax on the beach amidst the palm trees or take a swim or go fishing
for Tukunari (a type of Bass).
My last visit to the deeper interior of Suriname was a trip to Dan Paati. This is a great
place to stay amidst the rapid streams and a wonderful natural environment.
There also are some nice sights to see closer to Paramaribo, like Jodensavanne, and
there are several nice resorts along the river where you can go for a short stay. White
Beach is an example of this.
It is a nice place to hang out, to swim, play some soccer (football) or do watersports.
These spots are about an hour’s drive from the city and are suitable for a day out.
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The old plantations are not far away either and they are interseting to visit for people
who wish to experience some of the history.
In the city itself there is the market and several shopping malls and shops to look
around in. Besides this there is Fort Zeelandia and the Presidential Palace with the
Palm Tree Garden of course. You can also go swimming at Hotel Torarica or at Oase.
At night you can go to several places of entertainment in Paramaribo like Starzzz,
LaCaff, and Zanzibar. You can also try your luck in of many casinos where they serve
free food and beverages.
The wonderful temperature and friendly people make a stay in this country very
pleasant. I myself like getting in touch with the locals and get a feel for the daily life
here, which of course is easier to day when you are here for an extended stay.
Suriname can bring you peace and quiet and you really should not fill your schedule
too much because something always comes up, like invitations to parties or trips.
Rutger Zoetmulder
Graduated of Business Administration - Erasmus University
Assignment Suriname
As a journalist I had been assigned to write an article on Suriname but, after repeated
unsuccessful attempts at contacting the Tourist Board to organise my trip prior to
arrival, I landed without anything arranged. It was my good fortune, on a fact-finding
tour of Paramaribo, to walk into Oxygen’s offices on the city’s picturesque
Waterfront. From that moment forward the Oxygen team, of Andy Lijkwan and Diana
Gummels, took care of everything. Nothing was too much trouble.
The schedule was flexible and entirely based around my specific requirements. The
attitude was, if it can be organised in the time available it will be.
After a Paramaribo city tour and a day spent amongst the Commewijne plantations, I
joined the effervescent Andy on a four-day trip to the interior. He was driver, cook,
entertainer and tour coordinator. The clients’ welfare and happiness was always his
primary concern; he was last to bed and first to rise each day.
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Whilst we were in the interior the other Oxygen members were still working on my
behalf. The four-day trip necessitated a change in flights, which Diana handled.
As well as arranging superb trips Oxygen takes away the organisational headaches,
leaving you free to enjoy your holiday and everything the wonderful country of
Suriname has to offer.
James Fuller,
Journalist for Caribean Beat
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7.2 The National Anthem
Opo kondre man oen opo!
Sranan gron e kari oen.
Wans ope tata komopo , wi moe seti kondre boen.
Stré de f'stré, wi no sa frede.
Gado de wi fesiman.
Eri libi te na dede, wi sa feti gi Sranan.
Translation
Stand up countrymen, stand up!
Suriname’s soil is calling you.
Wherever our ancestors came from
We must build our country.
There are battles to be fought, we shall fear none.
God is our leader.
All our lives until death, shall we fight for Suriname.
7.3 Surinamese celebrities
Jurgen Raymann; Comedian, TV talkshow host
Quintis Ristie; TV star
Cynthia Mc Cleod; Author
Clark Accord; Author
Anthony Nesty; Olympic and World Swimming Champion
Letitia Vriesde; Silver medallist 800 meter Track & Field World Championships
Francisco Elson; NBA Champion with the San Antonio Spurs.
Fareisa Joemmanbaks; Miss India Worldwide 2007
Anton de Kom; Freedomfighter
Erwin de Vries; Artist
Ruud Gullit; Professional soccer player
Edgar Davids; Professional soccer player
Patrick Kluivert; Professional soccer player
Clarence Seedorf; Professional soccer player
Ruth Jacot; Singer
Patricia van Daal; Singer
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7.4 Holidays in Suriname
January February March April May June July August October November December -
New Year’s
Chinese New Year’s, Carnaval
Phagwa
Easter, Four-day walk across Paramaribo
Labour Day
Hindustani Immigration Day
Keti Koti; Marathon Swimming on the Suriname River
Day of the Natives; Javanese Immigration Day
Chinese Immigration Day, Men’s Cook-Out, Salsuri
Divali; Id Ul Fitre; Savanna Rally; Independence Day (Srefidensi);
Jazz festival
Children’s Day; Surifesta; Christmas; Old Year’s Celebrations
7.5 Interesting websites
Live and travel in Suriname weblog
www.visitsurinameonline.com
Information and events in Suriname
www.surimaribonet.com
Panorama photos of nice places in Suriname
Information about Suriname
www.undefinesuriname.nl
www.waterkant.net
Forum and information about Suriname
www.eteninsuriname.com
Restaurants and menu’s in Suriname
www.youtube.com/nieuwsuitsuriname
Videos of Suriname
www.partypicsonline.nl
Party photos from Suriname
www.surinamenet.com
Listen to Surinamese radio
www.youtube.com/newsfromsurinam
Videos of Suriname
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7.6 Medical Services:
7.6.1 Hospitals:
Academisch ziekenhuis
Diakonessen ziekenhuis
St Vincentius ziekenhuis
’s Lands hospitaal
Dr.S.Redmondstraat
Zinniastraat 64
Koninginnestraat
Henck Arronstraat 64
Phone: 442222
Phone: 427288
Phone: 471212
Phone: 473655
7.6.2 Physician:
Drs. E. Sheombar
Diakonessenziekenhuis
Phone: 427288
Extension: 316
Tweede rijweg 4
Phone: 434586
7.6.3 Dentist:
Drs. A. Kanhai
(every day except Sunday)
7.6.4. Bureau voor openbare gezondheidszorg ( Public Health Care
Office):
For vaccinations and medication.
Open every day until 12:30 a.m
Rode kruislaan 22
Email: [email protected]
www.bogsur.sr
Phone: 464532
7.6.5. Helicopter services:
Hi- Jet
www.hi-jetheli.com
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7.7 Tour operators
Oxygen Eco Tours, Tourist information Touroperator
Kwattaweg 250C, Paramaribo
Phone: + 597 410100
[email protected]
Phone: +597 8572340
www.surinameecotours.com
Phone: +597 8768187
Jossy Tours N.V.
Tjong A Kietlaan nr. 55, Wanica
[email protected]
www.jossytoursnv.com
Phone/ Fax: (597) 434900
Phone: (597) 8622269
Phone: (597) 8860238
Oetsi Tours
Wagenwegstraat 15, Paramaribo
[email protected]
www.oetsitours.com
Phone/ Fax : (+597) 410488
Phone:(+597) 441488
Phone: (597) 8500724
Mets
Dr. J.F. Nassylaan 2, Paramaribo
[email protected]
www.surinamevacations.com
Phone: (+597) 477088
Fax : (+597) 422332
Orange travel, in Krasnapolsky hotel
Domineestraat 39, Paramaribo
[email protected]
www.orangesuriname.com
Morinda Eco Tours
Kerkplein 1, (in the postoffice), Paramaribo
[email protected]
www.morindatours.com
Acces Suriname travel
Prinsessestraat 37, Paramaribo
[email protected]
www.surinametravel.com
Phone: (+597) 424886
Phone: (+597) 422986
Phone: (+597) 08888883
Phone: (+597) 424522
Phone/Fax: (+597) 422959
Sun and Forest tours Suriname
Kleine waterstraat 1 b, Paramaribo
[email protected]
www.sunandforesttours.com
Phone: (+597) 478383
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Tropcial Gem tours
Waterkant 4, Paramaribo
[email protected]
www.mytropicalgemtours.com
Phone: (+597) 8878639
Fax: (+597) 421403
Manoetje tours, touroperator for tours within Nickerie
Crownstraat 11, Nickerie
Phone : (+597) 230048
[email protected]
Phone: (+597) 8862280
www.manoetjetours.com
Phone: (+597) 8564407
That’s it Tours, Bookingoffice( for every tour) that comes to you!
[email protected]
Phone: (+597) 8748942
www.thatsittours.com
Stinasu, Stichting natuurbehoud Suriname
Cornelis jongbawstraat 14, Paramaribo
[email protected]
www.stinasu.com
Suriname tourism foundation
Dr.J.F. Nassylaan 2, Paramaribo
[email protected]
Phone/ Fax: (+597) 421683
Phone: (+597) 476597
Phone: (+597) 427102
Phone: (+597) 424878
Fax: (+597) 477786
7.8 Airlines
There are 8 flights a week, Tuesday to Sunday from Suriname to Amsterdam and vice
versa. The airlines on this route are Surinam Airways and Royal Dutch Airlines KLM.
Surinam Airways flights are on: Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. KLM flights are on:
Tuesdays, Wednesdays,Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
The flight duration is between 8 and 9 hours depending on the weather conditions.
In the months June until September and in December traffic is busiest and it is
advisable to book a flight well in advance. Airfares are also highest in these months.
Surinam Airways
www.surinamairways.net
KLM
www.klm.com
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Traveling to Suriname is also possible by plane from the US and the Caribbean. The
only direct flights are from The Netherlands and some islands in the Caribbean. Flying
in from the US, means you go to Miami or New York and then to either Trinidad and
Tobago or Aruba or Curacao.
Since it is not always that easy to reach Suriname, the airfare tends to be higher then
other countries in the region.
Inland flights
Blue Wing Airlines
www.bluewingairlines.com
Gum Air
www.gumair.com
7.9 Transportation
7.9.1 Bus / local busses
Buscoverytours
Tourtonnelaan 59, Paramaribo
[email protected]
www.buscovery.com
Phone: (+597) 520966
Fax : (+597) 421164
Rudy Baldew
Griegstraat 41, Paramaribo
Phone: (+597) 453064
Phone: (+597) 8800294
7.9.2 Taxi’s
All major hotels and some of the appartments have their own transportation from and
to the airport. Taxis are very reliable for the smaller trips in the city.
Ashruf
De Paarl
Ulstrel
C- taxi
Phone: (+597) 450102
Phone: (+597) 403600
Phone: (+597) 470646
Phone: (+597) 8579490
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7.9.3 Car rentals
Hertz car rental
Van ’t Hogerhuisstraat 23, Paramaribo
Phone: (+597) 400409
Fax: (+597) 402445
Easy rentals
Wilhelminastraat 16a, Paramaribo
Phone: (+597) 472478
Fax: (+597) 472479
CHM rent a car
Kernkampweg 50a, Paramaribo
[email protected]
Phone : (+597) 531655
Fax: (+597) 531651
Enterprize
Fred Derbystraat 60, Paramaribo
[email protected]
www.enterprize.sr
Phone: (+597) 473494
Fax: (+597) 473495
Wheelz
Benjaminstraat h d 20, Paramaribo
Phone: (+597) 442929
Fax: (+597) 441872
De Paarl, also limousine service
Kanariestraat 42, Paramaribo
Phone: (+597) 403600
Fax: (+597) 403610
Budget car rental
Kristalstraat 1, Paramaribo
[email protected]
www.budgetsuriname.com
Phone: (+597) 457363
Fax: (+597) 456392
Avis
[email protected]
Phone: (+597) 551158
Fax : (+597) 456392
7.9.4 Bycicle Rentals
Fietsen in Suriname
Grote Combeweg 13 a, ( Zus en Zo), Paramaribo
[email protected]
www.fietsen-in-suriname.nl
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Phone: (+597) 520781
Phone: (+597) 8815361
Esther Lijkwan
Cardy adventures
Cornelis jongbawstraat 31, Paramaribo
Phone : (+597) 422518
Fax: (+597) 424505
Jopie’s rent –a –bike
Tinstraat 1, Maretraite 4, Paramaribo
Phone: (+597) 8560382
7.10 Cambio’s
Exces cambio
Flustraat 7, Paramaribo
Phone: (+597) 442347
Moneyline
Domineestraat 35c, Paramaribo
Phone: (+597) 422123
Surora exchange
Mahonylaan 41, Paramaribo
Phone: (+597) 425662
N.V. Florin exchange
Hermitagemall unit 101, Paramaribo zuid
Phone: (+597) 430013
Do you want to transfer money from Suriname to abroad? Then you can use Western
Union and MoneyGram.
7.11 Casino’s
Ambassador Hotel & Casino
Torarica hotel & casino
Lely Hills hotel & casino
Queens hotel & casino
Golden Tulip casino
Golden Truly casino
Tropicana casino
Mirage casino
7.12 Accommodations in Paramaribo and Nickerie
7.12.1 Houses for rent
Casacama
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7.12.2 Guesthouses and apartements
Oxygen Apartments
Gummelsweg 250C, Paramaribo
[email protected]
www.surinameecotours.com
Phone: (+597) 410100
Albergo & Alberga
Lim a po straat 13, Paramaribo Centrum
[email protected]
www.guesthousealbergoalberga.com
Divan Grantel
Stanvastestraat 12, Paramaribo
Phone: ( +597) 520050
Phone : (+597) 403050
Fax: (+597) 401010
Zus & Zo guesthouse
Grote Combeweg 13 a, Paramaribo
Phone: (+597) 520904
Kristal apartments
Phone: (+597) 550200
Phone: (+597) 551244
Zunorah apartments
J. b.s Rebostraat 31, Blauwgrond, Paramaribo
Guesthouse Famiri
Dr. Axswijkstraat 72, Paramaribo
[email protected]
Phone: (+597) 455370
Phone: (+597) 450230
Guesthouse Stay-cey
Verlengde hogestraat 41, Paramaribo
Phone: (+597) 412019
Fax: (+597) 420561
Domburg
Domburg Guesthouse
Tjong A Kietlaan 55, Domburg
[email protected]
www.jossytoursnv.com
Phone: (+597) 370721
Phone: (+597) 8622269
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Nickerie
Nickerie guesthouse
Fredericiweg 15-16 Voorlangs Waterloo, Nickerie
Phone: (+597) 231762
7.12.3 Hotels
Spanhoek Hotel
Domineestraat 2-4 , Paramaribo downtown
[email protected]
www.spanhoekhotel.com
De Plantage
Oostwestverbinding km 23,5, Commewijne
[email protected]
www.deplantagecommewijne.com
Residence inn
Anton Dragtenweg 7, Paramaribo
Phone: (+597) 477888
Fax: (+597) 427121
Phone: (+597) 356567
Phone: (+597) 472387
Fax: (+597) 424811
Best Western elegance hotel
Fred Derbystraat 65, Paramaribo
www.bestwesternsuriname.com
Phone: (+597) 420007
Fax: (+597) 420008
Krasnapolsky hotel
Domineestraat 39, Paramaribo
www.krasnapolsky.sr
Phone: (+597) 475050
Fax: (+597) 420139
Hotel de Luifel
Gondastraat 13, Paramaribo
www.de-luifel.com
Phone: (+597) 439933
Fax: (+597) 439930
Torarica hotel
Mr. L.j. Rietbergplein 1, Paramaribo
Phone: (+597) 471500
Fax: (+597) 411682
www.torarica.com
Eco Resort Inn
Cornelis Jongbawstraat 16, Paramaribo
Phone: (+597) 425522
Fax: (+597) 425510
www.torarica.com
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Royal Torarica
Kleine waterstraat 10, Paramaribo
Phone: (+597) 473500
Fax: (+597) 473808
www.torarica.com
North Resort Business hotel
J.D. Gompertstraat 145-147, Paramaribo-noord
Queens Hotel
Kleine Waterstraat 15, Paramaribo
Phone: (+597) 457591
Fax: (+597) 457527
Phone: (+597) 474969
Fax: (+597) 470623
Zeelandia Suites
Kleine Waterstraat 1a, Paramaribo
[email protected]
www.zeelandiasuites.com
Phone: (+597) 424631
Fax: (+597) 424790
Ambassador Hotel & Casino
Dr s redmondstraat 66-68, Paramaribo
Phone/ Fax : (+597) 477555
Lelydorp
Lely Hills hotel
Sastrodisoemoweg 4, Lelydorp
Phone: (+597) 368197
Fax: (+597) 312543
Nickerie
Hotel Dorien
Van Idsinghaweg 75, Nickerie
Phone: (+597) 231352
Fax: (+597) 231724
Residence Inn
Bharosstraat 84, Nickerie
Phone: (+597) 210950
Fax: (+597) 210954
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7.13 Swimming pools and leisure clubs
Paramaribo
Oase
Witte Lotus
Dolfijn
Parima
Stardust hotel
Krasnapolsky hotel
Residence inn
Nickerie
Hotel Dorien
Lelydorp
Lely Hills
7.14 Restaurants and bars
Surinamese kitchen:
Ling’s food corner
Lallarookhmall unit 7
Mix food
Zeelandiaweg 1
Un patu
Un center
Phone: (+597) 493809
Phone: (+597) 420688
Phone: (+597) 424000
Chinese kitchen:
Chi Min
Cornelis jongbawstraat 63
Crystal restaurant
Kwattaweg 393
Dumpling no. 1
Nassylaan 12
Fa tai
Maagdenstraat 64
Lucky twins
Maretraite Mall
Kwan tai
Kwattaweg 428
Phone: (+597) 520597
Phone: (+597) 432441
Phone: (+597) 477904
Phone: (+597) 473917
Phone: (+597) 458989
Phone: (+597) 435323
Korean kitchen:
Lee’s korean restaurant
Mahonylaan 12-14
Phone: (+597) 479834
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Javanese/ Indonesian kitchen:
Mirosso
J. Samson greenstraat 104
Sarinha
Verl. Gemenelandsweg 187
Jawa
Kasabaholoweg br 7
Phone: (+597) 452871
Phone: (+597) 430661
Phone: (+597) 492691
Hindustani kitchen:
Jasmine restaurant
Kleine dwarsstraat 85 boven
Martin’s house of Indian food
Hajarystraat 19
Phone: (+597) 477535
Thais kitchen:
Garden of Eden
Virolastraat 61
Phone: (+597) 499448
Phone: (+597) 473558
European kitchen:
Dok 204
Anton Dragtenweg 204
De Optimist
Park Avenue
Commisaris e Roblesweg 10
Spice Quest
Nassylaan 107
Lindeboom grandcafe
Wilhelminastraat 8
Pannenkoek en poffertjescafe
Van Sommelsdijckstraat 11
The Spot
J.d.Gomperstraat 145-147
Spanhoek passage
Domineestraat 2
De Waag
Waterkant 5
Zus en Zo
Grote Combeweg 13 a
Phone: (+597) 311462
Phone: (+597) 495009
Phone: (+597) 453788
Phone: (+597) 520747
Phone: (+597) 477504
Phone: (+597) 422914
Phone: (+597) 457591
Phone: (+597) 427122
Phone: (+597) 474514
Phone: (+597) 520904
American kitchen:
Silverado
Kolonistenweg 39
Phone: (+597) 430670
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Fastfood:
Mc Donalds
Keizerstraat 62-64
KFC
Wilhelminastraat 62
Popeye’s
Domineestraat 39
Naskip
Pizzahut
Wilhelminastraat 60
Phone: (+597) 421511
Phone: (+597) 424467
Phone: (+597) 426401
Phone: (+597) 410188
Phone: (+597) 424444
Ordering:
Bingo pizza
Phone: (+597) 400183
www.eteninsuriname.com
Disco’s:
Starzz
Blue bell
Zsa Zsa Zsu
Millenium
Mystique
Café’s:
‘t Vat
Fubar
Chillz
Rumours
Zanzibar
7.15 Important phone numbers
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113
110
Information Services
Police
Emergency Services
Fire Department
Country code for Suriname: +597
Simcards are available telecom companies Telesur, Digicel and Uniqa.
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Sranan tongo woordenlijst (Surinamese Word List)
Fawaka
Fa fu yu?
Bun
A e go
Ai
No
No mi no wani
Pe yu wani go?
Yu wani go waka nanga mi?
Sranan sani
Yu lobi mi?
Yu wani sribi nanga mi?
Brasa
Danki
Switi
Grofu
Oso
Libipe, Tanpresi
Pasi
Fakansi
Koiri
Kofru
Sranan
Pasport
Ferseikeren papira
Datra, Dresiman
Dresi
Spoiti
Korsu
Kowru
Fomeri
Ati
Ber’ati
Brokobere
Tif’ ati
Tifidatra
Skowtu
Moni
Preis
Moni oso
Buy
How are you?
How do you do?
Fine
It’s going well.
Yes
No
No, I don’t want that.
Where do you want to go?
Would you like to go out with me?
Surinamese things.
Do you love me?
Would you like to sleep with me?
Hug
Thank you
Nice, Sweet
Ill mannered
House
Address
Road, Street
Vacation
Travelling
Luggage
Suriname
Passport
Insurance papers
Doctor
Medicine
Vaccination
Fever
Cold
Vomit
Pain
Belly-ache, stomach-ache
Diarrhea
Toothache
Dentist
Police Officer
Money
Price
Bank
To buy
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Lasi
K’ba
Dansi
Sopi
Biri
Drinki
Njang
Brede
Supu
Peprewatra
Fayadosu
Smoko
Moi
Tideniti, Dineti
Tide
Mundei
Two dei wroko
Drie dei wroko
Fo dei wroko
Freida
Satra
Sondei
Sweng
W’woyo
Miseiem
Busi
Ara
Maskita
Sibibusi
Ingikondre
Bel
Oto
Bus
Bakra
Srananman
Amer’kang
Gowtu
Silver
Kopro
Lost
Finished
Dance
Alcohol
Beer
To drink
To eat
Bread
Soup
Native Indian dish, soup made with peppers
and Kwie Kwie (a river fish). Very spicy!
Cigarette lighter
To smoke (also smoke cigarettes)
Pretty
Tonight
Today
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
To swim
Market
Museum
Forest, Bush, Jungle
Parrot
Mosquito
Rainstorm
Native Indian Village
Make a phonecall
Automobile
Bus
Dutch person
Surinamese person
American person
Gold
Silver
Copper
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Checklist
You need a visa to come to Suriname.
You can obtain visas at the Surinamese Consulate or Embassy in your country of
residence or the legal representatives of Suriname in your country. You need a
passport that has at least 6 month validity from the day of departure.
People with the Dutch nationality who are over 60 can obtain their entry visa at the
J.A. Pengel Airport in Suriname. Vaccinations against the following diseases are
required: Difteria-Tetanus-Polio, Hepatitis A. Furthermore it is advisable to be
vaccinated against Yellow Fever as well.
If your stay will last longer than 3 months it is recommended to have a vaccine against
stomach typhoid. Suriname has several Malaria regions so if you intend to travel to or
through these regions it is advisable to take pills against this disease.
Malarone is one such medicine but there are others as well. You should consult with
your physician which one suits you the best.
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Sources
Information sources:
Oxygen Eco tours
Samoe Schelts
Various brochures
http://www.wikipedia.org
Pictures:
Danning Chen
Mets Suriname
Oxygen Eco tours
Samoe Schelts
Esther Lijkwan
www.flickr.com (Vanessa de Cort)
http://www.wikipedia.org
Other Internet sources.
Drawings:
J. Moonen
Translator:
Guy Schuitemaker
Books:
• Onderweg van afhankelijkheid naar zelfstandigheid, 250 jaar Hernhutterzending in
Suriname 1735-1985 (On the way from dependency to independence, 250 years of
Hernhutter Mission in Suriname 1735-1985); by J. Fontaine
• Zes jaren in Suriname 1836-1842 (Six years in Suriname 1836-1842); by A. Kappler
• Avonturen aan de Wilde kust (Adventures on the Wild Coast); by Albert Helman
• Uit Suriname’s historie, Fragmenten uit een bewogen verleden (From Suriname’s
history, Fragments of an eventful past; by J. Fontaine a.o.
• Reis door Suriname,(Trip through Suriname), adaptation of Voyage through
Suriname; by P.J. Benoit
• Encyclopedia
• Sranan tongo dictionary
• Fauna van het Guyanaschild: Suriname (Fauna of the Guyanashield: Suriname); by Joep
M. Moonen
• Wildlife of the Guianas; by WWF
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A word of thanks
I am very happy that I was able to write this book and for that I first owe my
gratitude to Rhonda Byrne who, with her film the Secret, brought me on the track of
Eelco de Boer.
Then I would like to thank Eelco de Boer himself because he gave me the idea and
informed me how to write an e-book, something I will continue to do with great
pleasure, for many years to come.
My family has been very patient while I was working on this book for many days and
nights after each other, even into the small hours. To all the people who looked after
my children when I was writing I would like to say thank you.
I am grateful to Mister Danning Chen, my Chinese language teacher who is a great,
artistically-minded photographer and who also handed me most of the beautiful
pictures used in this book.
I acknowledge the help of Mister J.M. Moonen who let me use his book about animals
in Suriname with which he supports the Paramaribo Zoo.
And last but not least my gratitude goes to Samoe Schelts, a fantastic guide who gave
me a lot of information about Suriname and helped me to many wonderful historic
pictures.
Anybody who has given me any form of support in the realisation of this book: Thank
you very much.
If you would like to give your opinion about this book you can do so by logging on to
http://www.surinameiloveyou.com/guestbook
I truly appreciate your comments!
125
Esther Lijkwan
List for Prepared Traveling To Suriname
Important!
1. Passport (at least valid for 6 months on the day of departure from Suriname,
with a visa)
2. Ticket
3. Book (information on all the vaccination you have had: dtp, yellow fever,
jaundice)
4. Money (credit cards, some small cash)
5. Make a copy of all the above items and keep them in a separate place in case
they’re lost or stolen.
Clothing:
Cotton, linen and bamboo clothing are the best for the tropics. You probably only
need summer clothing.
Although people know that Suriname is a tropical country and almost every day is
approximately 82.4 Fahrenheit, people still tend to take the wrong clothing with
them. I was one of them!
1. Two or three long sleeve shirts are enough. (you only need those when you go
to the interior or for instance Galibi)
2. Jeans (not to many, you only use those when you go to out to bars or maybe
when it rains)
3. Thin trousers, skirts, shirts and underwear are the best clothing to wear.
4. Shirts, short sleeve or no sleeve t-shirts or dresses are the best upper wear.
5. Bikini’s and swimwear (best to take more of those, so you can wash one and
wear one, you will probably do a lot of swimming)
6. Underwear (best are cotton or bamboo ones)
7. Socks (only for walking shoes and when you go to clubs )
8. Eveningwear (some of the clubs or the casino’s want you to wear proper
clothing and shoes, closed toe shoes for men and no shorts)
9. Caps and hats (really important, the sun is very, very strong. They help prevent
sun stroke)
10. Sleep wear (not to heavy light weight, especially if there’s no air-conditioning
where you’re staying or you prefer to sleep with out air conditioning)
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Esther Lijkwan
Shoes:
1. Slippers
2. Strong boots or sneakers (hiking shoes or walking shoes, for when you go
climbing or hiking)
3. Pumps or high heeled shoes and casual shoes (for when you go dancing in the
evening, to clubs)
Toilet accessories:
1. Toothbrush/ toothpaste
2. Floss
3. Shampoo
4. Soap
5. Shaving foam
6. Shaver blades
7. Facial cleaner and wipes
8. Day crème
9. Night crème
10. Scrub
11. Perfume
12. Nail clipper
13. Hairbrush
14. Body lotion
15. Make-up
16. Deodorant, Anti- perspirant
Things you definitely need:
Sun lotion
(The factor depends on what your skin is like, but understand that you are in a tropical
country where the sun is strong and you are near the equator, so sunburn is very
common.)
After sun
Sunglasses
Mosquito stick
(In Suriname we have a lot of products that are capable of repelling the mosquitoes
here and they are probably much cheaper than what you can buy in your own
country)
Towels
(how much, depends on where you are staying and for how long, it is always better if
you have some when you go out to a resort)
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Esther Lijkwan
Optional:
Cell phone
(You can buy a sim card here with Uniqa, Digicel, or Telesur. This costs about $ 5.)
Itinerary
Laptop
Addresses
Jewelry (not too much so you don’t lose them)
Malaria pills (you can get them here in Suriname as well, and I would suggest to do
that, cheaper and better)
Camera
Books/games
Pens/pencils
Chewing gum
Nose/eardrops
Prescription glasses if you wear them and/or contact lenses and solution (lens
water)
Sunglasses
Pills for airsickness
Attention!
You are not allowed to carry large doses of fluids in your hand/carry on luggage.
So make sure you put them in your suitcase, before they are checked (taken away
from you). Be sure to confirm all policies with your airline carrier.
Don’t store valuable items in your suitcase. Beware of theft so keep them with you at
all times.
Lock your suitcase before coming.
Have a save journey
128
Esther Lijkwan
List For Prepared Travel to Suriname with Kids
Important:
Passport (In case the child has their own passport)
Ticket
Book with information on their vaccinations. Be sure to have copies of all the above.
Clothing:
Thin and easy summer clothing with short sleeves.
Pack as much as possible (it will become dirty fast playing outside)
For small kids the best clothing is a plain baby romper.
Thin pajamas except when you sleep in air conditioning, then use the somewhat
thicker ones. Swimwear (make sure you take more then one, so you can wash and
wear the other one)
Hats and caps (to protect from the sun, children tend to get sunburned much easier
then adults)
Socks (only for in the evening if at all)
Shoes:
Slippers or normal open shoes.
Not to hot and be sure they’re comfortable. Baby can go bare foot too, of course.
Toilet accessories:
Towels, hydrofoil diapers (for drying), bath towels (How many you need all depends
on where you are staying, but most hotels, don’t have the typical baby towels)
Hand towels
Toothbrush and baby toothpaste
Baby soap
Baby oil or baby lotion
Baby wipes
Diapers (you can buy any kind of diapers here; Pampers, Huggies, what ever, so don’t
take to much with you from home. They are expensive though in Suriname. There are
a lot of cheaper brands that works as well as the others, like Bebin)
Hairbrush
Nail clipper
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Esther Lijkwan
Things you really need:
Swimmies…
Pacifiers (take two so when you lose one, you have another one. You can buy them
here as well)
Bottles
Bottle warmer
Sun crème (Especially for kids and with a high spf factor)
After sun (special for kids)
Mosquito lotion (really good one is, Johnson’s anti mosquito lotion. I am using this one
myself as well.)
Baby Vicks
Pain reliever for kids
Nose/eardrops
Blankets for sleeping
Favorite bear or toy (for playing and giving them a safe feeling when not at home)
Optional:
Toys/pens/books/drawing pencils/paper (for in the airplane)
Sweets or cookies (as a bribe in the plane)
Baby food (for in the airplane.)
Baby milk (ready to go)
Tip:
When taking off or landing with the airplane, make sure the child has a pacifier, a
bottle or allow him or her to breastfeed, this helps relieve the pressure in the ears of
the child. It is all about swallowing.
130
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