Suriname, Paramaribo and Surrounds – 2023

September 25-October 11 

$1US = 38 Surinamese dollars. 

I had a bit of a hiatus – I went to Virginia to help take care of my mother for almost 2 months. She’s stable. John had all sorts of adventures in my absence, and we rejoined in Paramaribo, Suriname. 

For those that need a bit of a geography reminder, Suriname is the prior Dutch Guyana, one of three small countries just north of Brazil. It’s current “claim to fame” is as the most forested country in the world, with over 80% of its landmass covered in vegetation. This provides habitats for a huge variety of plants and animals. The country covers 63,000 sq miles (a little smaller than Missouri), with a total population of 620,000. 

The name “Paramaribo” the capital, is based on the indigenous name of the settlement – “Parmurbo”. One of the most fascinating aspects is the true melting-pot nature of the country. The area was originally home to five Amerindian tribes (Caraiben, Arowakken, Wajaners, Trios,and Trios Wajaners) . Settled by the British in 1651, it was seized by the Dutch in 1667, and after several battles between the powers, peace was reached with the Treaty of Breda which gave the area to the Dutch in a trade for New Amsterdam (now Manhattan) in 1667. The colonists imported African and Afri-Caribe slaves to work the plantations growing sugar cane and cotton that lined the rivers until the mid 1800’s. When slavery was outlawed in 1863, Chinese laborers were brought in, followed by Indian (called Hindustanis regardless of religion) and Indonesian (called Javanese) workers and miners. Lucky for us, all contribute to local culinary choices and English is commonly spoken. We found all locals very friendly, and the city felt safe and easy to walk around.

When slavery ended, many plantation owners returned to Holland, some sold the land to the prior slaves (which is what happened to the family of one of our guides), allowing for land ownership and ability to be self-sustaining. Outside of the river area and into the interior, gold and bauxite became two main sources of wealth. The bauxite – needed to make aluminum – made the country important to defend by the Allies during WWII. 

Religious tolerance is the norm, a large Catholic Basilica, Churches, Synagogues, Hindu temples and Mosques all dot the low skyline. (With sandy soil, a “high rise” would be any building over 5 stories). 

There are few “nice” beaches, none near Paramaribo, the capital, which is one of the reasons Suriname is not a common tourist destination, and the government and local entrepreneurs have barely begun to tap into eco-tourism. There are some muddy beaches along the Suriname River, and the fast current with rapid tidal changes makes swimming hazardous.

So what was there to do in our little over two weeks in the country?

Paramaribo (The Capital City): The first week, we stayed at an AirBNB in the southern part of the city. It was nice, and our apartment was lovely, but there were few restaurants nearby. We walked the mile into the main part of the city daily (and most days have highs in the upper 90’s in high humidity creating a heat index well into the 100’s– those walks had to be very early or late). The second half of our stay was in an efficiency apartment in the north part, where restaurants and coffee shops abound. (Weirdly – the coffee shops didn’t open until 9-10AM). The city lacks public transportation, though some small minibuses carried people around, no Uber, but taxis were fairly inexpensive (about 100-120SRD each way into town and back), and one had an app – though its ability to “pin” your location was hit and miss.  We had better luck using WhatsApp with Hertog Taxi and the chat feature on their website. There are numerous casinos, in which we had little luck. Meals ranged from 300 (in the market) -2000 SRD in nice restaurants in the north. Credit cards are rarely accepted. 

The Forts: 1) Fort Zeelandia in the city of Paramaribo (which also houses the Museum of Suriname- so I got a fort and a museum all in one!) Only a small portion is air conditioned, so go early on a windy day. The Pentagonal shape was retained through a couple of iterations, from an initial wooden fort built in the 17^thcentury to the current brick and concrete structure. The British built the original fort and held it between 1651 and 1667, the fort was captured and held by the Dutch for a few months, then changed hands by force twice between the Dutch and British, until the Treaty of Breda that ceded control to the Dutch.

            2) Fort Nieuw Amsterdam – Located at the coast at the mouth of the Suriname and Commewijne Rivers, the fort was completed in 1747 after the French had raided several of the plantations nearer the coast in the early 1700’s. Like Fort Zeelandia, it was constructed in a pentagonal shape. Typical brick was untenable due to the local clay being too salty to make bricks, and importing too expensive, so earthen walls protected the barracks and armory. Despite the prior treaty, the British invaded again in 1799 and held the fort until 1816. The Fort took on a second identity in 1863, when it became a prison until 1967, and the area housed US Troops during WII to protect access to bauxite for the Allies. The Fort became a museum after the prison relocated in 1967, fell into disrepair during the military rule, then renovated in 2007 with support from the Dutch. 

The Museums: There are few – the main Museum of Suriname is in Fort Zeelandia. Exhibits include historical artifacts and artwork telling the story of slavery.

There is also an art gallery/ museum, but is only open a few days per week (and is free to the public).

The Paramaribo Zoo: It describes itself as a “humble little collection of South American Animals” – so expectations are low. It’s located on the western outskirts of the city (a 150 SRD taxi ride). It’s small, the animals are well cared for (though the familiarity of the staff in handling the young Ocelot shows it’s more about heart and less about trying to keep animals “wild”). Entry fee for foreigners was 70SRD pp. Definitely worth a couple of hours of your time.

Tours: Our walking tour took us around the main city. The historical wooden buildings exhibit various stages of renovation. UNESCO will reimburse approved applications once renovations are complete preserving the historical look of the buildings.

Many of them need a lot of work, others are near completion. We stopped in at a pub, where two of the tables were made from prior sugar scales.

The tour ended at the large covered market where vendors to sell fresh goods – peppers, tomatoes, okra, fish and oranges among the most common items. 

On a day tour to Fort Nieuw Amsterdam and prior plantations, we visited the remains of a large sugar refinery that once employed hundreds of workers, shipping sugar around the world, until 1982 when sanctions resulting from the coup of 1980 caused the factory to close (sanctions continued until the early 1990’s, when democratic elections were held in 1991. Only the last 10-15 years has the country’s government become stable enough to allow for sustained development and improvement in infrastructure, centered in Paramaribo.

The Food: As mentioned above, Indonesian, Indian, Chinese and Creole styles abound (along with US fast food chains of McDonalds, Burger King and Popeye’s). Our favorite local food is called “Pom” – a casserole of sorts made with mashed sweet potatoes (or Cassava with orange juice), chicken and spices. 

Now – on to Aruba!