January 12, 2007
Day 471
The cathedral of SS Peter and Paul.
This being my last day in Suriname, I decided it was time I took a stroll around the capitol. Near my hotel is the only place in the world where you can see a mosque right next to a synagogue. On the other side of town is the government district, where the president's mansion, Ministry of Finance, and numerous other official-looking buildings are scattered around Independence square. There's a lot of trendy bars and restaurants nearby that are packed with Dutch tourists. In most of South America, the locals assume you speak English, but here, they assume you speak Dutch. Not many other nationalities come here.
My stay in Suriname was a good one. I saw a jaguar, floated down a river in a bamboo raft, went to a maroon village, and met a semi-famous athlete in an Amerindian village. Who knows what kind of crazy adventures await in French Guiana?
The photo album for this entry is here.
Dan, good to see you are still alive, well, and having fun. I just returned from two weeks in India and a week in the UK. I thought about you often, and how I'm sure my travels were not as "rustic" and difficult as yours are, but they were challenging for me nonetheless. My bed and pillows never felt so good! I'm still suffering jetlag and a bit of out of sorts feelings--I wake up in the middle of the night not knowing where I am. Maybe it was the mosquito bite I got in India the first day there--I continue to take my malaria pills so hopefully I'm covered. Take care and keep traveling safely :)
Hi Cindy,
Nice to hear you made it safely to/from India and the UK. The jetlag should go away soon (they say day per every hour of time change) but watch out for the flu-like symptoms of malaria. Most people who I've met who have gotten it (which is just about everyone) say "you can feel it in your bones."
Ah, thanks, good tips! I hadn't heard either of those.
Hi Dan,
Started reading your blog on my birthday 1/15. Sounds like we need to keep you in our prayers. Getting lost in the jungle,hiking at night in the jungle in Jaguar country,rafting on the Nickerie River-any snakes or crocs? ,captive in a stolen truck,tipsy overloaded boat and then your exciting time in D.C. trying to find the Marine Memorial. (similer experiences ,ask Kevin, he is not a traveler). Is Blanche Marie the only place you saw a poisonous snake - maybe you don't know which ones are.
I wish you would say miles instead of kilometers.
Did you hear about the hiker woman lost in China in the frozen mountains-I think they fear she is dead. The family lost in Oregon over Thanksgiving. The wife and child lived but the father died looking for help. They were missing for many days. Finally, the wife was tracked by the cell phone that was emiting a signal. Judy
Hi Judy,
Yes, many adventures have been had, but I think it won't quite be the same for a few months. I'm heading to Brazil next where the main themes will be beaches and Carnaval. I didn't see any crocs from the bamboo raft. That was a comparatively safe experience. Not many snakes either surprisingly. I've only caught bits and pieces of news lately, so I didn't hear about the woman in China or the family in Oregon. Say hi to Kevin and I'll catch you later.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I know I usually put everything in metric, but that's just because the entire world uses it except Americans, so I'd rather not spend extra time doing conversions back to the old English system.