About Suriname

Known as Dutch Guiana before its independence from the Netherlands in 1975, Suriname is about the size of the US state of Georgia and considered by some, to be the best of the Guianas for tourism. We're about to find out. Wedged in between Guayana, French Guiana and Brazil with the Atlantic coast to the north, there continues to be border disputes with the neighbors.

The official language here is Dutch, but English is widely spoken as is the local language known as Sranan Tongo (Surinam tongue) or Takitaki. Our Dutch is a bit rusty … okay, it's non-existent, but we're picking up a few words as we go. We certainly know yes/ja (yah), no/nee and beer/bier. A local woman, Pamela, who works at the yacht club is helping with translations. Today's word was “kip” - chicken. She's also described some of the local Javanese dishes served here … for instance, bami and nasi (fried noodles and fried rice). We'll figure it out as we go. That's half the fun.

We'd actually cleared into the country when we visited Albina just before we left, so we were saved the hassle of taking a bus or taxi into Paramaribo to handle all the formalities. We had to purchase a Tourist Card (€20/pp) at the Surinamese consulate in Saint-Laurent before entering Surinam, payable only with a credit card. They added a €2 handling and VAT fee. We completed a rather long form in duplicate for the Immigration fellow in Albina. Then stamp, stamp, stamp. The process was easy and painless, however. We have 30 days to visit Suriname before having to renew.

The currency is the Surinamese dollar (SRD) with a current exchange rate of 3:1 to the US$. However, most hotels and even the marina here, charge in Euros (€) or US$ because of the significant fluctuation in the local currency. Credit cards are not accepted as widely here as they were in French Guiana. Cash is king, a tough transition for credit card kids like us. In general, things are considerably cheaper here than in French Guiana, a welcome change. But, of course, we're missing our 70¢ fresh baguettes and croissants.

The Dutch were the first to settle land in the Guianas. They formed the Dutch West India Company in 1621 and traded with the local AmerIndian people. Cocoa and sugar plantations were established along the rivers with the locals supplying much of the labor. When the locals were nearly wiped out by diseases introduced by the Dutch, slaves were imported from western Africa. Escaped slaves known as Maroons formed their own settlements in the interior, maintaining much of their African culture and language. These Maroon villages still exist today in central Suriname. Maroon wood carving is considered some of the best in South America.

It was the British, however, who founded Paramaribo, Suriname's capital city, on the banks of the Suriname River in 1650. In the Treaty of Breda (1667), the Dutch chose to retain Suriname and their colonies on the Guyanese coast, but ceded French Guiana to France. The Brits also got New Amsterdam in the trade ... better known today as Manhattan, New York. Ouch!

When the British banned slavery in 1834, they also discouraged all slave trade in the Caribbean forcing plantation owners to seek other cheap labor. Enter a huge influx of Asians especially from India, Indonesia and China. Today's Suriname reflects this very diverse, quite harmonious, ethnic mix. Politics in today's Suriname, however, is a different story ... about which we'll make no comment.

A little Suriname trivia for you …

• Suriname is the smallest country on the South American continent. And, by the way, it's the 12th of 13 South American countries that we've visited. One more to go … Guyana.

• The country is sparsely populated, ~500,000 people, half of which live in the Paramaribo area.

• This is a beer-drinking country, although they produce excellent, inexpensive rum as well. The local beer is Parbo. The local rum is Borgoe and it runs about US$9/liter.

  

• In 2002, the country's capital city, Paramaribo, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

• The country’s name is believed to be derived from a Taino group called Surinen, who first inhabited the region.

• The bauxite (aluminum ore) industry dominates the country's economy. It comprises more than 15% of the GDP and 70% of export earnings.

So, what's on the agenda while we're here? Chores, of course. Varnishing is key... followed by the usual stuff … deck washing, laundry, cleaning and a few repairs and routine maintenance. Then, there's all that sightseeing that must be done. We're hoping to spend a weekend in Paramaribo to see the sights,and perhaps a trip into the jungle if we can find one that fits our budget. We'll definitely be busy, so why not clear your schedule and come along? We could also use a little help with the deck chores, in case you'd care to volunteer.

Down the Maroni...Up the Suriname

Suriname is either 1.5nm directly across the Maroni River from us (Albina) or ~150nm to a safe anchorage at Domburg, about 35 miles up the Suriname River, and 8 miles north of Paramaribo, the country's capital city. After three weeks in French Guiana (my, how time flies), we're heading back down the Maroni River.

The tides dictate boat movement on the river. We needed to wait for an ebbing tide in daylight to carry us down the Maroni back to the Atlantic, and then wait for a flood tide on the Suriname River, to get us upriver to Domburg. Luckily, the total distance is only about 150 nm and there are a few spots to anchor in the rivers while waiting for the proper tides if need be. The tide tables provided on our Navionics charting software are reliable and good indicators for planning departures and arrivals.

The tide wasn't changing till near 1100, so we had plenty of time to do morning chores. We wrote and did final internet. David cleaned the dinghy on the shore while I walked into town for our last French baguettes and croissants. We paid our last week's bill at the marina (13 beers, really?), hauled the dinghy, got everything stowed. The tide was just turning as we slipped our lines off the mooring. As we passed through the mooring field, we waved goodbye to new and old friends, wondering which of them we might see again in some other anchorage.

We followed our inbound track 27 nm down the circuitous Maroni, making the outbound trip a bit less stressful than the upriver trip had been. The wind picked up to 20-25 knots on the nose about half way down, causing short, square muddy brown waves to smash against the bow… wind against current and a bumpy ride. With the ebbing tide to carry us, however, we were spit back into the Atlantic just 3.5 hours later.

A toast to Neptune and we were headed west towards Suriname on a beam reach. David lowered the French courtesy flag and raised the Suriname flag.

The winds petered out before midnight and we made the decision to motor when our speed dropped to less than 4 knots. Though we were 8-10 miles offshore, the water is still quite shallow at 25-35' (10m). Fishermen were out in great numbers. Some boats were lit, some not. They laid out great nets with a strobe to mark the end of the net, then waited downwind a mile or more stretching out the net. Knowing which side of the net to pass was the challenge. If we could spot their boat, just a tiny point of light in the vast darkness, it wasn't difficult. If their boat was unlit or too far away, it was a crap shoot. Neptune was looking out for us and we managed the 80nm avoiding all the fishing boats and nets.

We were at the mouth of the Suriname by 0530. It was still dark, but the flashing channel markers and the light of the gibbous moon guided us up the channel entrance. The fishing fleet was just returning to port as well, and we followed along in good company, waving at the homecoming crews. The sun rose at 0615 and we began to see river sights.

The Suriname River was just as muddy and brown as the Maroni, but it was wider and deeper. The channel markers were more frequent; the coastline less wild and forbidding. There were lots of small settlements and we saw fishing stakes laid out close to shore.

We reached the confluence of the Suriname and Commewijne Rivers when the current was at its peak and felt the conflicting pull of the current... eddies and whirlpools... as we veered to starboard up the Suriname. Yellow butterflies flew over the the aft deck. We heard the high-pitched chirp of welcome swallows as they fluttered around the boat. One fellow landed on our anchor and bummed a ride upriver.

As we motored further and further up the river, more industry and towns appear on the riverside. Fishing boats were lined up on wharves and piers.

Beautiful riverfront homes sprawled along the banks.

We approached Paramaribo, Suriname's capital city. It stretched scenically along the foreshore, the spires of its cathedral and a stately clock tower dominating the skyline.

An old wreck marked NDP and noted as “Goslar” on the charts lay just outside the channel. It reminded us of the Edith Cavell off Saint-Laurent,

The Brug Surinamerivier (Suriname River Bridge) lay before us, spanning the river, connecting Paramaribo with the town of Meerzorg and points east. It was plenty high enough, but as we slid under, there's always a bit of a catch in our throats as wait to clear.

The shores became less busy as we progressed up the river; the channel markers disappeared. About eight miles up from the bridge, we spotted some masts and knew we'd arrived at Domburg and the Marina Suriname. We headed for a mooring, lassoed it on our first try (no one was watching, of course), tied up and sighed. It was 24 hours from anchorage to anchorage and about 142 nm. Life is good … a new river and a new country.

A Pirogue Trip to Albina

The local mode of transportation here on the muddy brown River Maroni is the pirogue. From the Spanish word piragua (by water), we've seen several different types of pirogues in our tavels. They're basically dugout canoes, but they come in many different varieties. Here they're particularly long and narrow and have humongous outboard engines on them to ply them back and forth across the river. Some of the tourist pirogues for taking daytrips up the river are brightly colored, but the regular ones for heading back and forth are workhorses.

We've been looking across the river at Albina, Suriname since we arrived in Saint-Laurent. It's only about 1.5nm across the river, but none of our friends has ventured over there. We were told it wasn't much, although locals go there to shop because the prices are considerably cheaper. There seems to be little issue with Immigration or Customs going back and forth from Suriname to French Guiana as long as you stay within the river towns. So, why not go? A ride in a pirogue plus a peek at Albina.

We walked to the busy pirogue dock and negotiated a price for a one way ride. One was just getting ready to leave and he agreed that €3/pp was fair. I'd say that we “hopped” aboard, but it wasn't quite that easy. The pirogues are long and narrow and thus, quite tippy and unstable. Watching the locals get aboard made it look easy, but we “tourists” were a bit more cautious.

Because it's narrow and low to the water, the inside is quite cramped and close.

Soon the colorful foreshore of Albina came clearly into view. The ride across lasted only 10-15 minutes.

Other pirogues zipped behind us, in front of us, beside us. The drivers are quite adept at maneuvering these long, awkward crafts and we managed to get to the other side unscathed. Unloading was less tricky now that we had the hang of it.

Well, the folks who said Albina wasn't much were absolutely right. The town is pretty much only the riverfront wide. There are some houses scattered behind and along the riverfront. There are taxis and a once-a-day bus to Paramaribo, Suriname's capital city, but that's about it. Fuel is considerably cheaper here, so the fuel dock does a brisk business.

We found no open restaurants other than a few street food vendors. We wandered along the narrow foreshore walk and found a couple of shops in which to poke around.

The shops offered grocery items and a myriad of Chinese-imported goods … like Black & Docker (yes, Docker) tools and Galvin Klain jeans and underwear. We did find a local beer, Parbo … cold and refreshing, despite the fact it was only 10:30 AM!

Finding a ride back was a little trickier, since we wanted to be dropped off at the beach near the dinghy dock. After some negotiation, we agreed upon €15 for all of us. We boarded the pirogue, Pasensi Lobi (Translation: Hot Love), and took off in a flash with the driver's brother at the bow providing slight hand movements to the helmsman to negotiate our path. He evidently needed to make a quick stop at another dock. We sped at full throttle under a low bridge which we thought might have knocked his brother's block off, but our bowman gracefully ducked just in time and was no shorter on the other side of the bridge.

While we waited at the other dock, we got the chance to view life on the foreshore from a slightly different perspective. People came and went with their purchases … just another day in Albina.

We finally got under way again and sped across the river. As we landed at the beach, new fare negotiations began. It seems that the driver had mistakenly quoted us the wrong price. It should have been €20. In all fairness, we had been told the fare was €5/pp to our beach. We smiled, gave him his €20, shook hands and said adieu. After all, the best parts of the trip were the pirogue rides!

Check out a short video on our pirogue trip across the muddy Maroni to Albina.