Arrival in Surinam

Our arrival in Surinam was a true happening. Local people do not believe that we really have sailed here all the way, so we get many questions. But the other yachties believe us of course. We met many old friends so there were many social calls, drinks, bbq's and information exchange to start with, while Miep is on a mooring for 5 euros per day. A comforting thought because the tide runs at 4 knots and the stories about yachts that went off their anchor, are many.  A second welcome comittee of JW's Surinamese family (4 persons) came to visit us the next day.  We are staying in Domburg, approximately 15 km east of Paramaribo where we had to go in the first week to arrange paperwork with the authorities. We went there by bus at 07.30 uur, the first half hour the wrong way but at least we had a roof above our heads. Some last heavy rain as the short wet season ends by the end of January PHOTO 1 . In Paramaribo we first went to the Ministery of External Affairs for the visa. A Ministry sounds like something big, but they are located in rather big normal houses. Very authentic wooden buildings, which is nice. Even the cathedral is made from wood. PHOTO 2 .	We had to complete the forms before 10.00 AM, pay 30 US dollars, and bring 2 photo's pp, a photocopy of our passports, a photocopy of the exit stamps plus 2 copies of the crew list, but we received our visa that very same day. After this we visited the military police, another crew list, ship's papers, told that JW’s mum was born in Albina (magic words), and we got our entry stamps.  We also had to do a lot of shopping. On every street corner you find a small “supermarket” run by Chinese PHOTO 3 . The buses are driven by Hindustani and the Creoles are in government service. Of course we visited the colourful central market PHOTO 4 . Ate some traditional chaved ice PHOTO 5 while we were waiting for JW's niece Marjorie to pick us up. She lives in a traditional Surinam house, “open” at ground level and a living on the first floor with a veranda on two sides and glass shutters for windows; ventilation is extremely important here. PHOTO 6 The following day we returned to Domburg. Quite a contrast, Domburg a small village PHOTO 7 peaceful with only one big square with many small restaurants around it.	Everything here is lush and large and you see coconut palmtrees all over the place. PHOTO 8 Surinam has a tremendous diversity of trees, plants and flowers. Also hundreds of birds types, you hear the "kissmequick" all day (it says its name); parrots, vultures and many species that we have not yet determined. Animals: already on our first day a huge ant eater swam around the boat PHOTO 9 . People say it is agressive, so we have to be careful when to swim. There are piranhas as well and after P swam across the river (1 km wide), that crazy Bakra who swam amidst the caymans was the talk of the town. We were invited by Bea & Ben, who have a nice house here with 1 ha of ground. They grow all kinds of fruit&veg and after an extensive meal we got extensive lessons about their produce. Tasty fruit: “pomplemousse” (a kind of large grapefruit, diameter 30 cm) PHOTO 10 , rambutan PHOTO 11 ,  tangeloo (between orange and mandarin), oranges, grapefruits, bananas, mangos and much more. Vegetables: cassave, “bread fruit” FOTO 12 , egg plant, bittermelon and much more. Everything is big, bigger, biggest. And there is much of everything, so wealthy. But they have to work hard for it.

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