Suriname Tulip Hotel Paramaribo

... there wasn't much vegetation on the ground, so it was possible to move around without treading on hidden snakes. Supper was slightly odd, with the two of us seated on the ice box (the only thing in the camp you could sit on), eating, while Jay and Baba hung about. It never became entirely clear when or what they ate, and we found out later that the rather hurried and ad-hoc start to the tour meant that there weren't really enough provisions for ...

... men. Everyone jumped out of our boat and we were about to do the same, when one of the boatmen told us to stay inside. I guess he thought that we would be more trouble than help. We saw one boat which had been smashed to smithereens and a rock upon which perched an abandoned cooker! We were told that the soelas can be very dangerous and that last year someone died. We did not feel in any danger, but it might be quite different in bad weather. We passed several villages ...

... were we could park, surprisingly to us they told us on the grass of Independence Square, surprising because this is the heart of the old area and right opposite the Presidential Palace. Anyway we are now parked and ready for a quiet night.N5.49.34.63W55.09.07.67 16th - In fact it was a quiet night and this morning we are now surrounded by cars parked whilst the owners go to work. As my neck is still playing up I have decided to see if we can get it ...

... what must be midnight, then finally dies out... until daybreak, when it starts up again. New Year's Day is like death itself, nothing open but the biggest hotels and a few stalls that normally cater to tourists. So I sit and study Dutch while watching BBC and al-Jazeera in my cheap hotel, where I've got a fridge and a water kettle and even a kitchen sink complete with dishes, almost like home, except no wi-fi and no wifey. Fortunately I stocked up ...

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I have officially crossed all three of Guyana's main rivers (and then some). I crossed the Essequibo River for the first time in my life when we went to Bartica. I've crossed the Demerara River many times (including up to about 2 months ago) when I go to visit my dad's family, and I crossed the Berbice River on the way to Suriname. I can say that I made that trip by bus and ferry (by myself to thanks to the very unreliable Avo), but I ain't ...

... dat we bij de MP het visum moeten laten stempelen. We zeggen dat we daar weggestuurd zullen worden maar de dame houdt vol en meldt bovendien dat we zonder stempel illegaal zijn en dus een zeker risico lopen. Opnieuw worden we bij de MP door geïrriteerde ambtenaren ontvangen. Een litanie van wat men bij de visumdienst zoal niet begrijpt is het gevolg en als de man is uitgeraasd merkt hij onze aanwezigheid opnieuw op. We klagen op onze beurt dat de vreemdelingendienst al weer ...

... apparently partly due to lasting bomb damage from the recent civil war. Suriname is officially a Dutch-speaking country but it seems they can't really make up their minds. Roadsigns and advertisements will occasionally be in English, other times in Dutch, and sometimes in the local amerindian dialect. Most people, impressively, seemed to be able to speak all three. A few hours later, and after being transferred ...

... to have crossed and I could then say that I have been to France! Apparently, it is quite different and also very expensive as it is Euro's and French prices. Anyway, I went to Galibi not France. We left Parimaribo at the ungodly hour of 4 a.m. and arrived in Albina by 7 a.m. Then it was the usual "hurry up and wait". While still pretty much dawn, the waterfront was already bustling with boat traffic. Many boats scoot to and from St. Laurant with what looks like pretty steady ...

... dressed in their traditional dress, complete with headdress. Many of the mothers had made matching outfits for themselves and their little girls. Boys too were often dressed in shirts and pants made from traditional prints. Others sported a variety of T-shirts with the Surinamese colours and a variety of slogans. "I love Suriname" "I may live somewhere else, but Suriname is my home" and one that said something about hell and Suriname being heaven. There ...

... than looking at the system they have (or rather have not) developed to make tracking user friendly. They simply are not problem solvers and they just keep their heads down and focus only on what's right in front of them. A major problem for them and all the ASO's is that the National AIDS program is spearheading some initiatives that are going to affect them immensely. For example testing has been sadly lacking in this country and the consensus is that the statistics ...