Queen'S Hotel & Casino Paramaribo

... beer to be gradually replaced by fish. <br><br>Back at the landing point we were met by Henk, and, with U2 blasting from the Nissan's stereo, retraced our steps. We stopped at a small shop/bar in Bigi Poika where a very cute young wild boar was running about as a pet. Baba bought us all beers, and then we said goodbye and returned to town. Despite not catching fish or handling caiman we were well satisfied with our trip.<br><br>Some sranan tongo Baba ...

... Unfortunately we had not noticed this before. The border policeman said that we had to go back to Cayenne. In a perhaps somewhat irate manner I said that I had no intention of doing so because of someone else's mistake. He said 'there is nothing I can do' and continued letting the other people trough. When all were through he disappeared into the next room. We were tempted to make a run for it and jump in the nearest taxi but thought ...

... to be used at you, unless you stand there at the cashier dumbfounded for more than about ten seconds. It's also testament to the very low level of tourism here and the high percentage of those who are Dutch. I know this because for about the first three days I used nothing but the international lingua franca. That's about my limit. Interestingly, though any counter help can take your money in English, those who actually speak it tend to speak ...

... by another clerk who, in our case, was out of the room for quite some time, so a big heap of passports and tickets was waiting when she came back and a lot of impatient people crowded outside the window. Eventually we all got them back, then it was sail through customs, then immigration and on to the waiting area which was ok, but would have been uncomfortable if there was heavy rain. There is a sizeable duty free shop for those interested, but I ...

... flies over Suriname, there are many neat, cultivated fields, but over Guyana, there is just one lush forest, with perhaps a clearing here and there, and a house here and there. If I go back to Suriname in March, I'm not going with that ferry. So anyway, school's back so it's back to business. The day that I got back in Guyana, I got a call from one of my Aunts who teaches at Grove Primary. She says that Pat and I are being moved to the new school in Diamond, which was ...

... gemonteerd trekt de stalen flens keurig een beetje een eivorm in de schijf. Dit hebben we opgelost door de schijf uit te draaien zodat deze alleen nog maar als vulring fungeert. Nu draait de as niet alleen veel stiller, de slingering is ook terug gebracht tot 0,1mm. Laarwijk Aan de overkant van de rivier ligt de plantage Laarwijk. Je kunt er heerlijk wandelen en het geeft een hoog tuinhuisjes gevoel. De mensen hebben grote stukken grond en leven met een generator en accu´s ...

... the next two years of my life be as exciting and enlightening as I imagined? Would I be able to help a community like I wanted? Would this be the adventure I looked forward to for so long? The answer to these questions is, well, kind of. I remember looking through those brochures in the high school guidance office, looking at the map of where volunteers currently served, eighty or so countries, and imagining what the experience would be like in, say, Romania, or Vanuatu ...

... coffee and the Globe and Mail. Well, maybe not, I have a 1 year old to get to know again. I am looking forward to: - warm hugs and wet kisses from my grandgirls, catching up with my girls, long lunches with friends, my bed and being chilly enough to snuggle in the duvet, a bathtub, my car that I can hop into and go where I want when I want, newspapers I can read, the film society, big soft snowflakes and crisp sunny days with snow covered trees. Just being home. See you soon.

... and heat yesterday, but as I write I find myself wondering if the emotional confusion of Suriname's vibrant and optomistic celebrations against the reality of their shadows is contributing to this energy drain. I've also been wondering about the ways this experience is affecting me and what I will take away from it. The world has many Suriname's and it is a humbling experience to connect with people whose lives are lived in this reality of hope and despair.

... who is the Canadian Consul, was serving the ice cream and he insisted that the ice wouldn't help. Needless to say, the ice cream melted fast in the tropic evening but fortunately the sales were brisk and the ice cream went fast, although the last scoops from the tub were pretty messy. Also, his driver had to make 3 trips to his freezer to get more tubs. We served the cones with a napkin with a maple leaf and topped them with a little Canadian flag. So cute! It was a ...