Republiek

The people of Paramaribo love the outdoors. Whenever they get the chance, they leave the city and head to the woods or rivers. After our outing to New Amsterdam we joined Satish and his family for an afternoon in Republiek, a 45 minute drive from the city. In a swamp area several plots of land have been developed alongside an artificial creek. People have built holiday homes on the banks of the creek and come there to swim, fish and generally laze about.

New Amsterdam

Perhaps the Dutch had visions of a new Manhattan when they started New Amsterdam, just across from Paramaribo. Initially established to protect the Dutch colony from the English, it was quickly turned into a sugar plantation. Despite the name, it never became a large settlement like its North American namesake.

The flow of concrete

Our partner is extending the building that houses not only the Paramaribo InCar office but also the roti shop Moti Mahal (great food!!). Once everything is completed Moti Mahal will be turned into a larger restaurant, a wine store will be added and new offices will be built. Before the end of the year everything should be completed.

Suriname birthday party

One of the daughters of Satish, our partner in Suriname had her birthday party. All her friends were invited, as well as family members and friends of the family. Besides balloons, music and cake a Suriname party requires lots of food! No one goes hungry in this country it seems!!

Allergy: Day 10

Since yesterday all the outward signs of my allergy have disappeared. No more swollen hands & face, no rash and terrible itchiness. I even seem to have slimmed down a bit (of course not eating very much this last week helps in that regard too ;-)) I still have one more day of meds to go and hopefully that will be that.

Yom Kippur

Suriname has a long and varied Jewish history. Many of the first plantations that were established during Dutch colonial times were done so by Jewish entrepreneurs, many of whom came to Suriname from Brazil after the Dutch were kicked out there. Whilst the Jewish population now is very small, there are still many signs of their former influence, such as the Synagogue in central Paramaribo, the many former plantations and the area known as the Jodensavanne. One should also not be surprised to find people of various shades with Jewish ancestors or Jewish names. In fact, one of black guys working here has a good Ashkenazi name!

The beautiful Synagogue above will not be filled to the brim for the High Holy Days as many a shul will be around the world, in fact it is often hard to get together enough men for a minyan on a Friday and there is no full time Rabbi to lead the congregation. Nevertheless, even in this part of the world a day's fasting and atonement will be done in the age old tradition, albeit in a more relaxed Caribbean way....

Allergy: Day 5

After seeming to get better the allergy came back with a vengeance....swollen face, arms and hands covered in itchy lumps. So, off to the doctor who prescribed me more powerful medication: Prednisolon. Seven days, six tablets per day. One advantage though, meds in Suriname are dirt cheap. it only cost me SRD 15, around 4 euros. Long life bulk generics from India!

BillDirect

The second part of our Suriname trip started today with a meeting with the guys from BillDirect, the Barbados based billing solutions company. Together with Surpost, the national postal company, we have teamed up to provide convenient billing to Surinamis. The official launch should be in a couple of weeks and most utility companies should be on board.

Allergy

To my surprise during the weekend my hands have swollen up and red, itchy lumps appeared all over my body. The question is: what did I eat that caused this? Or was I stung by some strange tropical insect with a taste for a pasty white Anglo-Dutchman?? Anyway, the doctor has given me a shot to reduce the itching as well as some anti-histamines to take care of the allergic reaction. Let's hope it doesn't come back!

Indo Fair

Suriname is the only country in South America and the Caribbean that has a large Javanese population. The origins lie in contract labour in Suriname after the end of slavery. Initially Indian labourers were brought to the Caribbean but after the British stopped this practise the Dutch brought people from their colony Dutch Indies, the future Indonesia. The Javanese now constitute around 15% of the Suriname population.

The past week the 7th Indo Fair was held to promote Indonesian products.

Four seasons in one day

Suriname has four seasons: a large & small dry season and a large & small wet season. The current season is the small dry season. Despite the name, this does not mean that there is no rain. At the end of the day, just before we planned to leave the office the rains came pouring down....

The wooden city

The traditional building material in Suriname is wood. Many of the colonial style buildings are made of tropical hard wood that is usually painted white. The centre of town has been a Unesco Heritage Site for some years now and is slowly being restored to its former glory. Outside the centre old school private residences are it worse condition....hopefully that wil change as Suriname's economy grows...it would be a shame if these historical buildings perish.

Ramadan

Like co-religionists around the world, the Suriname muslims have started the holy month of Ramadan. The muslims here can be devided into two groups: those of Indian origin and those of Javanese origin. Unlike other parts of the world, and even the rest of the Caribbean, religious fanaticism seems to have passed this part of South America by. No Al Qaida supporters here. Also, many mosques allow men and women to pray together...another sign of the easy going nature of the Surinamis.

Dude, where's my car???

As Dutchmen we are pampered by the public transport system with its comfortable trams, busses and trains. Not so in Suriname. Although there is a privatised bus sector with small Japanese vans shuttling people around town and into the hinterland, there is no easy route from my Suri home to the office. So as part of our package we requested a car...it turned out to be a Chevvy!

God save the Queen

For those not in the know, Suriname used to be a Dutch colony until 1975. Until that time it a constituent part of the Kingdom and as such the House of Orange was well represented in street names, parks and official holidays such as Queen's Day.

After Independence many names were changed. The erstwhile Oranjeplein (Orange Square) is now Independence Square and the 30th of April (Queen's Day) is no longer a national holiday. Unlike some countries the Surinami did not tear down all the Dutch statues or try to erase the colonial past. Instead, the former heads of state we given a quiet pension in the shadow near the Suriname River. A good example is Queen Wilhelmina, whilst slightly defaced, was placed in a corner of Fort Zeelandia and now looks out into the interior of Suriname.

The first roti tastes the sweetest

After Korean and Javanese food the last two days it was time for an original Moti Mahal roti, Surinamese style with an Indian twist. Standard lunch fare during my previous Suriname trips but unfortunately we were too busy these past days. But after this delicious tandoori chicken roti I have truely arrived!

Step into my office

This house made largely out of steel (frame and plating & roofing) will be my office for the next few months. It is located on the outskirts of Paramaribo, about 5 minutes drive from where we are living. The idea is that the house will become a sales office and showcase for the building system. Luckily it has a good AC and slightly tinted windows to keep the Surinami heat out!

Old school arrival

Suriname is a small country so no big airport with western facilities. Disembarkment is old school: down the stairs and walk to the terminal.

Family reunion

As luck would have it my sister Rebekka and my nephew Boaz arrived at Schiphol the morning of my departure. As I hadn't seen them for a month (they were in Chile on holiday) it was nice to have a little family reunion and a good cup of tea!

The time is nigh...

In true last minute style a visa was picked up less than 24 hours before leaving at the slightly shabby consulate in Amstelveen.