A nice cuppa

In this time of globalisation one often wonders what cultural elements define oneself. Being half Dutch, half English you ask yourself which habits come from which culture. One blatantly obvious habit is the drinking above average amounts of very strong tea. The tea pot is rarely empty in my house so a regular supply of new tea bags has to imported from Blighty. The Dutch usually drink their tea very weak, but in our family we like it pitch black...but only if it is English tea! I am the black sheep in the family, as it were, as I drink my tea without milk. I guess that is my Dutch half taking the upper hand...

Going home after a successful trip

Our trip to Suriname exceeded expectations. Our client has signed a financing agreement with our banking partner, we have spoken with several new clients and we have built up a better personal relationship with the bank. We hope to have laid the foundation for good things to come.

The river at night

The trip back from Jodensavanne to Paramaribo took longer than expected. As the sun sets, the jungle winds down and becomes quiet. A full moon lights up the river and provides a fantastic night time view.

Suriname's Jewish beginning

The first colonists of Suriname were sephardic Jews who came from other English and Dutch colonies. For reasons unknown they chose to settle more than 50 kilometres from the current capital Paramaribo in a seemingly inhospitable location that is now called the Jodensavanne (Jew's savanna). For over 200 years there was a thriving Jewish community in what was for all intents and purposes the capital of Suriname.

Not much is left of this tropical kehillah. The only stone building was the synagogue, set on the highest point of the settlement and modelled after the Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam. The gravestones, too, have survived the pasing of time and one can still read the Dutch, Spanish and Hebrew inscriptions.

Down river

In all my time in Suriname I have never made a river trip. This time I was lucky as our client rented a boat for a day trip up the river that gives the country its name. We left at 8 in the morning and gently flowed past the outer limits of Paramaribo, luxury riverside villas and oil & bauxite refineries on our way to the plantations of old.

Got fish?

Suriname is synonymous with food, good food. In a country with many rivers and a long coast line there is an abundance of fish. After a relaxing day at Cola Kreek we head to White Beach for some delicious sweet & sour fish, prepared by the always smiling chef Tony.

Cola Kreek

Suriname is 80% virgin rain forest and most of the populations lives in the coastal region. To escape the city many Surinamese go into the countryside for some relaxation. Within an hours of Paramaribo there are several small resorts, usually situated on the bank of a river or creek. One of the most well known is Cola Kreek, so named because of the black water. The water actually looks like The Real Thing, which is caused by leaves decomposing. The water has a high concentration of minerals and many people believe it has healing properties. For our banker guests and ourselves Cola Kreek was an ideal place to relax after a couple of busy days.

Old school advertising

The bombardment of consumers with advertising hasn't reached western levels in Suriname. Oftentimes advertisements are not very sophisticated and in our eyes slightly amateurish. On the other hand, there is also a lot of skill in the tropics. Many buildings, especially shops, have hand painted advertisements on their walls. The main products are mobile phone companies and beverages such as the local mineral water Para Springs. Many of these paintings are barely distinguishable from posters or photographs.

Mobile office

Our hotel claims to offer internet access in all rooms, but for some reason my laptop is unable to get on the cyber highway. Fortunately, the hotel we stayed in during our last visit has not changed the login code for their wifi network. The InCar mobile office is therefor quickly set up to get some work done!

The packing has begun anew

This weekend I am off to Suriname again, so bags have to be packed. One of our clients is being presented with a financing proposal by our banking friends on what will be their first visit to Suriname. Our friends are eager to finance more projects in Suriname, so we will also schedule a couple of meetings with prospects we have lined up. It will be quite exciting for us as this will be the biggest deal we have brokered so far and it could be the start of more good things to come. In any case, our friends will get a thorough tour of Paramaribo, the surroundings and the nightlife as well as a short eco tour by boat. I think they will get a good idea of the potential of the country and will go back home very enthused!

The start of better days

Spring hasn't started well this year. It has been cold, wet and grey since the season changed. Today was an exception and hopefully the start of better days. The sky was blue and the sun gently warmed my apartment during the day. My downstairs neighbour Inge called me on her way back from Limburg to ask if I would like to join Daisy and her for a quick visit to the coast to enjoy the nice weather and watch the sun go down. An invitation I couldn't turn down!