One of my post-retirement projects and objectives is to update my personal and family website at www.llorente.com which I’ve maintained for 25 years, but have not really updated since my marital separation and subsequent divorce 13 years ago. A couple of weeks ago I started the process of reconstructing the site which involves learning how to use WordPress. Anyway, the new site includes a page for my travel blogs since many of my friends and family simply “do not do social media” and don’t see my Facebook postings. This is my first blog posting to updated site. Hope you all take a look at www.llorente.com.
Suriname (formerly Dutch Guiana) is the 118th country I’ve visited, and the last nation I needed to visit in the continent of South America in my “bucket list” quest to visit all 195 United Nations member countries. I arrived last night from Miami. Like Guyana, the airport is relatively far from the city and it took over a hour to get to Paramaribo.
The driver that picked me up was a young kid who probably didn’t realize that telling me that he got his driver’s license three years ago was not all that comforting. He had trained to be a heavy equipment operator but could only find part time work, so he’d been working for the airport transfers company for three weeks. I was the first American he’d met, but he’d met two other foreigners. He wanted to talk a lot to practice his English, but it was a very long trip well in excess of my ability and desire to make small talk.
The apartment I had rented was a bit disconcerting since it resembled a prison complex with an outside wall lined with spiral barbed wire on top and in the inside, the door to the apartment is accessed through a double lock patio cage. I have 4 different keys for locks to get in and out of my place. I had read that Paramaribo has a very high crime rate, especially property crimes, and certain areas are to be avoided at night, but the apartment I booked was supposedly in one of the safest areas. The owner tried to reassure me and repeated that fact, but kept on saying that Paramaribo is not the same as it once was and better to be safe than sorry, thus all the obvious security.
This morning I walked to the town center. It was hot and humid, and the sun was unrelenting. I forgot to bring sunblock and could not find any in the markets. Along the way I stopped at virtually all the places listed on various Paramaribo “top ten” lists I found on the web. Actually, most lists come short of ten attractions. Honestly, outside the few somewhat appealing examples dutch colonial architecture, there is little of tourist interest here. Also, the city simply does not cater to tourists or foreign travelers. International bank and credit cards are not accepted and its virtually impossible to find taxis or other transport.
Tomorrow, Im going to French Guyana on a day trip, then I have two more full days here and have no idea what I am going to do. I could take a helicopter tour into the interior forests, but such trips are very expensive, hard to book on short notice, and the described destinations lack a ‘wow” factor. I understand that Suriname is attractive to eco-tourists looking for more pristine destinations, and I’m certain the interior of the country offers some of that. However, I don’t really fall into the eco-tourist category.
