Suriname > City walk through Paramaribo

Suriname - The St. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Paramaribo is the largest wooden building in South America

We have breakfast at eight o’clock. Today we start day one of the official program. The guide for the city walk, Jacqueline, comes to pick us up at quarter to nine. We drive to the city center in a small van. We get out at 't Vat. Jacqueline leads us on a roughly three-hour walk through the center of Paramaribo, telling us along the way about the history of Suriname and the city itself. From the Palmentuin, we walk past Fort Zeelandia towards Independence Square. Through charming streets with white-painted wooden houses, we reach the Paulus and Petrus Cathedral. Jacqueline explains that the cathedral needs eight million to be fully restored, but there is currently no funding available. Along the shopping streets, we pass both the synagogue and the mosque. It is remarkable that these two buildings stand right next to each other in the city. Through the bazaar, we eventually arrive at the waterfront. Here we are offered a drink and a snack, marking the end of the tour. We decide to stay in the center rather than taking the van back. Next to Fort Zeelandia, we have a drink at a terrace and plan our route. Along the shopping streets, we visit a few malls—shopping centers with multiple stores under one roof. After some searching, Jan finds an inflatable pillow at Blokker.

Suriname - The Waterfront, Paramaribo’s boulevard

The sunscreen I was looking for proves harder to find, at least a recognizable brand. We ask in several stores but without success. By now it is three o’clock, and for lunch we have a hamburger at the only McDonald’s in Suriname. Outside, we take a taxi to the Maitraite shopping center, just behind our hotel. Here we buy supplies for the jungle trip, but still cannot find proper sunscreen. As a last attempt, we visit Chengs supermarket, where, to our own surprise, we finally find Nivea sunscreen with factor thirty. Back at the hotel terrace, we meet the other Sawadee group. They have just returned from their jungle trip and are full of stories. We receive many tips from them, and it is clear they are very enthusiastic about the trip, which is encouraging. In the evening, we eat at a terrace near Nieuw Amsterdam on the Suriname River. After dinner, we stay for a few beers until the place closes at quarter to eleven. We take a taxi back to the hotel.