What's Suriname? Who's your daddy?

Thanksgiving weekend saw Queen Elizabeth II visiting Trinidad for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, which promised to have the city on total lockdown. It was her third visit as Queen, but it marked the first time she had ever slept on land here. Without sufficient hotel capacity for the conference, two cruise ships were docked at Port of Spain to make up the difference. We thought it was the perfect opportunity to hop a direct flight to Paramaribo, capital of Suriname.



Our friends Frank and Kim (we worked together in Jordan) are assigned to Suriname. They showed us around Paramaribo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its downtown full of well-preserved colonial Dutch architecture. (Suriname gained its independence in 1975). Here we are outside 17th-century Fort Zeelandia.



More of the Dutch colonial style. In addition to its striking architecture, the most surprising feature of Suriname is the abundance of exclusively Dutch visitors, thanks to a common language and a tradition of Peace Corps-style volunteerism. There are even direct flights from Amsterdam. Meanwhile, the country appears indifferent to attracting visitors from the U.S., who are required to get a visa in advance.



We were generously invited to Thanksgiving dinner at the Ambassador's residence on the river's edge. Dozens of Peace Corps volunteers were also in attendance, and they appeared especially excited to have a taste of American food, taking a much-welcome break from a steady diet of "all things cassava". Many of the volunteers took six-hour boat journeys down the river to be there.



We drove into the interior to visit the Brownsberg Nature Park, lured by the promise of monkey sightings. Unpaved sections of the road were so deeply rutted by water flow, the last 30 km of the journey took more than two hours.

This is the registration office for the guest lodges at the park. Behind me are jarred specimens of some of the wildlife.


Several of these large (cat-sized) rodents were brazenly feasting near the park's restaurant, apparently unconcerned about their proximity to humans.



And here he is. Our first wild monkey sighting! Three of these monkeys were playing in the trees near our guest house.