March 28, Wednesday – my birthday in Paramaribo and Bergendal
We were up very early, before dawn, to take a quick walk to the central market. We love local markets! The people are so diverse and their daily life is so different from ours. Fish, vegetables, meat, chicken, flowers, household items, pharmacy…you never know what you will find. My 1st birthday present today was some smoked catfish!! We could not resist as it looked so delicious and we’ve never had it smoked before.
If you want to read more about the sugar trade and plantations in Suriname, download “The Cost of Sugar” by Cynthia McLeod. The Cost of Sugar is an intriguing history of those rabid times in Dutch Surinam between 1765-1779 when sugar was king. Told through the eyes of two Jewish step sisters, Eliza and Sarith, descendants of the settlers of 'New Jerusalem of the River' know today as Jodensvanne. The Cost of Sugar is a frank expose of the tragic toll on the lives of colonists and slaves alike.
Breakfast and packing for 10:00am departure to the Bergendal Eco & Cultural River Resort, the last plantation along the Suriname river. Forgot to mention they drive on the left! We stopped about 45 minutes outside of the city near a very large aluminum plant (ALCOA) and then continued driving straight to the resort. There are few roads outside the city so you really can’t get lost. Off the main road, the road leading to the resort is about 4 miles – all dirt, stones, holes, bumps, ruts….quite a ride in a 24 passenger van.
We were welcomed with a fruit punch cocktail and given a tour of the property. There are three categories of accommodations – A,B, C – depending on the size of the unit and where you want to be. The C units are very high in the treetops – steps and more steps to get to your room but the views from up there were incredible. Large patios so you can sit out at dusk, during the night, sunset and hear the monkeys and birds all around you. The rooms are basically the same – bedroom is air conditioned, beds have mosquito netting around them and there is a separate living area (in most rooms) with a sofa (convertible in some rooms); living room and bathroom are not air conditioned. Our room was #A1 – PERFECT for me – just a hop and skip to the infinity pool at the river’s edge!! Wow. I loved it. I went in two times today already! We are in a level room with direct view to the Suriname River through some beautiful trees.
The resort is beginning a butterfly farm – we saw beautiful blue and orange ones floating around. All the meals are buffet in the open air Kiskadee restaurant and they have fresh fruit juices and water available all day.
We rested and unpacked and swam and then enjoyed a ride on a longboat (now motorized) up river to the transmigration village, Nieuw Lombe. This means that in 1964 these people were forced to leave their homes due to the forced flooding of their village from the hydroelectric dam. Moses, one of our guides for the week, is a member of this village, and he showed us around. We visited the bakery where his uncle bakes the daily bread for the resort; met the Captain of the village (interesting that he is not called chief) and saw their garden patches outside of the village. The houses are built on short stilts but it is not because of flooding but because of insects and animals! All members of this village, for all generations, will receive monthly salaries from the government due to their displacement of their village. Wow. That’s an expensive obligation and I really wonder how that will work out.
It was a beautiful afternoon to walk around and we saw the small church and elementary school. Not every village has either of these. The high school is in the “city” – Paramaribo, the only city in the country. The boat ride on the river was so scenic. Trees tower over you and mangroves grow at the edge. The villagers have to park their cars (yes, they have cars) on the other side of the river and ferry over to their village in a longboat with all their purchases – food, refrigerators, lumber, school supplies, etc.
At my place at the dinner table they had placed many colorful balloons! The buffet dinner was served with tablecloths and real candles on each table. The sounds of the night were all around you. Lovely night.
Happy Birthday! Ija, yu mag fu meki op’opo nangga ba’bari bikasi a aimachtige gi yu ete wan libi yari…dan na wan – Hiep Hiep Hiep!!
