One excursion was to New Amsterdam (just as an aside, present day Manhattan was New Amsterdam until the British captured it from the Dutch) at the confluence of the Suriname and Commewijne rivers (1st a map, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th below). Originally established as a fort to protect the plantations, today the name is much grander than the place. I could hardly discern a village there (5th below).
Another excursion was to the Peperpot Nature Reserve, a plantation turned into secondary forest, with a few long sandy walking trails and a 4-story observation tower. While we saw several species of monkeys, probably hundreds of individuals, we didn't manage to spot any sloths. There were also birds and lizards. Having just come from Panama, I was not too impressed. However, I realized that the old plantations have not been completely abandoned. There must be some logging, grazing, and farming, otherwise the entire Commewijne district would be secondary forest like Peperpot Reserve.
The most memorable part of our Suriname visit was us getting hit by a scooter. We stepped into a crosswalk near our Airbnb. A scooter hit John on his right side, knocking me flat on the ground, the back of my head hitting the pavement. By the time I got up, John was on his knees sprouting blood like a leaky faucet from his right temple. Both of us were soon able to talk and to stand up.
The police came, looked at IDs, and took phone numbers. It looked like the scooter was being impounded into a large box truck, while we were loaded into the back of the police car for a trip to the hospital. At the hospital emergency room they cleaned John up, checked for other injuries, and gave him a couple of stitches. Not too high a price to pay for the lesson - we must be more vigilant when crossing the street.
1 comment:
Hope you heal quickly, John!
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