Georgetown, Guyana - Garden City of the Caribbean

February 11, 2014

Once called the Garden City of the Caribbean, Georgetown may not be in its heyday at the moment, but the capital of the former British colony still has some interesting sights and dynamic history to offer the visitor.  Kristina and I explored the city courtesy of a walking tour with Eugene Noel.  We didn't know what to expect with the tour, but Eugene provided a wealth of knowledge, giving context to so many of the dilapidated buildings and historic sites of the city.  Though he's 66, he seemed tireless and provided around 6 hours of commentary from political insight to food recommendations and everything in between.

Though most visitors don't visit Guyana just to see the capital city, we learned a lot about the city and country in general, and we really enjoyed the insider's look at the city.

(A walkway down one of the main streets in Georgetown.  With former Dutch and British heritage, this path was first a canal built by the Dutch and then a tram line built by the British but then halted back in the 1930s.)

(The house of the Prime Minister along the same street, not far from Tiger Bay, an area once thriving with industry and now a zone that most recommend you stay away from a night-time.)

(The Red House of Dr. Cheddi Jagan.  Dr. Jagan was aligned with some of the Communist/Socialist regimes of the 1960s, so the US government supposedly did their best to keep him out of power in Guyana for quite a while, though he eventually did become the leader of the country.  The house still contains his old office, gifts from other heads of state and some interesting facts about his life.)

(An Amerindian meeting place, a military truck and a statue of a hatching sea turtle that represents the large numbers of sea turtles that use Guyana's coastline for nesting.)

(Though it has a long coastline, most of the area is marshy or muddy, so there really aren't too many tropical beaches to speak of.  This is the Sea Wall on the edge of Georgetown.  The city is situated right at the mouth of the Demarara River, as it flows into the Atlantic.)

(Stabroek Market - named after the former name of the city while under Dutch rule.  As they did in Paramaribo, the Dutch built a canal system for the low lying city that is still in use today.)

(The Parliament Building - another of the stately buildings sitting side by side with other places in a much worse state.  The country gained independence from the British in 1965, and it seems that some of the architecture hasn't been as well kept since then.  The mix of restored and decaying buildings makes for an interesting setting, though.)

(Another government building just around the corner from the market.)

(The wooden buildings don't fare so well in the city that has had its share of fires, along with the humid air from the ocean and heavy rains during the wet season.)

(Old British influences are quite obvious in the central downtown area, though the accents are distinctly Caribbean.)

(St. George's Cathedral, one of the tallest wooden buildings in the world, sits in the center of town with cars and the occasional horse cart whizzing by.)

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Paramaribo, Suriname - Day 2 - More Good Food, Temples, Mosques and a bit of Marienburg

February 10, 2014

After a great first day in Paramaribo, we spent the second day exploring the central market, wandering the historical streets of the city and then heading out in the afternoon with a friendly taxi driver for a tour of Marienburg, a former sugar cane plantation area across the Suriname river and into the countryside.  Unfortunately, our taxi driver had a few car issues and had to return back to the city for an airport pick-up in the evening, so our tour was cut a little short, but we still had a great time getting to see just a glimpse of the area outside of the immediate city.

(The central market is full of fruits and vegetables, particularly chilis, mangoes, bitter melon, okra and much more.  The second story is mostly filled with clothing and bags, so it's not quite as interesting.)

(Roti, chicken and a sort of green bean combine for an excellent lunch at Roopram Rotishop.)

(A random mosque along the road in Commewijne, the region across the river from the capital city.)

(Another random, yet different, mosque just a mile down the road.)

(And not to be outdone, a Hindu temple just down the street from the two mosques above.  Our taxi driver's car was having issues, so we made a few quick stops in the area to let the car cool down.  I could've kicked the car a few times, but that's about the extent of my mechanical prowess.)

(The decaying sugar cane factory at Marienburg.  The factory was mostly run by Indonesian workers brought over in the late 1800s, but it ceased operations in 1975, and it seems like it hasn't really been touched since then.  A super friendly guard gave us a tour around the area, and he was actually one of the workers for the factory while it was in existence.  The scenic drive to the plantation was full of green fields, canals and a few small Indonesian neighborhoods.)

(On the way to Arya Dewaker temple, we found this other temple just one street away.  I don't know the name, so we'll refer to it as the Non-Arya Dewaker Temple for now.)

(This is Arya Dewaker Temple.  We originally were going to take a taxi here, but our driver had to head to the airport, so he dropped us at the crossroads, and we walked here, following a mix of our sense of the general direction (as seen when we crossed over the high river bridge) and a few directions from the friendly locals.)

(The ornate designs of the temple from below.)

(A close-up view of one of the sides of the temple.  I can't read Sanskrit, but I'll assume it says something religious.)

(Saoto soup.  This Indonesian classic has shredded chicken, an egg, spices, rice, hot sauce and a few other ingredients.  We visited Blauwgrond for dinner, a spot with a few small Indonesian restaurants strung along a couple of residential streets.  Our first few choices of recommended restaurants were closed, but AJ's Indo Food proved to be a good alternative.)

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Paramaribo, Suriname - Day 1 - Mixed Culture, Food, and Heritage

Feb 9, 2014

Most people would struggle to place Suriname on a map, often even placing it on the wrong continent.  This little gem, formerly Dutch Guiana, sits in the upper corner of South America, between Venezuela and Brazil and more specifically between its colonial brethren, Guyana and French Guiana.  The mix of culture, food, language and architecture makes for a very interesting city, reflecting influences from Dutch colonization, Indonesian workers, West African former slaves, Indian workers, Chinese laborers and many more.  The mix of races, religions and languages doesn't work for many cultures, but from the small glimpse that we saw, Paramaribo does a remarkable job in making it work.

Parbo, as it's called, pulls together influences from many different cultures, and it somehow seems so effortless.  Locals switch back and forth between 2 and 3 languages, mosques sit next to temples, synagogues and churches, streets are lined with Indian, Creole, Chinese and Javanese food, along with a McDonalds or fried chicken shop to round things out.

Wondering if we'd have any trouble getting by with English, our fears were immediately cast aside, as we encountered friendly, multi-lingual locals of all walks of life.  In fact, the pleasant people were some of the friendliest that we'd met in our travels and left quite an impression on us.  Paramaribo isn't often on the top of the list for most travellers, but the city quickly won us over and left us anxious to continue wandering around to see what else it had to offer.  We were also lucky to have a bit of clouds and a quick rain shower to cool things down, as it is hot and humid, sitting at sea level (or below) just a few degrees North of the Equator.

Suriname has also gained notoriety as being the area that the Dutch traded for in exchange for the UK acquiring some land in North America that eventually became New York.

(On Sundays, locals gather on Independence Square to face off in a bird chirping competition.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Wagers are placed and the birds face off in a chirping/singing competition.  Unfortunately, we missed the actual event, but we showed up just in time to see a few of the cages of small birds still set up in the plaza and being slowly loaded away for next week's match-up.)

(On the upper end of Independence Square, a statue and a clock tower...this big guy provides a nice bit of shade if you position yourself just right while standing behind him, so we became quick friends.  He's not much of a talker, but he's a great listener.)

(Saoena Market - a local Indonesian market full of fruits, vegetables and authentic dishes.  We sampled a few snacks and wandered the aisles.  Indonesians (mostly Javanese) make up a large portion of the population, hence the market.  I was excited to find someone selling one of my favorite dishes ever - rujak (a mix of sweet, sour, crunchy fruit and vegetable slices with a peanut or chili sauce topping), though I will admit that it wasn't the best version of it.)

(A typical street scene along Waterkant.  The inner city of Paramaribo is designated a Unesco World Heritage sight for it's mix of architecture and preserved history.)

(The famous shot of the mosque and synagogue sharing adjacent plots of land right in the center of Parbo.  While I'm sure it's not 100% perfect, the city seemed to find a way to blend so many different cultures, races and religions in a way that's not often seen these days.  The synagogue was built in 1723.)

(A close-up view of the mosque along Keizer Street.)

(Another fine example of classic architecture in the central downtown area.)

(St. Peter and Paul Cathedral - the biggest wooden structure in the Western Hemisphere.)

(More interesting architecture, just down the street from the cathedral.)

(Another street scene with the stately verandas and support columns.)

(What would a former Dutch colony be without bicycles?  The Dutch also added to their legacy by building a large series of canals to help drain the city, part of which sits below sea level...not unlike another Dutch city that starts with an A and ends with msterdam.)

(The Palm Gardens (Palmentuin) just behind the Presidential Palace.  This used to be a spot for the leader to enjoy, but it has since been opened up to the general public and riff-raff such as myself.)

(Fort Zealandia - one of the original forts built by the English to help defend its colony and later used by the Dutch.)

(Love may be a strong word after only one day, but I will say that Kristina and I both really liked what we saw of the city.  For those that don't know, SU stands for Suriname, and the heart is colored like the country's flag.)

(Random corner, random building with lots and lots of railing.)

(Independence Square at night.  We heard some music and wandered over to watch a great capoeira group practice nearby with some impressive kicks and flips.)

(Dinner.  We ate at a small food stall by the river and got a huge plate of food.  The top left is pom, a sort of meaty casserole, along with some veggies, beans, rice and more.  Our meals were all very tasty, owing to the mix of Creole, Indian, Indonesian and other food.)

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A Day at the Beach - Pigeon Point, Tobago (Trinidad & Tobago)

February 8, 2014

A great deal from Atlanta to Trinidad served as the impetus for our trip, so a one day stop in Trinidad was the first leg of our journey heading down to Trinidad & Tobago, Suriname and Guyana.  Opting for some relaxing beach time to start the journey, Kristina and I headed straight from the airport to Tobago and a quick taxi ride to Pigeon Point, one of the island's best beaches.  The trip almost started off badly with a camera left in the taxi, but fortunately we found the driver back at the airport, and the camera was untouched, waiting for us in the backseat.

The beach was spectacular, and a brief storm cooled things off a bit as we lounged in the sand and watched the people and kite surfers pass us by.  In the evening, we headed back to Port of Spain, Trinidad, again just seeing the airport and getting ready for our late-night flight down to Suriname.

(Doubles.  This is a classic Trinidadian food, and it was amazing.  We found a small stall just behind the airport and gorged ourselves on these for breakfast and dinner...and again for breakfast on the way home with another brief stopover there.  "Slight peppa?"  Yes, please!) 

(The beautiful beach at Pigeon Point, just about 10 minutes away from the airport by taxi.)

(The life guard stand and a scenic palm tree in the warm Caribbean sun.)

(At the far end of the beach, glass bottom boat tours wait their turn.  As an obvious tourist, many people tried to sell me this tour; however, we opted for lounging on the beach instead.  FYI - if anyone is looking for a tour, it's half the price for the same tour in the same locations if you catch the boat at Store Bay near the airport, and you could probably also have them drop you off at Pigeon Point pier afterwards to save on a taxi.)

(The ominous storm clouds.  A heavy rain passed through, but it dissipated as quickly as it came, and we were back out on the beach 15 minutes later.) 

(Our view laying under the palms.)

(Clear green water, white sand and blue skies are hard to beat.)

(At the far end of the beach, strong winds fuel lots of kite and wind surfers.)

(Bake and shark.  Not to be confused with bacon shark, which would be something totally different.  This is simply fried shark and some bread, along with some sauce that you can add to the meal.)

(Just around the corner from Pigeon Point.)

(The Pigeon Point pier, jutting out into the Caribbean, as piers tend to do.) 

(The main section of the beach, somewhat crowded, as it was a Saturday afternoon, though there was still plenty of room to find a nice spot in the sand.)

(We opted to walk back to the airport in the afternoon, enjoying the palm gardens along the road as we went.)

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