I’ve been in Paramaribo for three weeks now, and though I can hardly claim I know the city, here are some random impressions from my time here.
Paramaribo, the capital and only large city of Suriname, has around a quarter million inhabitants, about the same as my hometown of Ghent. An equal amount of people is spread out across the rest of the country, so a bit more than half a million in total for a country five times the size of Belgium. The population is a truly kaleidoscopic mix of immigrants: Creoles of African descent; Hindustani’s from India; Maroons or Marrons in Dutch, the descendants of escaped African slaves; Javanese of Indonesian descent; several generations of Chinese migrants, Libanese, Dutch, and more. The indigenous folk are a very small minority here. This heterogenous lineage is apparent throughout the city, with mosques, synagogues, catholic churches and Hindu temples all within a stone’s throw. Most people speak Dutch – with varying degrees of comprehensibility however – although you hear lots of Sranan Tongo, an English-based Creole language, and Chinese as well.
This mixed bag of ethnicities is clearly reflected in the culinary offerings as well. I’ve been tasting bara, roti, bojo, cassave soup, bami and other delectable dishes. There’s lots of takeaway food restaurants, and vegetarians usually don’t have a hard time here. And they sure love spicy food! You’re often asked if you want “peper” with your dish, which are chopped hot peppers, but usually it’s strong enough without.
They say you can’t walk a 100 meters in Paramaribo without running into a Chinese supermarket, and from what I can gauge that’s not an exaggeration. They are everywhere! They sell a lot of Chinese products too, although Dutch peanut butter lovers are amply served. I was a little disappointed by the limited range of fruits and vegetables though. Sure, you can easily find melons, mangos and plantains at the roadside stands, but I expected a little more from a tropical country. One of the reasons is that agricultural food production is fairly limited in Suriname – there’s not that much farming and the best produce is exported.
Getting around in Paramaribo is a bit of a challenge. Outside the small center there are very few high-rise apartments – most people live in single-family detached homes. Because of this residential approach, the distances are substantial. Combine that with the brutal sun and tropical downpours, and you might understand why most people prefer cars. There are plenty of diesel-guzzling buses too, but they don’t have regular schedules or even established routes. As a result the traffic is a hot mess. There are few traffic lights, and in case of doubt the one who honks most gets the priority. Bike lanes don’t exist, potholes are everywhere and sidewalks are often utterly neglected or lined edge to edge by (double-)parked cars. Don’t expect anyone to halt when you’re waiting by a crosswalk. I’ve encountered plenty of near-misses and cutoffs both on foot and riding my rental bike through the gas fumes. On the old colonial waterfront you can find a handful of calm and quiet spots though, with beautiful protected wooden buildings inspired by the Louisiana architecture style.
In my final days here – I’m leaving Tuesday – I’m planning a trip to Brownsberg, a typical tourist destination if you want to see the nature of inland Suriname. We’re outside the usual tourist season so my options are limited, but it should work out. And I’m putting the final touches on the functionality of the GHFS app. It won’t be finished when I leave here – there’s some technical issues I’ll need to sort out with some assistance at home – but it should be 95% done.
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