by Wendy Innes
“8 miles past the bridge” was about the extent of our knowledge of where we were going as we ventured up the Suriname River. How do you find yourself about to explore a country you know nothing about nor have even ever heard anything about? You simply sail there.
Do you know where Suriname is? I’ll be honest in saying that before this trip, despite studying the world map on numerous occasions, I’m not sure I could have told you. To me it was some exotic place – somewhere out there. But it isn’t just somewhere and it isn’t just out there. It’s a beautiful country on the northern coast of South America, nestled between French Guiana and Guyana. It was the country the Dutch traded for New York and was known as Dutch Guiana until its independence in 1975.
We were about to turn in our salty dog ways to became river rats for a few days. After 3 or 4 hours of motoring up the shallow, muddy waters we finally passed under the bridge of Paramaribo (the capital of Suriname) and after another 8 miles, just as the smoky Surinamese sun was setting, we found a few boats moored on the side of the river. A few waves and warnings about “floating islands” (large masses of reeds and grasses cleared from river ways and irrigations channels that can be up to 4 meters deep and will easily rip out your mooring) and we had arrived. Welcome to Domburg.
With a history as an agricultural colony, Domburg was the place where slaves were unloaded from Africa to work the plantations and later, after slavery was forbidden, workers were brought from China, India and Indonesia. It is now a little cluster of restaurants, Chinese grocers, market stands, a barber shop and soccer field. It’s a place where people gather in the afternoons until well after dark simply to hang out and chat in Dutch or Sranan Tongo, the local language.
Suriname is a place where cultures mix. Its deep rooted history is easy to see with place names like Domburg, Domineestraat, Calcutta, Bombay, the many Chinese grocery stores or in the faces of the Surinamese. And while it may not have always been a peaceful place, the mix of cultures and religions is something the people here are really proud of. It is a place where a mosque sits right next to the synagogue. And it is a place of exceptionally generous and friendly people.
Meet Sophia and Ed. A lively, spirited and kind-eyed Dutch couple who sailed into Domburg 3 years ago, liked it, and stayed. In the last couple of years they have created something extraordinary – a floating island made of 100 000 plastic pop bottles. This feat took the involvement of the entire community collecting bottles, which I think is the part that makes Sophia and Ed so proud. They love to inspire others. Sophia told us about how pleased she was when a local woman told her she didn’t bring her bottles for the island one week because she had found a great use for them in her garden.
Their island oasis is something to be experienced. It is now a lush spot to sit, sip coffee and watch the sloth in a nearby tree while the grass gently rolls beneath your feet. You have to look hard to even see a pop bottle. The garden overflows with the scent of huge basil bushes and lemongrass and a self-seeded, loaded papaya tree hints at good things to come. It is truly amazing. When asked how long they will stay Sophia answers, “as long as we are still learning”. This is a couple who have definitely figured out a few things in life.
And whether it’s a couple like Sophia and Ed or the man who stopped painting his boat to come across the road and give us a huge bunch of lychee fruit it’s the people you meet that really make a place and expand your mind. For me, Suriname is no longer a black hole of unknown – it’s a real place with many, many smiling faces.