Two weeks in Parimaribo, Suriname

A June 2004 trip to Paramaribo by Wyetookay

Quote: A group of us went to work with a church in the capital city of Suriname. We made many friends and got a good feel for the culture.

Two weeks in Parimaribo, Suriname

Overview

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Eating "rotie" (curry) late at night. Wandering around the central market and shops. Long, bumpy bus rides to villages along the East/West highway. The Air Co. in our hotel, and our gracious host there.

Quick Tips:

If you travel Dutch Caribbean Airlines to get there, expect flight and luggage delays. Most people understand English, but knowing a few phrases in Dutch and Sranen Tongo is nice.

Best Way To Get Around:

Definitely taxis, but negotiate your price first.

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Hotel Mercurius

Hotel

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If you are on a budget, and don't mind being a 5 minute taxi (5 SG) ride from the city center, then this hotel is a good choice.

It changed owners at the end of December 2003, and the new owner has put a lot of money into renovations. The rooms are clean and air-conditioned and have simple furnishings. Good, reliable air-conditioning! Each room has a private toilet, sink, and shower (cold only), as well as a sitting area and TV. No view at all from the rooms. Good security. Laundry service (small fee). Breakfast (with a local flavour) is provided. Other meals are at additonal cost. Apparently he will be hiring a five-star chef in the near future.

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on July 14, 2004

Hotel Mercurius
Mercuriusstraat 51-53
Paramaribo, Suriname
(597) 456635

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Parimaribo Zoo

Attraction

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Don't go. The zoo needs help. The place is falling apart due to lack of funds. A lot of cages are empty. The ones with animals are in bad condition. Some of the animals look like they are in poor health.

Member Rating 1 out of 5 on July 14, 2004

Parimaribo Zoo
Sawarienotolaan
Paramaribo, Suriname

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Readytex

Attraction

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website: www.readytexartgallery.com

This is the place for all your "one-stop" tourist shopping needs, especially if you are in a hurry, and don't have time to wander around the center-city shops.

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on July 14, 2004

Readytex
Maagdenstraat 44-48
Paramaribo, Suriname

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Day 1 - Getting there

Story/Tip

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It is almost noon, but it feels like early morning to me. Yesterday we travelled for 24 hours - 4 flights, with layovers in between. We found out in Miami that our next leg was overbooked and 3 of us (6 in our group) had no seats! Somehow they then got put into first class. That was a miracle! More delays in Curacao, then finally, our last leg to Parimaribo. We landed at 1:00 AM and guess what?!? Some of our luggage was missing! We had to stand in a line with a third of the people from the plane to register it missing. Then all 6 of us, our luggage, and 2 locals squeeze into our friends van. An hour and a half later we arrived at our hotel. A shower, Air Co., and a bed...Read More

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Day 2 - Settling in

Story/Tip

Quote:

This morning our friends took us into the city center to see about our missing bags. The Dutch Carribean Arilines office had moved, so we had to drive around looking for it.

Once found, they gave us $25.00 US per missing bag and said that they would probably arrive the next day.

We toured around a bit more and grabbed some lunch at KFC. I was really starting to flag in the afternoon due to the heat and humidity as well as lack of sleep from the day before.

Some interesting observations: Hindu families had flags in their yards. The grocery stores had Chineese names. The roads are all in amazingly bad shape.