We had a wonderful time in beautiful Suriname. We were very impressed with the friendliness and helpfulness of the people. The city tour in Paramaribo was very interesting and we spent a lot of time at Fort Zeelandia and the Basilica of Wood.

Then we set sail for Bigi Pan, an amazing resort. We especially had a lot of fun here and enjoyed the beautiful flamingos. At this place we spotted several birds and the evening trip looking for caimans and snakes, which we actually found, was also worthwhile.

Our next destination, Upper Suriname, was exactly what we wanted; into the wilderness. We took endless hikes through the jungle while being instructed on how to survive. We saw many species of birds. Then we climbed the Pineapple Mountain. At a slow pace admittedly, but we succeeded. The trophy was the wild pineapple...... how delicious it is and so sweet. After this we visited small villages across Kumalu and took a nice walk. The stories about the cultures and traditions were so interesting.

Then back to the hotel with our dirty clothes. And then on to the bike store to pick up the two electric bikes. They only have two as well. One bike had been broken since Wednesday. So another plan was drawn and over a cup of coffee it was decided that we would be brought but that we would still visit Fort Nieuw Amsterdam and the dilapidated sugar factory. That was quite something else. We enjoyed Justin's company and he had endless patience. He took us as far as the boat to Frederiksoord. In the evening the bikes were brought. Wim went for a walk and saw a raccoon emptying the garbage cans. All in all, what a service. The next day we cycled to Rust en Zoet. Going there went fine but coming back the battery broke down again. We took the batteries out and filled them (it wasn't really necessary) but they were both full. We went to check it out and one battery was still not working. Called Justin and he was then there at 11 to help us. Finally the bikes and ours and ourselves all went back in the van. The battery was probably broken. In retrospect, we didn't mind this. The roads are not really designed for cyclists. And so back to the hotel with dirty (sweaty) clothes.

A night's sleep and then we boarded a Cessna for a flight of about one hour to Kalabelo. So beautiful and so well taken care of all. Walking every day and then relaxing or swimming in the pool. After four days we went back to Paramaribo. It was all over again. We enjoyed it despite the heat and also the high humidity. We were in the small rainy season and therefore had quite a few showers but fortunately always had our ponchos handy.

Our overall impression; what a beautiful country.

Best regards and thanks for arranging this trip for us.

Henny and Wim