Happy Spring, fellow cadets! 2023 is only a quarter gone, and it has already been my most eventful travel year in a long time. Today, I will talk about my first big trip of 2023 this year. This year it was Suriname!
Why Suriname?
Many people asked why I picked Suriname to kick off my 2023 travels. Not much is known about this small Dutch-speaking country in South America. It’s expensive to get to. It’s one of the least populated countries in the world. The weather isn’t the best.
I could score standby flight tickets to Suriname in February, courtesy of my KLM friend. He can take several friends a year with him on KLM flights, where you only pay the taxes. So it cost 250 RT from Europe, although there was a significant hiccup getting back (I will explain later); the flights there are often limited and typically can run about 1000 from Europe on a good day, so if I was going to take advantage of these flights, I was going to pick somewhere where I can’t just find a 200-400 euro ticket to Bangkok or New York to use as a jumping point.
I also was overdue for a more offbeat destination. I had a full year of good travels in 2022, but none of the destinations was that new or different. As much as I love the Balkans, they are old news.
So why not Mongolia? Or Greenland?
Another factor was curiosity. As most of y’all know, I have Dutch background on my father’s side. My grandmother was born in Indonesia and spent most of her formative years there, including five years under Japanese occupation in the Second World War. I was always interested in learning about that. I visited in 2016, which piqued my interest in learning more about the parts of the world that the Dutch colonised.
Being Dutch- American, I grew up with a distorted image of the country. I didn’t like where I grew up and had a lot of bad feelings about the American South. My picture of the Netherlands was viewed as a utopia. I secretly resented my family for coming to the States after the war or my parents for not coming up with the idea to move abroad. Teenage leftist Heidi wanted to live in a free and open-minded society, not in the backward South. Most of the Netherlands I was exposed to in my youth was the fun of travels. When I got older, studied history, and spent more time there, I realised that not everything in Dutch society is rainbows and cannabis.
Alright, the Netherlands is still way ahead of the US and many countries in the world, for that matter. It has one of the best living standards and the happiest people in the world. But there are plenty of dark things in history that probably my Dutch ancestors had as heavy a hand in as my Southern ancestors.
However, I am intrigued by how society functions in former Dutch colonies and the legacy the Netherlands left behind. It’s not a happy part of Dutch history, but it is a part of history, nevertheless. If studying history makes you feel comfortable or proud, you are not doing it correctly.
Where is Suriname?
Suriname is located between Guyana and French Guyana. Some people in the past have called it Dutch Guyana. It’s the smallest independent country in South America. Rainforest covers 98.3 of the country, making it the most forested land in the world.
Suriname is also one of the most remote countries in the world. It has a population of a bit over 600,000 people. There are over 300,000 people in the Netherlands of Suriname descent. If you visit any larger Dutch city, you will find Surinamese restaurants. They are a saving grace in the Netherlands, as Surinamese cuisine offers some of the best food on this planet.
Why TF are you calling it Dutch Louisiana
I jokingly made lots of comparisons to my birth state Louisiana. I found a lot of parallels. Both places are very sticky and humid. I have not stepped in as many rain puddles or been attacked as much by mosquitos in as many other places in my life. There are problems with local corruption. When I was there, the parliament was stormed, resulting in a weekend lockdown in the capital. The people in both places have had some tough times and their historical traumas.
Many of these overlaps with the Creole culture in both places—the colonial buildings with the untamed vines and Spanish moss. There are many dots to be connected with both places’ colonial legacies and overall rustic nature. The locals are tough and very kind-hearted. There is an element of similar mentalities that I can’t quite put my finger on. Both areas boast some incredible food as well.
Who are the Surinamese?
While being a tiny country, Suriname has one of the most ethnically diverse. The Surinamese consist of Indians, Javanese, Indigenous, Arabs, Creoles, and Maroons. The Maroons were slaves that escaped from their owners or, better yet, capturers into the jungle. There are also stories of plantation owners trying to hide them in the forests to avoid paying higher bribes from pirates, and many didn’t return.
After slavery was banned in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Dutch hatched a scheme to get ” indentured workers” from India, China, Java and a few other places. There were a few middle eastern merchants that settled there as well.
Suriname became independent in 1975. Part of the deal for remaining Dutch subjects was that they had to move to the Netherlands, so many did that. That is part of the reason the Dutch football team became excellent in the 1970s and 1980s. Many of the top Dutch athletes have Surinamese roots, such as Ruud Gullit and Frank Riijkard. The current national team has many players with Surianmese backgrounds, and even the US team has a Dutch-Surianmese player as a starter.
Although I did learn by talking to many locals, they have mixed feelings towards the Netherlands. A lot of people have connections to the Netherlands. Many of them have family living there. Some of them moved back from the Netherlands after retirement. But there are quite a few with zero interest in going there. My guesthouse host told me that getting a tourist visa to the Netherlands is painful and a hassle. Many prefer to visit Brazil, the Caribbean or even the United States.
Of course, many have a lot of animosity towards the Netherlands, particularly with some Maroon and Creole communities. Many Indo and Javanese do not seem to have this animosity as their circumstances were not as bleak. Of course, I do not wish to speak for everyone.
The Netherlands still offers many exchange programs and aid, but the question lingers is whether they are doing enough.
Alright! That is enough history and social issues! What is there to do in Suriname?
Suriname has a lot of potential for tourism. It has a lot of lush nature. Recently the country found a lot of oil, so who knows what will happen to their infrastructure. The second part of this entry will have more of the tourism aspects. Setting up the background first was necessary because many people have a million questions about the place.
Interesting as always! Well written..