Suriname: Day 3

After finishing my work project, my colleagues took me for a drive into the “bush” aka rainforest. Suriname is 90% rainforest, so this didn’t take long.

The first stop was my colleagues showing me an example of a pond and the living conditions of people in the area.

The next stop was a sign signifying the Brokopondo reservoir.

The reservoir was creating as a result of the Afobaka Dam construction by Alcoa. There is lingering resentment among locals due to a century of pollution and responsibility of cleanup after Alcoa’s departure in 2019. The creation of the dam itself flooded several villages leading to forced relocation of residents.

Afobaka Dam

From here, it was on to a maroon village (more on that later). But on the way, had to take a few snaps.

The maroons are the descendants of slaves who were trafficked into Suriname. These slaves actually escaped into the countryside during the time of slavery and have stayed ever since. Unfortunately, they still live a spartan existence.

Maroon village

From here it was on to the well-known Bergendal resort. This is a resort of lodges that attracts visitors from the Netherlands (the only foreign tourists I saw my entire trip).

Bergendal Resort

It is located on the Suriname river. What a wonderful place to just sit.

Next was something I had never seen in my life, a broken bridge. The story is that a ship damaged the bridge during construction, and it was simply left that way.

Broken bridge

As dusk approached, I simply stood in awe of the panorama.  

This was the end of my trip. A journey that I will never forget, and if lucky a place I will get to visit again one day.