From Georgetown to Cayenne: My Overland Adventure

Georgetown

I walked a few blocks down the road to the botanical gardens. It was the perfect day for sightseeing: warm but not humid. The gardens were underwhelming, as there were no flowers to speak of, but the grounds were lovely, and I spoke to some interesting people. Everyone in Georgetown was friendly, smiling, and waving at me. Several people asked to take selfies with me. My camera battery was dying, and I was getting hungry, so I returned to my room.

I caught a cab and headed to Kingston, the northeast district of the city. The driver was a character. He told me about his three girlfriends and that he often skipped work to drink rum. He dropped me off at the lighthouse. I wanted to take a picture of the city from the top, but it was closed for renovations. I zigzagged south through residential neighborhoods, passing through the Promenade Gardens, St. George’s Cathedral, and the Strabroek Market. I was impressed by Georgetown.

After sightseeing, I went to the Oasis Café for 2 hours for a chicken sandwich with a chai latte. I found a good deal, and I booked a flight to Paramaribo. When I finished my meal, it was getting dark and the roads were empty. I had been advised not to stay out after dark, so I returned to my hotel.

Kaieteur Falls

I walked to a Chinese market near my hotel, searching for an umbrella. As I was about to give up, I spotted a raincoat hanging from the ceiling in an empty store. I asked the owner if she would retrieve the coat so I could try it on for size. She rudely replied, “Not unless you buy it.” Suddenly, I felt something hit my leg hard. She had whacked me with a wooden stick. I asked her if she had an umbrella, so she pointed to a shelf at the opposite end of the store and impatiently asked, “Are you going to buy one?” I did not care for her attitude, so I walked toward the door and felt the wooden stick against my ankles again. I returned to the hotel, packed my backpack, and left for the airport.

I waited an hour and a half to check in because I arrived too early. Eventually, the rest of the group showed up, and we passed immigration and security. We boarded a small Cessna plane, big enough for about 12 people, including the pilot. The trip to Kaieteur Falls was about 45 minutes and was one of the most beautiful flights I have ever taken. I could see the gorgeous canals of Georgetown and the lush green farmland below. The clouds were so bright. Eventually, Georgetown was no longer visible; only rainforest was visible in every direction.

We flew low and passed the waterfall twice to get some aerial photography. Our guide, Joshua, met us on the landing strip. The group was composed of Germans, Trinidadians, and Americans. He gave us a brief introduction, and we trekked off into the woods. As we walked through the woods, Joshua showed us lots of local plant life and birds and told us about the history of the waterfall. We got to look at the waterfall from three different overlook points. We hiked and took photos for an hour and a half.

After our adventure, we cooled off and ate some curry chicken wraps in the main lodge. As we relaxed, I chatted with the Americans and Trinidadians, who told me they were in Guyana visiting family. We said our goodbyes to our guides and flew back to Georgetown in our tiny plane.

On the ride home, my taxi driver told me about his time as a soldier in the Guyanese military. He was stationed in Lethem, near the Brazilian border. As part of military training, he and his fellow soldiers had to sleep in the trees, but violent baboon attacks made it impossible for them to sleep. He was astonished that I had visited the Stabroek Market because foreigners are frequently the targets of robberies there. He told me a story of a shirtless European man who ran to his taxi, banging on the window. The gentleman asked the driver if he could borrow a shirt. Thieves in the Stabroek Market had stolen everything from him, including some of his clothes. So, the driver found an empty rice bag on the ground, cut holes in the side, and gave it to him to wear.

Guyana/Suriname Border

My flight to Paramaribo got canceled, so after some planning, I decided to take a van. I spent the better part of the next day trying to contact transportation companies. Eventually, I found Paul & Adele’s Bus Service a few blocks from my hotel and purchased a ticket.
The following morning, I woke up at 2:30 AM, and the van picked me up at my hotel at 3:30. I was the first passenger, so I got the best seat with lots of legroom. The driver then drove around the suburbs for an hour to pick up seven other passengers from Guyana and Brazil. It was nearly 5:00 AM when we left. The ride from Georgetown to the ferry took about three hours. When we arrived at the ferry, I queued for about 20 to 25 minutes to have my documents checked and my passport stamped out of Guyana. The immigration officer was rather unpleasant.

All in all, the border crossing took over four hours. It was the longest border crossing I’ve ever experienced, but we were past it and on the road again to the capital. This time the car had fewer people but was somehow more crowded. After 3 1/2 hours, the driver dropped everyone off at their hotels. I dropped off my luggage in my room and found a Venezuelan restaurant five blocks away called ‘El Sabor de Lori.’ So, I set my GPS and walked down there. I ate an arepa with a cheese empanada. Everything was so delicious! On the way back, I walked around and admired the architecture in the neighborhood during golden hour. It was certainly more organized than Georgetown and different than I expected.

Paramaribo

Today was my first full day in Paramaribo. I left for the Central Market, which was located only 2 to 3 blocks from my hotel. At the Central Market, there were dozens of clothing, fruit, liquor, fish, and plant stands. I walked around for half an hour, just browsing and people-watching. I met some older gentlemen playing checkers. As I watched their game, an old lady tapped me on the shoulder, smiled, and told me, “Welcome to Suriname!” Everybody I encountered was so inviting and curious.

As I walked out the door, a man walked up to me, speaking excellent English. He was a musician going through hard times because of the horrible inflation in Suriname and asked me if I could buy him some food. I agreed, and he excitedly asked, “Could we go to McDonald’s?” So, I accompanied him to McDonald’s and bought him lunch.
After lunch, I needed a money exchange and asked a lady for directions. She offered to take me there, and we had a lovely conversation about her time living in the Netherlands.

I proceeded down the road along the river, past the Dutch colonial buildings. It was surprising to see the LGBT flag flying in downtown Paramaribo. On my way to have lunch, I went to the shore to look at the boats and briefly chatted with the boaters and fishermen. I found a restaurant near river and tried noodles with chicken and banana soup, traditional Surinamese dishes. It was one of the best meals I had during my whole trip.

I proceeded down the road along the river, past the Dutch colonial buildings. It was pleasantly surprising to see the LGBT flag flying in downtown Paramaribo. On my way to have lunch, I went to the shore to look at the boats and briefly chatted with the boaters and fishermen. I found a restaurant near the river and tried noodles with chicken and banana soup, traditional Surinamese dishes. It was one of the best meals I had during my whole trip.

Next to the restaurant was the Historic Center. I walked into a garden among the old buildings and started taking photos. Within a few minutes, two military men ran toward me, yelling. It turns out that I had walked onto the property of a governmental building. In my defense, there were no guards and no signs. The soldiers were unhappy and did not let me leave until I deleted all my photos. Fortunately, I managed to recover them. I finished my stroll through the city, taking pictures of the beautiful old homes, the mosque, the synagogue, and the cathedral. There was a boba shop next to my hotel, so I bought a large blueberry bubble tea. I was so dehydrated that it tasted amazing.

Fort Nieuw Amsterdam

For years, I had been curious about Surinamese plantations. So I booked a tour with Jenny Tours. The day began in Leonsberg in the north of Paramaribo. It is a gorgeous part of the city with expensive houses overlooking the river. While I waited on the dock for the tour guides to arrive, I made new friends, Jackie from the US and Neila from Trinidad. Jackie was here traveling to Guyana and up into Barbados on a cruise. Neila has been working here for the national oil company for several months. We were the only native English speakers on the tour, so we stuck together, chatted, and laughed the whole time. The rest of the group spoke Dutch. We crossed the river, visiting Fort Nieuw Amsterdam first. The open-air museum was full of cannons, old colonial buildings, sugarcane machinery, and even a prison.

Dolphin Watching

When we left the fort, we encountered a pod of river dolphins in the Commewijne River. We marveled at them from afar.

Rust En Werk

We stopped at the town of Rust en Werk for lunch at a Surinamese Javanese home. We had a spicy feast of chicken, noodles, fried rice, shaved coconut, and eggs.

Frederiksdorp

After some rest, we visited the restored Frederiksdorp plantation. It was a beautiful conglomeration of colonial buildings, streams, and ponds with lily pads. Some of the group went to the pool to swim and drink cocktails. I took a plantation tour with two Dutch girls and my new friend Neila from Trinidad.

As we rode back to Leonsberg, I chatted with the Dutch guys, one of whom planned to stay in Suriname for a year as part of his internship. We discussed Dutch and American politics. When we arrived at the ferry port, Neila gave Jackie and me a ride back to our hotels in her enormous truck.

Suriname/French Guiana Border

I woke up at 4:50 AM and took a taxi to the bus station at Heiligenweg. I was the first to buy a bus ticket when the station opened at 6:00 AM. I sat next to an Indian Surinamese guy. We spoke for nearly 2 hours about crime, politics, corruption, and the foundation for trade schools he was starting in Paramaribo. I got on the crowded bus, and a man in the adjacent seat slept on my shoulder most of the way to the border. Fortunately, the trip was only about two hours. When we arrived in Albina, the bus was inundated with boaters trying to grab my bags and drag me onto a boat. I knew I needed to go to immigration and customs first. So I asked for directions and found the immigration building several blocks away, hidden down a side street. As I was walking, a boater talked me into riding across to the other side of the river with him. So he went to wait for me outside of immigration with his boat. After getting my passport stamp, I rode across the river with him.

Fortunately, it was easy to cross the river and pass through immigration on both sides. But when I got to Saint Laurent, there were no money exchanges or ATMs. I walked all over town trying to find banks or ATMs. I must’ve walked around for at least 30 to 45 minutes. I returned to immigration for help, but the immigration officers couldn’t help matches. Everything was closed for the weekend. So, I had to return on the boat to Suriname to exchange money. The problem is that I needed an e-visa to enter Suriname, which took 1-2 hours to process, and the website was incompatible with mobile devices. After pleading with the officer to let me into town for 10 minutes, he finally let me pass. I exchanged dollars for euros and returned to French Guiana. The immigration officer was kind and tried to help me find someone to carpool with to the capital, but it didn’t work out. I needed to improve my French because the people in French Guiana did not understand me in French or English. A taxi to Cayenne would have cost nearly 100 EUR, and I was sunburned, tired, and sick. So, I decided to spend the night in the only available hotel. My room was expensive but quieter and more comfortable than the places I had stayed in Georgetown and Paramaribo.
After a short nap, it was golden hour, so I took pictures of the church and government buildings. I bought a four-cheese pizza at a food truck right around the corner from my hotel. It was delicious, but too much to eat for me.

This morning, I woke up extra early at 4:50 AM. I wanted to make sure I could find transportation to Cayenne. After a few minutes, a van headed for Cayenne pulled up to the station, so I jumped in. I was expecting to leave immediately for the capital, but that was very naïve of me. We first made a stop at the boat docks. The driver was chatting with his friends and not actively searching for passengers. We waited two hours for tourists to arrive so we could fill up the van. When we finally hit the road, the driver made at least 15 stops. He stopped to talk to friends, to deliver baguettes and fruit, and to smoke. Our three-hour trip journey took six hours. When we arrived in Cayenne, he dropped us off at a random location. I reluctantly paid him and started walking toward my Airbnb.
It wasn’t check-in time, so I walked to a cute cafe around the corner, ordered a bubble tea, and relaxed in the cool air for the next two hours. I rented an apartment with a kitchen and a washing machine to wash my clothes properly. At 70 EUR per night, it was also the cheapest place in the city. After a short nap, I walked to the Place des Amandiers, next to the coast. It appeared to be a place where a lot of locals hung out in the evenings. There was a beautiful view of the ocean, a playground, games for older people, and music. Around the corner was the main square, or the Place des Palmistes. Locals gathered there playing soccer, eating dinner, and riding carnival rides. I browsed the food trucks, hoping to try a local delicacy, but most were selling burgers and sandwiches. I bought a delicious chicken kebab sandwich and ate it on the bleachers next to the basketball court. It was about 7 EUR, including a drink, significantly cheaper than eating in a restaurant. I took the long way back to the hotel so I could take in some of the sights during golden hour. The sky was a deep purple and pink color. When I arrived at my apartment, I washed my clothes and got ready for bed.

I knew today was going to be a challenge from the moment I woke up and heard the pouring rain. All day, I tried to find a driver who could take me from the capital back to the border, but everyone I spoke to had no answers. I had to ask about a dozen people before I met a Brazilian who worked at the bus station and was finally able to give me clear instructions.

I woke up at 4:00 a.m. and walked to the bus station. I was fortunate to find a taxi driver right away, as there were not many others around. The taxi driver even spoke English and agreed to drive me to Kourou for €20. We made a quick stop to pick up an older gentleman and his daughter, who needed to be dropped off at a hospital before we could leave the city. The driver then dropped me off in Kourou and even gave me the phone number of a friend who was willing to drive me to the Surinamese border.

There were already hundreds of people waiting in line, even though I arrived two hours early. It was exhausting since I was carrying my heavy luggage. When I reached the front of the line, they searched my bags, and I climbed the hill on foot. I waited two more hours, and people started to leave.

I checked Twitter and found that the launch had been postponed until the next day. I was very disappointed. As I was walking down the hill, I saw a group of people staring at a sloth that was hanging from a nearby tree. It started to pour, and I ran to the police tent to ask for their help in communicating with my driver. They were very friendly, spoke to him in French, and explained how to reach our location.

My driver, Jerry, was also very friendly. He asked me if it would be okay to pick up four more people for our trip. I didn’t realize it would turn into a two-hour ordeal. We ended up picking up six people instead of four, buying groceries, stopping by a pharmacy and ATM, and even delivering diapers to a local mother. The driver also stopped at his house for lunch and to chat with his wife. It was still pouring, and we were getting drenched because the driver’s window would not close, and there was a hole in the roof above my right shoulder.

When we reached Saint Laurent, the driver dropped us off at the immigration building. I paid him 40 EUR, had my passport stamped, and headed directly for the boat. I found the same gentleman who brought me across the river the last time. I was the only person in the canoe, but at the last moment, another guy jumped in. He asked me if I wanted to share a car to get to Paramaribo. After spending the last two weeks taking buses, I immediately jumped at the chance.

We had a great two-hour conversation and made plans together for the next day. That evening, I went out for dinner at a small restaurant near my hotel and turned in for the night.

Return to Paramaribo

I woke up at 5 a.m., eager to explore the city. While waiting for my new friend, I browsed a small furniture store nearby. Once he arrived, we spent the next hour wandering through Paramaribo, covering most of the city in that short time. After an hour, he had to head back—his flight was leaving soon—so I walked with him part of the way. My hotel was only a short 20-minute walk from there.

Both of us were still disappointed about missing the rocket launch in French Guiana. On the way back, we stopped by an outdoor bar for a beer. Since he had several hours before his flight, we decided to visit the Arya Dewaker Hindu temple—a 45-minute walk from our location. With nowhere to be, we chose to go on foot. Before heading to the temple, we killed time at a café in a shopping mall across the street. I had a lemon iced tea, while my friend enjoyed a green smoothie. We laughed and shared our frustration about the missed rocket launch.