Nearest neighbor Guyana Suriname. Country totally different culture and customs. Even wonder, how could it happen that two small countries with very similar story, based in the same time can be so different. Suriname is much more developed country. Perhaps this is due to the fact that they, the revolution has taken place quite recently, in 1980, and have not had time to destroy everything. On the other hand, you do not want to believe that everything will fall apart, because the Netherlands leaves Suriname with their concerns today.

The same abundance of rivers, as well as in Guyana, and at the same time, extensive infrastructure. By car you can reach almost any part of the country. A lot of supermarkets and restaurants, plenty of European tourists, especially the Dutch students, who come for a few days to have fun in Suriname.

From Guyana to Suriname can be accessed in three ways by sea, air, and a ferry across the river border Korranteyn. Immediately on the other side starts a completely different life and a different culture. Different people, totally different person. For a calm, unhurried throughout.

The tour lasts 2 days. Overnight camping is offered. Feeding is included in the tour, which is not bad.

Suriname, of course, an agricultural country. Along the road from the border with Guyana to Paramaribo are extremely well-kept banana plantations. What struck us is the fact that each bunch of bananas is dressed in a large plastic bag. Apparently, put bags on the stage of flowering, and banana bunches grow is right inside. And the birds do not eat, and how convenient to collect later. Also on the road and caught a couple of farms with cows, washed in zagonchikah under the eaves (from the scorching sun, the tropics after all).
Suriname is undoubtedly a tourist country. Although the dark as well as in Guyana and throughout the year early (at 6, in the summer at 7 pm), but this evening the whole of life is just beginning. The first night we spent in the guesthouse Albergo Arlberg in the heart of Paramaribo. Guesthouse was fully packed with young tourists from Europe. On the central bank of the river Surinam are many, apparently, never closing the cafes, where walking and just sitting and staring a huge medley of white youth in shorts.
Prices in the cafes and restaurants are quite acceptable. Together to sit in the restaurant (in Russian), it is quite possible for 50US. We accept and in dollars and euros, and in Surinamese dollars. During the course of our visit was 1US three Surinamese dollar. Cook in restaurants varied and very tasty. Food and European and Indonesian and Chinese. Incidentally, the Chinese in Suriname very much and they look gorgeous, they probably live quite well. Half of the shops that we visited are those of the Chinese.

The average salary, we were told, about $ 150 a month. As in Guyana. But on the streets we saw no beggars and panhandlers at all. It seems to work well some social programs.

In Suriname, there are two places in one of which must necessarily go to all lovers of nature. It’s beaches, where giant sea turtles come to save their eggs Matapika and Ghalib. Since Matapika located much closer than Ghalib to Paramaribo, there we go. Themselves to get to the beach, of course, is real, but difficult. Need to know the route. But for the first time we bought a travel voucher.

Interesting points were on the road to Matapika. From Paramaribo to Matapika had to get two boats. First, a large boat on the river to the ranch Suriname Johan and Margaretha, where we were greeted by a fed lunch. Here we were completely subdued hand capybara. Moreover, it is simply impossible to see the tame animal of this species, as yet, and she was so spoiled that pestered all the tourists to scratch behind the ear, suck on your finger (hobby) or simply steal anything from the dinner table. Well, just as spoiled dog.

From the ranch had to go the other boat. Motor, but fortunately a small one. Here, dug canals to the sea. Previously, these channels are separated and connected between a rice plantation. Now the sea water comes closer and closer and all of the former rice plantations filled the salty sea water and abandoned. However, between the two channels, there is something such as a dam, through which our men had to drag myself out of the boat on one channel to another. It was very interesting to watch the men as boatmen. Spectacular show.

The tour lasts 2 days. Overnight camping is offered. Feeding is included in the tour, which is not bad. No need to lug along a mountain of provisions, those involved in other people.

Why tents. First, the beach, where turtles come included in the nature-protected area. It is forbidden to build anything, and no hotels simply do not. Of course, you could rent a room in a tiny and cottage. But as we told the hostess Surinamese travel company; Waterproof Gummelt Lisbeth, in a tent is better. For facilities not changed absolutely nothing, but for the price of a room is added somewhere 40 euros per person. There is no sense, and we slept in a tent. What, incidentally, have not regretted a single second. Fresh air in a hot tropical night was just what we needed.

The ocean is almost the same as in Guyana, with brown water, but still a little lighter. We are happy to swim. Our guide gave us a look at small turtles, newly hatched from the eggs, and even one of them we let in, a great lives, in, big ocean.

And most importantly, for what we went here on two tablespoons of Paramaribo turtles. Watch turtle nests have been brought to the night, somewhere in 10 hours. Because of the high tide had to go through the Bushes, and quite far away. About an hour. But the turtle, we still see. I was lucky. It was, monitor lizard. She came out of the sea, has postponed its 120! eggs, carefully buried them, crush all his body and became zamaskirovyvat place. Crush the same way a few places to cover their tracks. Unfortunately, about 30% of turtle eggs eaten by crabs that are found here in abundance. Hatch only 70%. Most of them have already killed at sea. Survives only about 10% of turtles. The turtle, which we saw quite young. She was about 80 years.

Struck, too, how carefully guides belong to the turtles. They allowed us to photograph, but so that the flash does not blind the turtle. And carefully helped her dig and zamaskirovyvat masonry, removing all of the way that it interfered with different roots and algae.

In Paramaribo, many museums and historical sites. In particular, the fort Zealand in the center. For some reason, the Danes, developed territory in the 17th century, liked to call his place of settlement fort Zealand. Indeed, in Guyana, has a fort Zealand. Unfortunately, we get inside failed. We were too limited in time. Where advice if you are going to Suriname, select yourself to leave more than three days, we were able to escape. You will want to wander through the streets of Paramaribo, and sit for a few nights on the waterfront. And the ride to see the country. On the turtle beaches I’ve already written. But there are a variety of nesting birds, where they come for procreation.

And then in Paramaribo people (as well as in Guyana), walking the streets in small cages in which they live their pets, mostly plain-looking bird, similar to our nightingales. Even going to work and shop people do not leave the cells, go everywhere with their pets.

In the square near the waterfront in Paramaribo every day from 6 am to 9 am going to bird lovers. There are special twin pillars on which are hung cages with birds. Specialists listen twittering, and note with chalk on the boards, as each bird trills whistler. Science Fiction. Some in our group decided that we are in heaven. Indeed, the head of the Russian people usually employed quite different. It is hard to imagine that in Red Square, people gathered to compete in the morning, whose bird trills more displays. Perhaps this says about the state of the nerves (or mind) of the nation.