Our first trip of the New Year is to the coast. This is via a canal and the Commewijine River, with lunch in the Warappakreek. We meet with the tour guide ‘Joke’ and other explorers to first board a coach to Commewijine. Here we take a motor boat for an hour or so up-river and into the Alliance area. On route we see plenty of bird life and mangrove swamps. Joke fills us in on the historical facts and eco numbers and allows a stop to visit a tiny village which has a museum. Here we see many artefacts which were dredged when the swamp was cleared into the canal which we will be using. We stop again at the Alliance Plantation where we board a tractor driven carriage to tour the state run farm. We see grapefruit, oranges, sugar, bananas, tomatoes and much more. Our driver stops to pick us each an orange to eat on the way back to Lunch. Lunch is the typical chicken soup, followed by more chicken, rice, salad, noodles and spicy fries. All pretty yummy!
After lunch we continue along the beautiful Warappakreek. Here we glimpse young Scarlet Ibis not yet Red and Blue Herons. On into the canal, the only difference being the canal has dead trees bordering it. Joke explains that the Plantation owners drained their land which has caused such devastation. Not even a mangrove for vegetation. We arrive at the sea and a bird hide where we can view more Scarlet Ibis and a peculiar 4-eyed fish.
It seems to have double eyes on each side for above and below the waterline. The return trip is punctuated with sundowners of Suriname’s Liquid Gold (namely Borgoe Rum), olives and cassava crisps. We fill in Jokes’ comment book and I try to remember to add this day out to the Lonely Planet website.
It is decided that we will take Maria to an Indian Restaurant, she is ready with ‘tif and nibbles—most welcome before we find the eatery fill ourselves yet again with delicious food and end the day.
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