Seasons Greetings from Paramaribo
Yes …the lights are up all around Paramaribo for the holiday…and they go up even earlier here then they do in the states. There are a bunch of Christmas stores that sell all kinds of decorations… your blinded by their lights as your bus glides by. However, Christmas really isn’t big holiday around here…it’s New Years… that gets the big play…they (locals) tell me the celebration starts a couple of days before the first and goes on for a couple of days after. I’ll miss it all …my celebration will on the west coast of Florida with the family …am I excited about that …you bet I am. But… if you want to come on down for the party… here’s are important survival tips…. look right first when you cross the street and don’t expect any driver to respect your right to cross… and the kids on the motor bikes…they’ll aim for you. You’ll of course want to dine out…why else do you go on vacation? As you would expect… in a country that has imported cultures from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean… the food is exotic and very tasty. It is usually hot but served luke warm. It may be because they like it that way… but I’m wagering it’s because it just sits on the plate for a half hour before the service person decides to bring it you. Even though the foods never served not even almost warm at any restaurant… I do have a few favorite places…There’s the Rainforest…traditional Maroon interior food…kawaka and bush meat…it’s a patio decorated with Maroon arts and craft. BooNooNooNoo …(don’t ask me)…set on the third floor of the Span Hoek building…all the windows roll back, making it the airiest restaurant in town…very much an American style restaurant and or bar depending on the time… at 1 am it rocks…Bar B Q grill nights are Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. They also make some very interesting cocktails. Day & Night …best Bar B Q chicken in tow but the Bamie (spaghetti to you) is usually cold…. Lime…almost a New York look… to expensive to eat at on a Peace Corps salary. Spice Quest …Chef Andy graduated from Culinary Institute in Hyde Park, N.Y. Go there for the Dim Sum Sunday brunch…also expensive to eat at on a Peace Corps salary…so you dip into your IRA…what the hell. Now let me warn you….the concept of customer service does not exist in Suriname. It takes about 20 minutes until a waitperson comes to your table…and they never bring you water or bread… fagetaboutit…it’s about 45 minutes before you get your dinner. When you finish… it’s 10 to 15 minutes before you catch some ones eye to bring you the check…then 10 more minutes till they bring you a change…no credit card (another failed concept)…. But… then again… you never have to make a movie or get to a show…there are none…the night life doesn’t get going until 2230 hours (10:30pm to you). Some day I’ll try to explain to you why I use military time rather then say 10:30 in Dutch... Wait…that statement about not making a movie…that’s a lie…at least for last week it was….Believe it or not Paramaribo has an International Documentary Film Festival”. Saw 3 of them…pretty good. Being that you might have other plans for the holidays I thought it would be a good time to send along some pictures…Hope you enjoy them. But…most important… Enjoy your Holiday and I wish you all a healthy and Happy New Year
Stay well …Be Happy…Smile
Yes …the lights are up all around Paramaribo for the holiday…and they go up even earlier here then they do in the states. There are a bunch of Christmas stores that sell all kinds of decorations… your blinded by their lights as your bus glides by. However, Christmas really isn’t big holiday around here…it’s New Years… that gets the big play…they (locals) tell me the celebration starts a couple of days before the first and goes on for a couple of days after. I’ll miss it all …my celebration will on the west coast of Florida with the family …am I excited about that …you bet I am. But… if you want to come on down for the party… here’s are important survival tips…. look right first when you cross the street and don’t expect any driver to respect your right to cross… and the kids on the motor bikes…they’ll aim for you. You’ll of course want to dine out…why else do you go on vacation? As you would expect… in a country that has imported cultures from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean… the food is exotic and very tasty. It is usually hot but served luke warm. It may be because they like it that way… but I’m wagering it’s because it just sits on the plate for a half hour before the service person decides to bring it you. Even though the foods never served not even almost warm at any restaurant… I do have a few favorite places…There’s the Rainforest…traditional Maroon interior food…kawaka and bush meat…it’s a patio decorated with Maroon arts and craft. BooNooNooNoo …(don’t ask me)…set on the third floor of the Span Hoek building…all the windows roll back, making it the airiest restaurant in town…very much an American style restaurant and or bar depending on the time… at 1 am it rocks…Bar B Q grill nights are Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. They also make some very interesting cocktails. Day & Night …best Bar B Q chicken in tow but the Bamie (spaghetti to you) is usually cold…. Lime…almost a New York look… to expensive to eat at on a Peace Corps salary. Spice Quest …Chef Andy graduated from Culinary Institute in Hyde Park, N.Y. Go there for the Dim Sum Sunday brunch…also expensive to eat at on a Peace Corps salary…so you dip into your IRA…what the hell. Now let me warn you….the concept of customer service does not exist in Suriname. It takes about 20 minutes until a waitperson comes to your table…and they never bring you water or bread… fagetaboutit…it’s about 45 minutes before you get your dinner. When you finish… it’s 10 to 15 minutes before you catch some ones eye to bring you the check…then 10 more minutes till they bring you a change…no credit card (another failed concept)…. But… then again… you never have to make a movie or get to a show…there are none…the night life doesn’t get going until 2230 hours (10:30pm to you). Some day I’ll try to explain to you why I use military time rather then say 10:30 in Dutch... Wait…that statement about not making a movie…that’s a lie…at least for last week it was….Believe it or not Paramaribo has an International Documentary Film Festival”. Saw 3 of them…pretty good. Being that you might have other plans for the holidays I thought it would be a good time to send along some pictures…Hope you enjoy them. But…most important… Enjoy your Holiday and I wish you all a healthy and Happy New Year
Stay well …Be Happy…Smile
posted by Robert B. at 5:16 AM
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