I had to go to the consulate of Surinam to inquire about the visa requirements for European citizens. They opened the doors at 09:00 and I had to wait for about an hour. Just opposite was the social and health institution of French Guyana and the queue from both sides of the entrance was enormous. It was a very strange impression though to see the streets of the capital empty at this time of the day, shops still closed and as contrast to this about 200 hundred people at the entrance of a single building.

I was third in line at the Surinam consulate and when it was my turn my worries disappeared, as there were no questions, no inquiry, just a simple bureaucratic act and of course the payment of 20 Euro. Before the trip I did not consider all the costs involved in transport and other extra costs, like entrance fees, visa costs and toll. The ferries already had their share and I had spent almost R$ 1000 on them already. My financial prevision for the whole trip just showed food and gas basically.

Although I consider this project a once in a lifetime trip and most probably I will not go back to certain countries or areas, I know I would miss quite a number of attractions. Time was limited to one year; the project Rio 2016 still designed to see as much as possible. I had already missed now the national park Lençóis Maranhenses and I am going to miss more sights. On the other hand and obvious, I would see a lot, I had already seen a lot just in the first weeks.

Cayenne may have had more to offer but I decided to spend the night in the city of Kourou. After a one hour drive thru the asphalted rainforest road I arrived in an extremely well organized city, which reminded me a lot of the huge American military installations / cities from the time I was a soldier and based in Washington D.C.

The beach was actually quite a nice beach, obviously with palm trees, but as well with extensive fitness infrastructure, playgrounds and BBQ installations. I did not look for internet connection, but instead had a day trying to relax and enjoy the beach area. Driving into the city I had noticed a Mc Donalds and late in the afternoon I decided to have dinner and had a Big Mac meal. This was the second warm meal I had since I had left Natal.

Please click on “View Album” to see pictures in a Google+ Album.