Everything was so peaceful that I had decided to sleep outside underneath one of the pavilions that were lined up at the beach. After almost three weeks without rain I woke up in the early morning hours by the noise of the thunder and the rain hitting the pavilion roof. The roof was safe and no rain was coming through. I still had to move more and more to the center as the wind blew the rain from the sides and bit by bit the floor got wet as well. The floor turned out to be uneven and the water accumulated and made its way towards me. I found myself on a dry island but still had to run to the car and continue the night there.

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

Somehow I felt I had kind of a home, my own house when I spent the first bit of the night at the pavilion and I had that feeling again when I entered the car. The car was not a caravan which is designed to offer a small kind of home. At this moment in the middle of the night I felt the car was my home and I enjoyed for a long moment the noise of the rain hitting the car. There was even a small smile on my face and a feeling of happiness. I always loved rain and always the noise that it can make on the different kind of surfaces. I am just a simple person.

Pretty early in the morning I got nervous about the next destination, the next entry into a country with its own regulations and requirements. I decided to drive to the border of French Guyana with Surinam and resolve as quick as possible, always on my mind a possible return the same way I had come. The drive was similar to the days before; no matter if Brazil or French Guyana, rainforest is rainforest.

Arriving at the border I went straight to the ferry. The ferry was within an enclosed area with customs and police. Documents required for Surinam were valid passport with Visa, driving license, insurance and ticket. I presented everything I had to the police officer who looked at my documents and had to admit that almost every document was new to him. We managed to go thru positive and I wanted to use this opportunity to stay, whereas he said to come back when the ferry actually leaves in the afternoon and present everything again to the colleague in charge. He would be leaving at 13:00 and the ferry at 14:00.

I had him to agree on my documents, I did not want to take another chance. I went to the tourist office and asked for the hour free internet access and did the possible. I went back at lunchtime, the gate was up and everybody was at 36 degrees having lunch, my officer actually with his wife. I drove into the area and pretended that everything had been done when I was there in the morning. Nobody came back to me to ask for a further look. One hour later the ferry left ahead the same procedure on the Surinam side. I had exactly the 35 Euro for the ferry left in case of rejection. Superstition? Coincidence? Good luck?

I left the ferry, parked the car and went to the Surinam office. The passport and the Visa were one federal officer and the easier part. I passed the federal police and left the building. The lady to open the gate friendly explained that the white paper for the car was missing. I went back in and was second in line to go into a separate office with two custom staff. I put my documents on the table and the insurance became an issue. I had an Allianz plastic card with the details and I answered very confident that the card is valid for whole South America. Silence; were my answer and the plastic card accepted? Seconds, only seconds and the officer filled in the details and handed me the white paper. The gate opened and I had passed.

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

Moiwana is a Maroon village in the Marowijne district in the east of Suriname. was the scene of the Moiwana massacre on November 29, 1986, during the Suriname Guerrilla War between the Surinamese military regime and the Jungle Commando. The army attacked the village, killing at least 35 of the inhabitants, mostly women and children, and burned Brunswijk’s house. The survivors fled with thousands of other inland inhabitants over the Marowijne River to neighboring French Guiana. Police chief inspector Herman Gooding was murdered in August 1990 while investigating the massacre. Reportedly he was forced out of his car near Fort Zeelandia and shot in the head, with his body left outside Bouterse’s office. Other police investigators fled the country, stalling the investigation. 20 years later in August 2005, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ordered Suriname to pay 3 million USD in compensation to 130 survivors of the massacre, and to establish a 1.2 million USD fund for the development of Moiwana.

I drove on as quickly as ossible and reached Paramaibo late in the afternoon.

For a small understanding of the days travel, I have included a Google Earth map. The red pins mark the locations I have stopped and taken pictures. At the bottom of the page you will find a link for all the pictures I have taken. The link will open in a Google+ Album.

Please click on map to enlarge!!!

See map and distances / Siehe Karte und Entfernungen / Ver mapa e distâncias / Ver mapa y distancias

0 km                     Cayenne

60 km                   Kourou

120 km                 Sinnamary

150 km                 Iracoubo

200 km                St. Laurent

255 km                 Moengo

335 km                 Paramairbo

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