Suriname > Miss Sampson on Stoelmanseiland

Suriname - The Tapanahonie River at dawn

At nine o’clock, we load the luggage back into the boats and say goodbye to Meo. We sail up the Tapanahony River again for our final leg to Stoelmanseiland. We pass several rapids, with water occasionally splashing over the side of the boat. Fortunately, the water is sucked back out at the rear when the engine is running. After about an hour of sailing, we stop at a small gold-mining settlement. Practically no one is there. The only man present tells us that the gold miners are working almost an hour away, which is too far for us to walk. He does show us a small amount of gold—about three grams—and John explains the process of gold extraction. Downstream, we might encounter other places where we could watch the gold being mined. At the end of the Tapanahony River, we reach the junction of the Lana and Marowijne rivers. On the Lana River, we sail five minutes against the current to reach Stoelmanseiland. In the rapids, a large wave splashes over the edge, leaving several people wet. Stoelmanseiland was the base of Ronnie Brunswijk during the civil war in the 1980s. We also plan to file a report here for the broken video camera. Near the airstrip, we dock, where there is also a police post.

Suriname - Stoelmanseiland was an important place during the Surinamese civil war. Now the village is quite dilapidated.

It quickly becomes clear that we cannot file a report here either; it must be done in Albina. Walking across Stoelmanseiland from the airstrip, we see that it has now become a quiet and dilapidated village. Currently, only about 200 people live here, compared to over 900 during the civil war. We walk past the hospital and reach the local school, where Miss Sampson immediately approaches. She still has her hairpins in and tells us how she runs the school as best she can with God’s guidance. She explains that the schoolchildren are picked up in surrounding villages by the school boat each morning and brought to Stoelmanseiland. Miss Sampson mentions that it is difficult to obtain good supplies and find qualified teachers. The new school year is starting next week, and she asks for help by sending pens and notebooks addressed to her. We decide to pass around a hat to collect money for her. This allows her to buy supplies herself, since sending items from the Netherlands might be unreliable.

Suriname - The village of Gakaba

Our donation is greatly appreciated. Back on the boat, we head toward the Marowijne River. At the start of the Marowijne, near the river junction, there is a large sula. Most of us must get out of the boat here, but four people are needed as ballast at the rear. While everyone climbs over the rocks to the other side of the sula, we sit in the boat with life jackets on. The first rapid is easy, and we prepare for the next, which turns out to be nonexistent. We brace for the following one—also nonexistent. Before we know it, we have passed the sula. Was that all? Climbing over the rocks proves much harder. On the other side, a few small boats can carry part of the cargo over the sula for a fee, especially useful after large shopping trips in Paramaribo. We continue sailing on the Marowijne River. The right bank is Suriname and the left bank is French Guiana. Soon, we dock on the Suriname side in the village of Gakaba, a Jehovah’s Witness village. John and Henny’s sister also lives here with a small shop by the bay. Gakaba is much better maintained than Stoelmanseiland. In the shop, we buy cola and yogurt, and eat lunch on the veranda. After lunch, John shows us around the village. We visit the school, which is much tidier than the previous one, and here no donations are needed. We also meet John and Henny’s slightly shy sister.

Suriname - Playing football with children

At three o’clock, we board the boat again and sail to Mi Sa Boo. To our surprise, the overnight stay is on the right bank, in French Guiana. It is nice to spend the night here. We stay with Uncle Leo, who fled to the other side of the river during the civil war and set up accommodations for his family, including facilities to hang hammocks for guests. We set up camp by hanging the hammocks. With some careful arranging, they all fit under the shelter. Afterwards, we cool off in the Marowijne River. A wooden staircase leads into the water because stingrays may be present near the shore, and they can sting dangerously. While swimming, dark clouds gather above the river. We get out just in time as a heavy rainstorm begins. We take shelter under the hammock shelter while the water drains back into the river. The rain pours heavily for about an hour, then it dries up. It has become dusk. Meanwhile, dinner has been prepared in the kitchen. After dinner, we buy a few bottles of beer from Uncle Leo and chat with John in the kitchen about Suriname, tourism, politics, and Desi Bouterse.