Teacher Summers: A Tale of Two Cities

We have continued our way west through the Guyanas and spent a few days in Paramaribo, Suriname, and Georgetown, Guyana. Both countries are now independent but were originally settled by Europeans- Suriname by the Dutch and Guyana by the British. Culturally, both countries identify with the Caribbean though they are part of South America. The people reflect the Amerindians that first lived there, the Europeans that came to settle, the slaves that were brought from Africa, and the Asians that were brought as indentured servants. There is a lot of world in these two countries.

Though the geography of Suriname and Guyana is similar, the two capital cities reflect the way they were colonized. Paramaribo is a UNESCO world heritage site for its original Dutch buildings that still remain.

The inner city is centered around Fort Zeelandia* that now houses a museum about the history of Suriname.**

The city prides itself on being a melting pot of cultures and religions. Here is the St. Peter and Paul cathedral down the street from a mosque. Not pictured is the neighboring synagogue.

We had dinner that evening at the most beautiful Thai restaurant outside of Thailand!

Following Paramaribo we were on to Georgetown, a plane hop away.*** Georgetown's British settlers preferred plantation-style architecture. Thanks to stronger building materials****, the original buildings are more intact here than in Paramaribo. Many are still in use as government homes and offices.

The church to visit here is St. George's Cathedral. It is one of the tallest wooden structures in the world and dates back to 1894.

We also learned that Guyana is known as the "Land of Giants" because things are bigger here.***** This was certainly true with their lily pads and sloth fossils.