Happy New Year everyone!
About time I added a blogpost! Can’t believe it took me almost 3 weeks to adjust and get back into my normal routine. When we came back we went from 80 tropical to 28 frigid degrees Fahrenheit and combined with jetlag it was AWFUL! Since then it even dipped into the 15s and only this week we’re feeling a little bit ‘warmer’ (it’s sad when you find 50 F ‘warm’). No big deal for most people, but you have to understand that I have lived most of my live in 80 degree weather and I still can’t get used to winter! All I can do now is reminisce about (sub)tropical weather, so I might as well share about my trip in the next couple of posts.
We had an good time in Suriname and really enjoyed spending time with our family and friends. Suriname is an awesome place to celebrate the old and ring in the new with lots of firecrackers and firework all around town. We were even mentioned in this New Year’s eve article of CNN! Every time I hear the fireworks, especially towards midnight, it really feels like the year is coming to an end. Afterwards many streets may looking like a sea of red paper.
It was also great going back to our roots and eating things we can’t find in the States, such as pitjil served in fresh leaves. Somehow it seems to taste better than when served on a plate 🙂
One day we took a trip to Domburg, a well known spot on the bank of the Suriname river about one hour south of the capital city Paramaribo. People used to visit Domburg on Sundays to visit the fresh market and warungs. Warungs are street side cafes where you can buy freshly prepared Javanese food such as pitjil, bami, nasi, telo, sate and sweet snacks made of black sticky rice or baka banas (ripe plantain fritters), to take home or eat outside in the sun. The food is guaranteed fresh, because warungs typically run out of food by 1 p.m. It must have been more than 20 years ago that I visited Domburg and I can’t say that it changed much. We only stayed there for an hour, but it was enough to fill our stomach and relax at the riverside in the warm sun. Should have brought that hammock …
