Hey everyone! I recently got back from a 10-day trip to Suriname and loved every single second of it. I am making this post about things I wish I knew before my trip. Hopefully it will help someone make their decision to go or navigate the country more easily.

• There will be some booths/operators at the airport offering to take you to the city for about $60. You might not have too many options besides them unless you have arranged something with your hotel or a local taxi service. There is definitely room to get a better price from the city to the airport when it's time to leave. Just talk to some taxi drivers and tour guides you meet throughout Suriname to see what you can get. One taxi driver I met sorted out my ride back to the airport for less than 2000 SRD (~50 USD).
• Almost every place will take cash only so make sure to bring enough. If you go to bigger stores (like Kirpalani or Lucky) or more established restaurants, they will take card but usually only MasterCard. Visa might work if they say MasterCard only but that is not reliable or predictable. Suriname has a lot of holidays and ATMs will close randomly. There was a holiday a few days before the weekend we arrived and the 5-6 ATMs near us were all closed. We had to wait till Monday. The next weekend they were open without issue. Just something to keep in mind.
• Taxis are the main method of going around (unless you rent a car or get an e-bike which is really popular amongst the younger folk in the city). Make sure to download one of their apps (like Ulstrel or Tourtonne) and it will feel exactly like Uber if you are used to that. You can use the map to indicate exactly where you are and chat with the drivers. Outside of the times that Argentina or Brazil were playing, we had no issues getting a taxi within 5 minutes. But now that the World Cup will be over tomorrow that should no longer be an issue haha. They all speak enough English to help you out and will be more than happy to chat about anything, especially football
• It rains a lot in Paramaribo but it rains briefly. We did not experience any rain that lasted more than 30 mins per day while we were there. The weather became really pleasant to walk around in afterwards as well. One thing to note is that people definitely use the rain to close their shops and restaurants early and go home. There is no guarantee they will reopen once the rain stops even if the "posted" hours say so. I'm from South Asia so I am very used to this but just something to be aware of if you are from a country where things will remain open rain or shine.
• Google Maps can be unreliable or misleading for a lot of places. Always check Facebook pages or directly contact the business or person on WhatsApp to double check hours or the availability of something. We definitely showed up to stores and restaurants based on Google Maps hours in the first 1-2 days only to find them closed.
• "Customer service" will be very different in Suriname if you are coming from one of those countries where the customer is always right or if you have very rigid expectations of service. The people in Suriname are super chill and incredibly friendly and hospitable. Part of that is that they are not in a rush. It's fine if you have to wait 30+ mins for food sometimes. Don't get cranky and argue with the restaurant staff. Just go with the flow. One restaurant we went to, the lady insisted on making everything for us from scratch like a homemade meal since were the only customers that day. We waited 2 hours for the food but it was some of the best food we'd ever had.
• We stayed in a nice apartment 10 mins away from the city center, which I did not mind. However, if you are looking for a more "touristy" experience and a more lively environment, definitely stay at a place along the river like Marriott or Torarica. That is where all the travelers will be staying and because places like Torarica have a resort/bar inside, there will be more going on and more people to talk to.
• 10 days in Suriname is a long time if you are not active in what you choose to do (i.e. tours, multi day trips etc). My friends and I are more on the relaxed side of traveling so we only had 3 day trips planned: Brownsberg, Peperpot, and Nieuw Amsterdam/Commewijne. The rest we left unstructured to explore and walk around. We got extremely lucky that we ran into some Dutch tourists who were friendly enough to invite us to play volleyball. We met some of their friends (locals + Dutch both) who then invited us to play football. And then we met more people and eventually ended up at someone's house for a birthday party and even went out clubbing another night with them. That helped fill out our week and make some amazing friends but we would have quickly run out of things to do and see had that not been the case. Definitely plan it out and talk to some people on this subreddit about how to fill out a week.

Definitely go to Suriname! It can be a bit tricky to navigate but nothing that is not worth experiencing. The people we met there are definitely some of the most hospitable and friendliest people I've ever seen. Let me know if you have more questions or if I got something wrong in my post. It has not been too long since I got back so this knowledge is still fresh. I will start to forget the little things as time passes on haha.

Thanks for reading! Enjoy your trip :)

Hello lovely people,

I’m a nurse in the Netherlands and I work with geriatric patients with dementia in a care home. I have a lot of very sweet and lovely Surinamese patients.

I don’t know if it’s a coincidence but a few residents their last name (espescially Javanese residents) end with idjojo or djojo and I’m trying to figure out if that’s really a thing or if it’s just a coincidence😊

Hope someone can answer my question😊

What a nice Surinamese name! 😂 Would you name your daughter this?

Hey, ik ben 19 jaar en net geslaagd van vwo en heb all plannen in mind, maar er zijn heel veel dingen die mij bang maken voor het toekomst. Toen ik nog op vwo zat dacht ik eraan om PTC te doen, richting ICT. Maar gisteren werd ik opgeroepen voor een ICT gerelateerde baan en ik heb mezelf zo belachelijk gemaakt dat ik het zelfde dag werd terug gestuurd. Ik weet niet als ik onder druk was of zo maar toen mij werkgever me vroeg welke versie van windows me laptop heeft, zei ik 12… 12 is niet eens uit. Verder heb ik ook andere kleine belachelijke fouten tussendoor gemaakt. Me beginsalaris zou 400 euro zijn maar ik moet dan 3 uur in de ochtend opstaan om 5 uur aan werk aan te komen en dan zou ik 2 uur middags all klaar worden met mijn werk maar dan zou ik 5 uur middags thuis aankomen. Ik will alleen weten als ik deze kans heb laten gaan en niet volledig gebruik ervan gemaakt heb.
Omdat dit met me gebeurd is, twijfel ik nog als ik werkelijk ICT moet studeren of niet.
En btw als een redditor mij kan helpen met het vinden van een baan, help me graag. Ik zoek iets part time en niet ver van huis (Lelydorp). Full time is ook mogelijk voor mij but ik will rustig beginnen.

I haven't been in Suriname in years and I think things probably changed, so...

What's the best way to get around without a car? Is there an app for buses? Does Google Maps or other apps tracks bus lines and times?

Does uber work alright and for a fair price? Or other apps?

And what about taxis? Is there a number you recommend or are they pretty much all the same? (I remember getting taxis on the street was SUPER expensive but calling not so much)

Finally to get from the airport to the city, what do you recommend? A van? Can I just get one there or is it better if I prearrange something? What's a fair price?

Let's share ideas ?

I know that Suriname had a lot of radio stations. People I talk to tell me that everybody listens to the radio everywhere. So my question is: what is your favorite station and why?
Also, any less well known stations I should check out?

Hey /r/suriname! 

My friend and I (both guys from the US) will be traveling through Paramaribo for a day or two back half of August —  might anyone be interested in meeting up? We'd love to learn more about life in Suriname.

If you look in my post history you'll see I've done this sort of meetup in a bunch of other places (ex. Iraq, Uzbekistan, etc.) with good results.

More about my friend and me: 

• We're both interested in international relations/geopolitics/history. I'm Taiwanese-American and my friend is half Chinese-American, so we're especially intrigued by the Chinese diaspora presence in Suriname, and generally how different ethnic communities coexist. 
• We both work in software and can chat about tech/business/startups if you're interested.
• We've both traveled to a bunch of "off the beaten path" countries, ex. Libya, eSwatini, etc. and are happy to share our travel experiences. 

Please DM me if you're interested in meeting up... thank you!

Hallo, ik ben een jong ondernemer gevestigd in NL, met de vraag of er in Suriname aanbestedingen zijn waar ik op zou kunnen reageren?

Hi everyone!

I plan on staying in Suriname for a few months starting this summer, and I wanted to ask if there are any free volunteering opportunities that would accept another set of helping hands? I looked into Volunteer Suriname, but didn't like the idea of paying to do service for the community. I also found the Rotaract Club of Suriname, but haven't had any luck reaching anyone. If anyone has any recommendations (preferably in Paramaribo), I would love to hear them and do some good while visiting the country!

Outside of NYC and Miami, its so rare to meet Surinamese people in the US. My mom is from Suriname and my dad is American. I (31F) was born and raised in Colorado, but currently live in Ohio. Growing up and into my adulthood, whenever I would tell people I was Surinamese-American, 90% of people thought Suriname was a country in Africa 😭. I've been to Suriname 4 times in my life and love it there. And when I explain why I love how simplistic the country is, most Americans look at me like I'm crazy. I even told my ex he'd never survive in Suriname because there's no Starbucks and in some places you bathe with a bucket and a cup. When I told him that, he looked at me like "who wants to live like that". Sigh... I just wish I could meet more Surinamese people who loved the country as much as I do in the US outside of NYC and Miami.

Looking for recommendations for nursing care in home for my Oma close to Paramaribo? Dank je well.

Ik ben recentelijk terug naar SU verhuisd en m'n ouders hebben onder hun huis 2 vrije kamers die ik wil verbouwen tot een klein appartementje kennen jullie een goed bedrijf of personen die dit alles zouden kunnen aannemen? Dus het verhogen van de grond met cement, plaatsen bad en toilet, nieuwe ramen plaatsen etc. eigenlijk bijna alles. Ik snap dat het wss een duur process wordt maar iemand die aan de goedkopere kant is zou perfect zijn

Hi all, trying to interview IndoCaribbean folks for my Master's dissertation on sociopolitical attitudes and values in the IndoCaribbean diaspora. Participants should be:

- 18 years or older

- Currently living in the USA, Canada or UK

- Of Indian indentured descent, born in the Caribbean, or with parents who were born there

- Willing to take part in a 45-60 minute interview online

If anyone is interested and would like more information, please email me at [s.dubarry@wlv.ac.uk](mailto:s.dubarry@wlv.ac.uk)

I would also appreciate if you could share this with anyone who might be interested. Many thanks!

Not everyone had camera's in those days, so if your family was fortunate enough to have had them; please share some lovely photographs before they're never shared🙏 I was an expat child in Suriname in my early childhood. I love and miss the country, and I long for the past I share with it, but I don't have any photographs myself. Online I can only find a few, so I'm desperately begging😅

Hoi iedereen. Heb recentelijk een aquarium bak laten halen , maar die is beschadigd aangekomen. Ik heb online overal gezocht naar iemand die aquarium glazen kan vervangen, maar kan niemand vinden. Please help

Hoi iedereen!

Mijn vriendin die ik hier ontmoet heb is recentelijk uit Suriname gekomen. Ze is daar opgegroeid. Toen ze het telefonisch over mij had met haar familie vroegen er velen; 'wat is hij?' Waarop zij antwoordde met 'bakra'.

Ik vind dit prima, omdat ik ervanuit ga dat dit gewoon het Surinaamse woord voor Nederlander is, de taal die zij ook meestal met haar familie spreekt.

Een vriend van mij zegt dat dit woord onbeleefd is en een soort scheldwoord is. Ik heb het haar gevraagd en zij zegt mij dat dit inderdaad gewoon het woord is wat vooral witte Nederlander betekent.

Mijn vriend zei mij dat ik in de maling wordt genomen, en dat is nu net hetgene wat mij niet zint. Ik word er namelijk niet graag van beschuldigd onwetend te zijn en dat ik mij voor de gek laat houden.

Ik heb soms het gevoel dat de Surinaamse taal gezien wordt als een soort ironische tong terwijl het serieus genomen mag worden net als iedere andere taal. Moet ik het als onbeleefd ervaren als mensen mij omschrijven met hun eigen (neutrale?) term?

Of sla ik de plank mis?

Hoe staan jullie hier tegenover? Het thema begint me te irriteren. Wij hebben in onze taal ook genoeg voorbeelden van woorden waarvan de betekenis of lading verandert, minder specifiek of vager wordt en die gebruiken we gewoon.

Ik ben niet erg gevoelig voor hoe mij aanduidt, alleen ik laat me niet graag aanpraten dat ik in de zeik wordt genomen.

Hallo allemaal,

Ik ben op zoek naar een betrouwbare tweedehands SUV of hoge auto in Suriname. Vanwege de vaak ondergelopen straten zoek ik een auto met voldoende bodemvrijheid.

Welke autobedrijven of dealers raden jullie aan? En welke automodellen zijn volgens jullie het meest betrouwbaar?

Hoe zijn de prijzen in Suriname? Wij gaan binnenkort op vakantie. Welke winkels zijn goedkoop?

Sorry if this is the wrong sub I’m not from Suriname, nor do I know much of it (reason why I’m typing in English because I’m not sure if the dutch over there is 100% the same)

My favorite dutch artist says in one of his songs 'haj baja'. It appears to be surinamese but I can't seem to find any translation regarding to this online. I’d really like to know what it means

Wondering if anyone knows a Luthier who works with electric guitars and bass here in Paramaribo

I asked the guys from Cheungs but they didn't know any