Country #6 – Suriname

91% Humidity

After my 4:30am arrival time I needed a good night’s sleep. I ended up sleeping until 1:00pm! Once I woke up I got ready for my day exploring Paramaribo, Suriname. As I stepped outside it began to pour so I had to turn around for a rain jacket. The humidity only got worse from there. At one point, it was 83 degrees outside but felt like 102 due to the 91% humidity. It was miserably hot! However, I ended a having a pretty cool day.

About a block from my hotel, Joah Inn, was my first stop. The Suriname City Mosque and Neveh Shalom Jewish Synagogue sit right next to each other along the main street in town. The two neighboring buildings have grown to show the religious tolerance present in Suriname and it was really interesting to see, especially because both buildings were so unique. From there I walked down a very crowded street and once again felt all eyes on me. Not in a malicious manner but more of a surprise. However, it was interesting because every time I met anyone they assumed I was from The Netherlands, as Suriname is a former Dutch colony! The main language is Dutch, although everyone speaks English as well.

I walked for a little while longer until I found a place to eat lunch. I was originally planning on going to JiJi’s, but unfortunately they were only open for dinner. I ended up eating at Bodega and it was great! I had a bacon and cheese omelet that they put on top of very buttery bread – so tasty. It started to rain again as I was leaving but this wasn’t the worst thing in the world as it made the streets a little less crowded. Also fun fact, weather radar does not work in this area of the world. I have no idea why, but in neither Guyana or Suriname could I get it to work and neither could my dad at home. Funny how the rain forest lacks radar!

Anyways, I then walked to see Fort Zeelandia. The museum was closed but it was still very cool to see. It was built in 1640. An interesting tidbit is that it was originally built by the British, and was actually traded to the Dutch for New York (what was then New Amsterdam). Who knew! So I guess we sort of have Suriname to thank for New York. It also has a tainted history that is important to mention as well. Political assassinations took place here in 1982 of fifteen men who disagreed with the military dictatorship. The political situation in Suriname is complicated to say the least, as the current President (and former dictator) was involved in the massacre. More than you probably needed to know but I found it interesting!

From the fort I then walked past the Presidential Palace and then past Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral. Both were super interesting with unique architecture . I have never seen a cathedral similar to this one, and I have seen quite a few!

I wanted to make sure I got home by dark so I called it a day pretty early on. While I felt safe walking during the day, I would not recommend walking by yourself at night. It is definitely a friendly city but there were very few tourists that I saw! In fact, I think I got the only other tourists in the city to take my picture at some point.

After going back to my room I attempted to go to sleep early because I had another painfully early morning. My cab for the airport leaves at 3:15am!

6 countries down, 190 to go.

To learn more about Joah Inn click here.

Country #5 – Guyana

Airport Day

What an uneventful mess today was. I woke up at 3:20am, having slept only two hours, to catch a ride back to the airport. Luckily, Jose was my driver again! We talked more about my trip during the ride. After we said goodbye I checked in for my flight and made my way to my terminal. After having security go through my entire bag for what seems like the hundredth time this week (I wish I knew what was setting it off) I made it to my gate. Unfortunately, my gate had an iPad playing ‘If you’re happy and you know it’ on repeat for a child who was not even watching. It was 5am so maybe not the best thing to do to win the favor of your fellow passengers. But alas, I boarded the flight and had a whole row to myself. Things were looking up.

Until arriving in Guyana, that is. Upon stepping foot outside of the departure hall there are (similar to Haiti but on a less extreme level) probably fifty men trying to give you a cab ride. However, I had decided not to go into Georgetown because from what I had researched there was not enough to see in the city to justify the over $50 round trip for a few hours. I wish I had seen it, but I’m still not feeling well from yesterday, it’s down pouring (I am in the rainforest, I guess), and it is too expensive.

I figured I would just sit in the airport and work – but boy was I wrong! There is nowhere to sit in the Guyana airport until after you check in. I arrived at 7:00am and my outgoing flight was at 10:45pm, so I needed to find somewhere to sit and work. My only option was a “restaurant” across the street. I ordered a pack of Pringles and orange juice in a can – as you can tell they had quite the selection.I decided to wait to eat real food until I got in the airport. The restaurant also had no wifi, so I was stuck using my phone’s sad 3G Guyanese service. I caught up on a lot of things that I needed to do, but not as much as I could have done with wifi. Oh well! I occupied my booth in the restaurant the entire day, and boy was it painfully slow.

After 12 hours in the restaurant, I made my way into the arrivals terminal. After about thirty minutes of waiting they began allowing check in. To go to Suriname, you have to have a Yellow Card proving that you have had the Yellow Fever Vaccine. This was my first time using my card on the trip! After going through security, you will not believe what I found – not a single restaurant or stand open! No food or drink anywhere in the terminal. My flight was then delayed until after midnight, which meant at this point I was going on two hours of sleep with nothing other than Pringles and a few protein bars.

The plane finally arrived and it was not what I was expecting. There were only about thirty people or so in our gate, but it was a giant plane. Turns out, it had flown in from Miami! It was almost entirely full before we even boarded. The flight took about forty minutes and I tried to sleep the entire time. Upon landing in Suriname U.S. citizens have to buy a tourist card, which is $35. After buying the card I went through border patrol easily, and then had to wait way too long for my bag. I then took a taxi service shuttle bus to my hotel for $10. Unfortunately, the city of Paramaribo is over an hour from its airport. I finally got to my room around 4:00am.

Thank goodness the room is nice! I am staying at Joah Inn, and after my day of small annoyances I could not be more excited than to stay in such a safe feeling place in the city-center of Paramaribo. Thank you to Joah Inn for sponsoring this night (and the next) of my trip! While today just seemed to be one thing after another, it wasn’t terrible. It was a necessary part of travel that I hopefully won’t have happen again too soon, but I am sure that it will. Next time I just hope there is food.

5 countries down, 191 to go.

For more information on Suriname click here to read my blog.

To learn more about Joah Inn click here.

Country #4 - Trinidad and Tobago

Sick Day #1

Today I woke up excited to explore Trinidad and Tobago but quickly realized that was not going to happen. I knew I would get sick on this trip multiple times, especially from all of the new foods that I am eating. Instead of exploring I was stuck in the room all day. I managed to eat a pack of Cheese-Its and work on plenty of things that needed to get done, but my day definitely did not go as planned to say the least.

I wanted to see the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Holy Trinity Cathedral, Maracas Bay, and Caroni Swamp National Park, but it just wasn’t going to happen. I still have so much ahead of me that I want to make sure I don’t burn out too quickly or get even more sick! After a few hours spent in bed at Monique's Guest House I had an interview with my local newspaper, The Tuscaloosa News, and a skype interview with them and my parents later in the day. I also did laundry for the first time on the trip. I used my Scrubba bag (shout out to Scrubba for the amazing product!) and it worked like a charm! I was definitely apprehensive doing laundry on my own using just a sink, but the Scrubba made it super easy – there are even instructions on the bag to help the laundry challenged. At least I had a productive sick day!

By dinner time I was starving and wanted to at least drive through the city. I found Buzo, an incredibly raved about restaurant that currently holds the top ranked spot on TripAdvisor. I felt up to it and called an uber. When I arrived I was seated with no wait and had the most incredible bread – it was steaming when it got to the table. I ordered the four cheese ravioli (I know, not great for someone with an upset stomach) but it was indescribably good. There was a hint of honey to it and breadcrumbs on top, both of which made it so unique and tasty. I unfortunately could only eat half, but I would honestly go back to Trinidad just for this meal. I definitely want to go back anyways because I feel like I missed out on seeing so much that the city had to offer.

After dinner I went back to my hotel and was able to watch the Nashville Predators game, as well as the Vanderbilt baseball game! Both seasons are coming to a close and it's been nice to have a little bit of home in the form of sports with me on the trip. So, it was a night filled with sports while I worked on planning future flights. I also ironed my laundry in an attempt to help it dry quicker - the humidity here is a killer. It was time consuming but eventually worked. I definitely wish my day had gone differently, but sometimes you just have to roll with what travel throws at you!

4 countries down, 192 to go.

To learn more about Monique's Guest House click here.

Country #3 – Jamaica Day 2

Jamaican Ice Cream

Today I woke up to the sun shining, exotic birds chirping, and the most incredible view from my room at Neita’s Nest. Jamaica just continued to impress. I went to the kitchen to meet Michelle (Neita’s Nest Owner), Graeme, and Duncan (her sons) for breakfast. Authentic Jamaican again! We had a tropical fruit plate of bananas, otaheti apples, and papaya with yogurt and honey, as well as ackee and saltfish with fried breadfruit. Definitely the most unique breakfast that I’ve ever had!

After breakfast I worked on the deck overlooking the amazing view for a few hours. Eventually it was time to go and unfortunately time to say goodbye to the Neitas. I cannot thank you all enough! A great driver came to pick me up and we made a few fun stops on my way to the airport! He was a really cool guy - he actually lived in Brooklyn for thirty years and both of his children are U.S. citizens, his son even serving in the U.S. Army. It was great to talk about New York with him!

First, we stopped by Devon House Ice Cream. Devon House is a beautiful old building that is quite historic – it was owned by the country’s first black millionaire. The strawberry ice cream was incredibly rich and began streaming down my hand within a matter of seconds, but it was so good. We then drove through Kingston, past the airport, and headed to Port Royal. Port Royal has been around for hundreds of years and is definitely something to see. Unfortunately, seeing is all I was able to do – I had to head to the airport to catch my plane!

On the way to the airport, my driver suddenly pulled over. I was confused at first, but then I quickly realized what he was doing. We had been talking about how different it is to drive on the left instead of the right side of the road, and he wanted me to give it a try! I think he enjoyed it as much as I did, but it was so fun to drive for just a few minutes on the straight and empty road back to the airport, especially with him laughing a good portion of the time! The ride to the airport, Devon House, and Port Royal was $53.

After being dropped off at the airport I checked in and had some time to kill. I found the famous Jamaican soft drink that Graeme had told me about, called Ting, as well as a Burger King. Ting is a grapefruit soft drink and it was so much better than I could have expected! I also grabbed a few Burger King nuggets because who know what kind of food situation awaited me upon a late arrival in Trinidad and Tobago.

My flight was about three hours long and was a little bumpy but not bad. I arrived in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago around 8:00pm, and then had what was definitely my longest customs line wait so far of about thirty minutes, which still is not bad. After clearing border patrol and customs I found my driver holding a sign with my name on it outside! He told me he was expecting a guy because he had never heard the name Taylor used as a first name before. It is always annoying when people assume that I am a guy by my name, but I also always enjoy breaking their preconceived notions (it happens in emails about TrekWithTaylor all of the time).

My driver, Jose, was so nice though! We talked about my trip and how he has lived or knows people in many of the places that I will be going. He himself was from Saint Vincent. The most interesting part of our conversation though was hearing that his son went to a small school in Alabama of all places on a soccer scholarship -  it really is a small world!

We talked the entire forty-five minute drive to my hotel, Monique’s Guest House. I said goodbye to Jose and met Winnie inside. She was so nice and helpful with everything! I loved getting to meet her after having emailed her about TrekWithTaylor over the past few months. A huge thank you to Monique’s for providing my accommodations in Trinidad and Tobago! My room was so nice and was the first room to not feature any flying bugs, which was a welcome change of pace. One of my favorite parts of the room was probably the TV – so many American channels which meant I would be able to watch the Nashville Predators play in the Stanley Cup Finals live the next day!

After checking in I worked for a little while and then went to sleep. This was my first night where I didn’t have to check out the next morning, so I was very excited to get a little extra sleep!

3 countries down, 193 to go.

Read about my first day in Jamaica here.

To learn more about Neita's Nest click here.

For more information on Trinidad and Tobago click here to read my blog.

To learn more about Monique's Guest House click here.

Country #3 - Jamaica Day 1

What I want out of this trip… is days like today

My day started with a bang. Literally. I woke up at 3am to a banging noise and thought someone had broken into my room in Haiti. Turns out it was just my GoPro Karma Grip turning on randomly in the middle of the night and attempting to calibrate by banging itself into a table. After an already rough night trying to sleep, thinking that someone was breaking in did not help things. However, my day only went up from here. Way up.

After minimal sleep and paranoia induced by my hotel’s location throughout the night (tip: when visiting Port-au-Prince, pay the extra money to stay in the suburbs if you are concerned about safety) I gathered my things and went downstairs to find my wonderful guide from the day before ready to take me to the airport! One last drive through dust filled Haiti commenced, leaving me one last time to see the chaos and unfortunate reality of still destroyed Port-au-Prince.

I also realized, upon arriving at the airport, that I had not seen one other non-Hatian my entire time in Haiti from leaving the airport until returning. The airport itself contained missionary groups from the U.S., but beyond that I did not see one other obvious tourist like myself. Being so visibly aware of how much of an outsider I was and worrying about what the Haitians were thinking as I drove by was both scary yet enlightening.

After wishing my wonderful driver farewell I attempted to find the line for my airline. The arrivals hall emulated the city: it was a crazy mess. Haitians were lining the hall waiting with folders attempting to, from what I was told, get visas. While waiting in line I ran into two other young female American travelers (shout out to Danielle and Paige!). They were from Nebraska and had just come from Panama, spent four days volunteering in Haiti, and were now headed to Costa Rica. After going through security and a painless border control we ran into each other again on the other side and talked for quite a while waiting to board our plane to Fort Lauderdale. It was so great meeting them and I hope to meet up with them again in Costa Rica!

Before boarding the plane everyone had to go through security again, and this time everyone had to be patted down and have their bags searched by hand. I’m not quite sure why this is necessary as we had literally just been through security, but at least the line for women was shorter as there were so few on our flight.

On the plane I sat next to another American from New Orleans. He had been in Haiti working with a team for two weeks. I cannot even begin to imagine! He was so excited to get back to the U.S., where we have street signals and hot water. We talked for a while and then I attempted to sleep. Upon landing in Fort Lauderdale I had a quick and easy customs experience as I have Global Entry. I have had it for a few years now (ever since I went on a trip with family members who had it) and it had never really come in handy until this journey. I can only begin to imagine the amount of times that I will use it, but I am already glad to have it.

In Fort Lauderdale I ate at the Food Network branded restaurant again as it was the only sit down restaurant in my terminal. I had an overpriced club sandwich with “cheese fries” that were literally just parmesan cheese on fries - needless to say this cheese fanatic was sorely disappointed – and a really good orange juice. I then had about an hour to work on things before boarding my flight to Kingston, Jamaica.

The flight to Kingston was pretty bumpy but otherwise there were no problems. I arrived and went to customs, where I was a little confused because the immigration officer asked me if I had seen the nurse in the airport. I said no and that was that, but I have no idea why she asked. After clearing customs I was met outside by Graeme, the oldest son of the owner of where I would be staying, Neita’s Nest. He was driving me to Neita's Nest but along the way gave me a wonderful tour of Kingston. The drive leaving the airport and going into Kingston was breathtaking. The bay on your left with the mountains straight ahead and the sun shining – it was incredible.

We then drove through downtown Kingston where we rode past the National Gallery and I learned about how Kingston is attempting to revive downtown and make itself a center of business once again. From there we drove by Fleet Street. According to my guide, Fleet Street is a poorer area of town, but an area where the walls of the run-down buildings have been turned into immaculate art through painting, most of which were painted by artists from the local school of arts. We saw a soccer match being played on concrete amongst the buildings and walked a short bit to see some of the coolest art. 

From Fleet Street we drove some more and saw landmarks such as Emancipation Park, Devon House (the first large house owned by a black person in Jamaica -  it is described as looking similar to an immaculate plantation house), the Cricket stadium, and past the Bob Marley Museum. We then picked up a friend, Renée, before driving up into the hills of Jamaica to Neita’s Nest.

Upon arrival I met the wonderful owner, Michelle, and her youngest son, Duncan. The bed and breakfast style accommodation of Neita’s Nest sits in the hills of Kingston overlooking stunning views of the mountains. I want to say the biggest of thank yous to Michelle and her family for hosting me and sponsoring this night of my trip – I could not have had a better or more welcoming stay!

The original plan for dinner was to go to a local Jerk restaurant. Jerk is a type of pork (and now chicken as well) that originated on the island from its first inhabitants who ate it in the hills while hiding out from the British on the island to avoid becoming enslaved. However, the car battery would not start so Michelle and a few others went to the restaurant to pick up the food to eat on the balcony at Neita's Nest. While doing so, however, I got to spend more time talking with Duncan and met Joelle!

Joelle had read all about what I am doing and was such a joy to meet. She was so excited to talk about what I was doing and had so many questions! Amazing in her own right, she just graduated from high school in the Netherlands. It was so cool to talk about the world with her and to see a young girl so excited about what I am doing! It made me so happy – thank you Joelle!

Once dinner arrived, along with Joelle's uncle Nevada, we then feasted on the Jerk as well as conch soup, fried plantain, and bread fruit. Needless to say it was a night full of trying new things, but it was fantastic! I talked at length with Nevada, who attended college in the United States and has himself traveled to over eighty countries. He had some amazing stories, especially about his time in India, and great tips for my travels as well!

After dinner we had the most amazing dessert – dulche de leche ice cream with rum cake. So yummy. We all talked for about four hours and I had the most incredible time. I learned so much about Jamaican culture, from the dance to the history and everything in-between. There was even a well-intentioned push by Joelle to get me to try and dance, but alas that was a little too much for me (the worst dancer in the world) – so I just learned about it instead!

I had such a great night and I cannot thank everyone enough for making me feel so welcome. From the tour to the dinner and the discussions about culture and the world, it was such a fantastic night. I hope to have many more like it on my trip. It’s nights like tonight that make me so excited for what is to come! I hope to meet many more people who are just as incredible and welcoming, as I did throughout my day from the airport in Haiti to Neita’s Nest in Jamaica.

3 countries down, 193 to go. 

Read about my second day in Jamaica here.

To learn more about Neita's Nest click here.