Suzette deserves a statue in a place of her own choosing! She arranged our family trip to Suriname truly perfectly. A party of 14 people with just as many wishes, preferences, concerns, and allergies.
She organized everything completely tailor-made, ensuring that we not only had a fantastic holiday but also experienced a memorable journey in which we rediscovered our ancestors.
We went on ' with 4 cousins and our familiesroots tripEach family traveled independently for a period, after which we came together to focus on the places where our ancestors had lived, worked, etc. For this review, I will limit myself to the trip my family took.
At our request, Suzette had arranged 'courtesy service' at the airport. This gives you priority at customs and your suitcases are retrieved for you. In hindsight, it wasn't necessary; everything went lightning fast and easily anyway. My cousin didn't have courtesy service and she was outside before us. The return journey would have gone smoothly without this service as well. But it was still nice that the option was available!
We started with a few nights in the classic ToraricaA nice hotel where we enjoyed delicious pina coladas by the pool.
On the first morning, we were picked up by guide Anouar, who gave us a very interesting tour of Paramaribo. He told us a tremendous amount and even sang the Surinamese national anthem for us.
After that, we went to the resort. Anaula went. This was also excellently organized. The boat trip was a wonderful experience in itself. The resort was lovely. We saw lots of animals, went on night trips, visited a Maroon village, danced a lot, and ate delicious food.
Back in Paramaribo, we were upgraded to Torarica RoyalThat was classy! Top hotel. My adult children were the only ones with a room at the front, and didn't sleep a wink because of a party across the street.
Aunt Elfriede's cooking workshop is highly recommended. She took us to the market and supermarket to buy the ingredients for the pom, peanut soup, and pancakes we were going to make. At her home, we prepared and ate the delicious dishes. It was very enjoyable and educational.
Then the moment arrived for the merging of the 4 families, and our began search for the ancestorsThis, too, was perfectly prepared by Suzette. Exactly the right guides for the right moments. Desmond accompanied us through the city and sensed exactly what we needed. Jacqueline guided us to the Kronenburg and Alkmaar plantations and supported us during the ritual we performed there. And Desmond took us to the Kent plantation, where he advised us to have lunch with our ancestors during the ritualGran Tangi'.
Meanwhile, we stayed in the pleasant Bastion in Commewijne. A nice swimming pool, good food, and to top it all off, a lively dance evening with live music.
Full of all the impressions and miraculous events in the interaction with our ancestors, we blissfully relaxed for a few more days in a paradisiacal hotel. Bloemendaal, in Groningen, Sarramacca.
The sloth sanctuary nearby was a nice outing, but the chance of not seeing any animals is very high. Then you only get to see some pictures on a small laptop screen. We were lucky that there was a sloth there that day, but we had already seen them a few times in the wild. The bike ride there was very beautiful, though!
In short, a holiday full of natural beauty and family fun, and a journey full of meaning and connection.
Suzette made that possible for us, and for that I am intensely grateful to her!
Greeting!
Esme
