Countries, People & Travels

La Palma – Canary Islands Christmas
After teaching English in Thailand for a couple of months (which I didn’t like too much, to say the least), I went back to Europe, this time to Fran [ ... ]

Puerto Iguazú | Iguazú Waterfalls Argentina
With Christmas 2019, Elissa and I were staying in an apartment rental in Puerto Iguazú, the latter a border town in northeast Argentina. Puerto Iguaz [ ... ]

Am I Still Surinamese? What Suriname Means to Me
Every now and then I come across columns and essays that have “being Surinamese” and “feeling Surinamese” as their subject, but often I find t [ ... ]

December Murders in Suriname | The Emotional Aftermath
One of the emotionally difficult issues in Suriname and between the Surinamese, diaspora or not, is the question of the December Murders in 1982. It� [ ... ]

One Year in Paris | France
Paris is the city of superlatives — of stunning landmarks, dramatic monuments, the beau arts, classy museums, haute cuisine, haute couture, city [ ... ]

Christmas in La Palma – The Dog That Died
In October 2013, I arrived on La Palma, Canary Islands (Spain), trying to “make it happen” there. La Palma had already been on my mind for quite a [ ... ]

Visiting the Islands of French Guiana
One of the interesting things about French Guiana, at least compared to Suriname (Dutch Guiana), is that you find quite some nice islands not far off [ ... ]

Suriname After the Civil War – The New Order
In February 1996, it was the first time I went back to Suriname after the December Murders of 1982. I went for a three weeks’ holiday after having b [ ... ]

From Macouria to Paramaribo – The Road Trip
In October 2011, I flew from France to French Guiana. My idea was to journey over land to Paramaribo, Suriname. The reason for my planned visit had to [ ... ]

Christmas in French Guiana | Off-Grid Living
In December 2012, it had been almost a year that I was living in French Guiana (South America), in the midst of the Amazonian jungle, in an open-air h [ ... ]