Monday, February 2. Back on the coast, the base of operations shifts to the historic plantation at Peperpot Nature Park. The adjacent nature park proves to be a wildlife-spotting paradise, home to agoutis, squirrel monkeys, and brown capuchin monkeys. A road trip to other plantations reveals the region’s rich—albeit partly dilapidated—sugar and coffee history, including the Katwijk and Wederzorg coffee plantations and the run-down Mariënburg sugar factory. At the historic Fort Nieuw-Amsterdam, the open-air museum offers a deeper look into the colonial past. Late in the afternoon, a dolphin-spotting tour departs from Leonsberg Pier—offering sightings of pink river dolphins—followed by a swamp boat trip through the darkness near Plantation Margaretha in search of caimans.
Wednesday is dedicated to the journey west to Nieuw-Nickerie. Because the official ferry to neighboring Guyana is out of service due to mechanical issues, a local intermediary in the village of Paradise arranges an informal crossing for the following morning via the so-called ‘backtrack’ route by speedboat.
The border crossing on Thursday is a highly bureaucratic affair, involving the digital completion of an exit form. Once across the river by speedboat, a Guyanese driver—who racks up a hefty speeding fine along the way—races us to the capital, Georgetown. The city makes a poor and chaotic impression, and we discover that the pre-booked hotel has already given the room to someone else. Nevertheless, we take a vigorous walking tour of historic wooden buildings, including Parliament, St. Andrew’s Kirk, the bustling Stabroek Market, and the traditional, thatched-roof Umana Yana on the coast.
The return journey on Friday turns into a major logistical frustration. The driver shows up hours late, causing the travelers to just miss the scheduled ferry. Customs officials refuse to stamp our documents, forcing us to spend the night in town. The first “hotel” looks like a brothel, so we find another one. A nicer, but noisy border hotel blaring loud music. A bitter confrontation over the fare ensues at the border gate on Saturday morning. Only after police mediation and a disadvantageous deal we are allowed to board the defective ferry, which has to be pushed across by a tugboat.
