We arrived in Surinam at Sanderij Airport and got stuck in the immigration. We did not have visa. I tried to argue that Norwegian citizens did not need a visa. I told them that I even sent a fax to the Surinam consulate in Den Haag in Holland and asked them if I needed A visa to enter Surinam?? The answer was no, so we went without visa and got stuck. We even got a fine for not having visa and that was US$40 and another 30 for visa???? All together US$70, and all this took time too. All the other people were already gone, and they were even closing the airport. The airport was only open Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. The owner of the car company we had booked our car, was waiting, and he came into the office to look after us. But we got at last our passport and could "wake up" the customs, so we could get out of the airport.

We were heading to the city of Paramaribo but when we came to the suburb of Lelydorp it was 15 km outside downtown Paramaribo, we found a Hotel called Hotel Lely. 

We got rooms and we was ready for dinner and cold beers. The local beer was Parbo or we could buy Heineken. We needed to stay a couple of days at the Hotel, because our jeep was not ready, and we had to change money, confirm our return flight and we needed another stamp in our passport, we had to get this stamp before eight days after arrival. So we decide to do these things first before we were heading for the Jungle. I had got a contact person in Surinam, his name was Karel Kasanpawiro, he turned out to be a great guy, helping us with the things we needed help to. But even Ronny the guy from the Car Rental Company was helping us a lot. He knew the word SERVICE.

I'll jump ahead a couple of days until we got our jeep, and we was filling the jeep complete, we could not get more into the car. But we was five persons with complete camping gear, food and our boxes to keep the fish in and more, and more...... so I did not look out the backdoor window before we delivered the car. The car worked well, the only problem we had was several flat tire, but we manage.

The first place we wanted to go to was Brokopondo, we drived from Paramaribo and up to Paranam, then it was dust road for the rest of the road up to Brokopondo.

Dusty road, but still rather good.

Brokopondo was a good place, in the "park"?? it was a hut, well a hut without walls, but a place where we could hang up our hammocks and where we could cook food. Surinam River was at its best here, the water was clear, fine sand at bottom, lot of Geophagus surinamensis, Guianacara owroewefi, Rhineloricaria sp.???

Our camp at Brokopondo.

Geophagus surinamensis

The water temperature was 30*C and the air temp was 32,4*C. pH 5,5 - dH 0 - kH 0,5 - Nitrit less than 0,1>- mS 20. It was perfect, we could stay in the water all day long, and we collect the fish we wanted.

Is there any in the net???

In the evening we cooked our supper and we found a place were they was selling huge beers (1 liter)!!

It looks good??

But, after a long day in the sun and the water, this was perfect too, can you imagine !! I love this. The only thing I was not so happy about was the heat when we was going to bed, sorry hammock, the sweat was running down your chest, no wind only the heat. But, there is always something that is not perfect. In the morning we jump into the river, made breakfast and start changing water on the fish we had, and then we was ready to collect and study the fish in the river again. Later we decide to drive up to the Brokopondo Dam, to see if we could find Geophagus brokopondo and see if there was a place to make camp for the night.

The Dam for the Brokopondo Lake.

Here we are downhill from the Village Afobaka.

You can see that Lake Brokopondo is an artificial lake, you can still see trees in the water.

We did not find any good place to stay for the night and decide to go back to Brokopondo. I was trying with my cast net before we should go back, and manage to collect two Geophagus, if these fish is Geophagus brokopondo or Geophagus surinamensis I can't tell. The two fish were put into formalin and I will probably hear from Dr. Kullander when he has study the fish, but they look pritty much alike. But, there is obviously some differences that is not easy for a amateur to see.

I was out diving too, and saw plenty fish, but there was a lot of logs and rocks and that made is very difficult to use the cast net and the seine. There was a lot of hidingplaces for the fisk there, and I got a lot of Tetras or sardines in the net, but not more than the two Geophagus.

 We drove back to Brokopondo and lucky for us the place in the park was available. We hung up our hammocks and I start making supper while Stein Arild went to buy beer and Tom went up to the lady who was in charge of the park to pay 5000 Surinam guilden for the night. It's about 5 US$. The next morning after breakfast and changing water on our fish, we start on the road to Pokigron (look at the map). It was out on the dusty road again, but we find a place to buy som cold...... so we manage. We drove into the Village Pokigron, but there was no canoes there and we were told to drive a little further ahead to a place called Pokigron Atjoni, and there we found the canoes.

Village Pokigron.

Now we got to the Pokigron Atjoni. Here is Ingemann carry the rest of our luggage down to the canoe, where you can see our fish boxes.

It took about two hours up the river, crossing several rapids, stop at several village to deliver goods and then we came to the small camp at Djomongo falls.

We were met by Stanley Abini and his wife and they act like we were old friends. We gave our recommendation letter from Karel Kasanpawiro to Stanley. Karel knew Stanley very well, and it was necessary with this letter, because we could not talk Stanleys language. None of as could speak Dutch, nor "Saramaca" or "Taki-Taki" but we manage by using hands and fingers. The water in Surinam River here at Djomongo Falls, was very hot, the water temperature was 36* C. I did not like it so hot, because you was not cooled down by the water. I was in the water for hours, but I was still feeling rather warm.
I manage to collect a couple of "Loricaridaes", but I have no idea what the name on the fish will be.

The water in the river here at Djomongo Fall was rather turbid, so you did not see the fish before it was in front of your nose, but I saw Abramites sp., Anostomus anostomus, and some sardins?? But, I did not see any Geophagus. We did collect some Rivulus sp. in a small VERY shallow creek, and we baptize it Djomongo Creek. Stanley took us with in his canoe to visit som small rivers with clear water, but they were so shallow so we just have to walk in them and try to catch with our handnet. I manage to collect a small frog and took a photo of it. Tom, I think it was him collect a "Hunter Spider" with very long legs.

Nice, is it not??

No one wanted to keep him so I could get a good photo of it, so I had to keep it on my hand. Stanley said it does bite, but I did not squeeze it, so no problem, I've kept them before. Maybe they don't like the taste of my skin?????

We was looking in several small rivers, and I collect som small Teras, beond that we did not catch much. Well we was going back down the river next day, and we wanted to go to Brokopondo again and stay the night there. The man with the canoe came at the right time the day after and we could put our gear into his canoe and say goodbye to the Albini family. We gave Stanley one of our cast net as gift for his hospitality, and he was very glad. Before we left Surinam I gave Karel one of my net too, so he could give it to Stanley.

When we came down to Atjoni and got all of our gear up to the car, which was still there, we saw that the left back tire was flat, so I had to change the wheel before we put all our things into the car.

When I started with changing the wheel, again I think it was Stein Arild that used his head again, look at the photo in front of my face.

To change the wheel was nothing when I had this in front of my face. No wonder I was smiling despite the heat. After finished the beer, and load our stuff in the car we hit the road to Brokopondo. There we was lucky, the hut was available, so we hung up our hammocks, change water on our fish, and start thinking about supper. Next morning it was the same again, making breakfast, changing water on the fish an start packing our things into the car.

Then we saw that there was very little air in one of the wheel again. We had to find an air-compressor, but where?? So we asked the lady in charge of "the park" if she knew about an air-compressor. She thought they had one at the Commisarie. It was the office for the village community. I asked the caretaker if he had a compressor, I think he understand the word compressor, because he lift his hand, "like, waite a minute". And he went into the back room and came towing back with a small compressor. The compressor did not have an instrument for measuring the pressure. I said 50 lbs all round. Then he took up from his pocket a big screwdriver, I wonder what he want with it?? Then he went to one of the wheel that had good pressure, and he knocked at the wheel and listen to the sound. Then he knocked at the wheel with low pressure, and filled it up with air while he was knocking at it. And the sound was pritty much alike when he was finished. Smart?? He did not asked for anything but I gave him 500 S.G. and that was less than a dollar. He was smiling and we shake hands and said godbye.

.

We used about 2-2 1/2 hour back to Paramaribo and our Hotel Lily and was checking in before we went for lunch, on our regular place the Chinese restaurant Dja Foe in the evening we got a sad message, Stein Arild had to go home, he had got the message that his mother in law was dead.

When he got this sad message and realize he had to go home, we decide that we should collect in the local district since we had to waite until we had placed Stein Arild on the plane to go other places. When Stein Arild was gone, we wanted to go to Saramaca and Coppename River, or drive as far as we could, since we were told that we could not go so far as Blanche Marie. They told us that a bridge was burned??

When you click on this photo, you can possible imagin how we enjoy it in the river?

Well we start on the dusty road and stopped at a nice biotop where we collect Apistogramma ortmanni, Nanacara anomala, Cleithracara maroni and Krobia guyanensis, Nanostomus marginatus, Copella arnoldi and other Tetras. Ingemann is watching us diving in the river.

We continue to Saramaca River which was a white water river, but before we crossed the bridge we saw a small black water river comming out from the forest and we decide to take a look there. There was nothing to see (when we was diving) in Saramaca River. On the photo you can easily see the different between the black water and the white water in Saramaca River. We crossed the bridge and I decide to try the cast net to see what we would get.

The fish I collect was some big Tetras and a catfish of Pimelodella type. After putting the Tetras in Formalin we continue on the road to Coppename River. I shall not bore you to tell you about our "seight seeing" before we at last came to Coppename River. As usual in South America, people over there think everybody knows where the roads are going, so why bother putting up signs so strangers can find the right road??So, we had a little sight-seeing before we came on the right track.We were crossing other rivers, but since it was beginning to be late, and we wanted to get to Coppename River before dark, we decide to check some of the rivers we were passing on our way back.

At last we saw the bridge over Coppename River and that there were placed oil barrels to block the road, a man came to our car and said we could not pass the bridge.

The bridge was rotten, so they should put on new planks, but they would not be finish before next month. So we decide to make camp there for the night and do some fishing in the morning next day.

.

Next morning we changed water on our fish and I decide to put on my divingmask and snorkel and do some fishing. I did collect Guyancara owroewefi, Krobia guyanensis and some Hypostomus sp.? Around lunch-time we decide to break up our camp and start on the road back. After some hours drive we came to a very nice biotop with black water, and decide to use the seine since the bottom was of fine sand. And what a catch, we got in the first catch more than 60 Corydoras a lot of Pimelodella sp. and plenty small Rhineloricaria sp. This was a very good stop. Then it start a very heavy rain shower so we decide to drive on. We thought that we might be camping along the road that day, but as we were driving I was thinking of a "good bed" some cold beer and and a meal with Sweet & Sour at the Chines restaurant, so I told the others if they bought me a couple of beer I would drive all the way back. I think the other guys too, had the same in mind as I had, so they agree and after a long hard drive on bad road, we ended up at Hotel Lily later that evening.

Since the days had been running very fast (they always do that when you enjoy yourself) we did not have many days left before we should go home. So the last place we should visit was Maroni River or Marowinje as they called it in Surinam. Again we had good help from Karel Kasapawiro, he knew people out there we could contact and that would help us.

This time we should go to Moengo or Mongo is what they say, it's a small village/community based on the mining company SURALCO. That mean Surinam Aluminum Company, most of the people living there work for this company, or they own a shop etc. The guy out there had arrange for us rooms that we could hire.

To get to Moengo we had to take the ferry in Paramaribo crossing the Surinam River and drive on the road call east - west connection. We stopped in creecks, small rivers ponds, or whatever looks interesting for us. But it was first the day after we found places of interest, we drove on the main road to Albina but took a right turn when we saw a sign with the name NANTI PLASI,

I don't remember how far it was from Moengo, but there is not so many signs along the road so you will easy see it on your left side. There we drove on a dust road for about 5km. then we came to the river, we collect Corydoras sp. and we did also collect a Crenichicla sp. who I think belong to the saxitilis- group.

The water in the river was a little turbid but we had about one meter we could see, but we easily stir up the mud on the bottom and did not see a sh... But, we manage to collect some Corydoras and some Crenicichla. There was also Tetras there but we did not have interest in collect any. We decide the day after that it had to be Maroni River, this was the last day we had to collect on, because the day after that, we had to go back to Paramaribo and start packing.

After breakfast we start heading east to Albina and Maroni River, we hoped that we would be able to collect Geophagus harreri, but we was not so lucky. The river was muddy and we try to collect with the seine, but we did only collect some Loricaria and som Pimelodella sp.

After fishing for awhile in the heat, we decide that we deserve a couple of cold beer before we was going back to Moengo. Can you imagine how good a cold beer taste in this heat!!! Excellent, I can assure you that. Well, it was time for us to think about the road back to Moengo because we were going back to Paramaribo the day after. Before we came to Moengo Ingemann said; What is this sound I'm hearing, I heard it too, "flap, flap, flap", guess what it was?? You're right, a flat tire. Well we had to change, and we got back to Moengo a little later than we expected. The day after on our way back to Paramaribo, we was checking ponds and rivers, but some was muddy and some were black water, that I could not see anything when I used the mask and snorkel.

When we came back to Hotel Lily, we should in the evening collect fish with light at a place near the airport called Republiek. This was also black water, but it was clear and the fishes we were looking for was Mesonauta sp. and Scalare. We could collect them close to the trees were they was standing high in the water close to the roots. I collect with me 5 Scalare and 10 Mesonauta.

The Mesonauta sp. look similar to Mesonauta insignis, so I did not bring back any live specimen. Can you guess what happen when I got back home?? My friend Rainer Stawikowski told me that this fish had now been described as a new specie and was called Mesonauta guyanae, described by Ingo Schindler, Berlin.

We did also visit a bird farm ONone of the last dayS, and to look at these nice birdS in cageS make you think. Back home it's nice to look at beautiful Geophagus surinamensis, Krobia, Guyanacara and dream about the the trip to Surinam. I have also start thinking about next trip and this might be Guyana or Brazil in October, or I wait to February/March next year and go back to a lovely country, namely Colombia.

So I hope you have had some fun reading this article, we did collect IN more places than I have told you here, but this is from most of the places. And you are welcome to drop me a line or two to tell me what you think about this article.

See you,

Alf

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