Hike: Montagne Des Singe / "Mountain of Monkeys"

Hellooooooooo!Last sunday we took a little trip up to Montagne Des Singe, or the "Mountain of Monkeys". Although we didn't encounter any monkeys, which I actually hear are quite rare, we had a good stretch of our legs on the climb up to the top.

This little hike is one of the rarer treks as it is "paved" all the way to the top, where there is also a viewing-tower. Apparently such hikes were built by forced labour of French Guianan prisoners. People were used as machinery, afforded the value of what their bodies could withstand in pursuit of infrastructure. Coming from Finland, a young country that functions along the basis of "equal for all", this is a strange concept to wrap my head around. It was an odd feeling, ascending a mountain in the middle of nowhere on a paved path, surrounded by absolutely untamed jungle. I felt guilty using the pavements, as if I too, by default, became part of the "ruling elite".

Although this thought was unsettling, it did not persist to linger long in my mind. I was busy trying to prove my Finnish strength by not falling too far behind Anthony, who was shooting up the goddamn hill. How annoying. But I came to realize that he was most probably just trying to prove his resolute strength in doing so. Quite funny really, both as bad as each other - how carnal, and ultimately quite silly.

Although the hike wasn't all that physically taxing it felt good to reach the top. Exercise in this climate is rather deceptive; after only a short period of time you are dripping in sweat and breathing heavily. You feel rather accomplished even though you've really done bugger all :D

These trees are just magnificent. Just, wow - Goodness. "Hello there tree, you've been here hundreds of years. I pretty much just got here in comparison with you. You look good - keep it up." (Ha!)
So my phone was having some difficulty shooting in the low light so it is a bit over-exposed, but you get the picture - these guys are big.
Melba loved running around off the lead and was her bouncy self. Meanwhile I was hoping she wouldn't run into a poisonous snake or spider or something equally dangerous.
The view from the top was definitely worthwhile. The wooden viewing-tower was covered in little notes or inscribed with names and dates commemorating people's visits - it's funny how humans tend to want to leave a mark on where they've been. I enjoy reading them because it is such a human phenomenon.

You can't see it in the picture but the launch site is just in the distance. Pretty cool.

Melba was pretty beat too :)

 
We took some fun photos :)


And found some of these humongous ants - seriously. Now there is a French Guianan ant. It could probably carry me if it wanted to.


We came home and Melba looked like this - SUCCESS!

Thank you to my readers and I hope all of you are doing well!

P E A C E !

Finding My Feeties

Two and a half weeks in and I am starting to find my little feeties here. Although it is still really (super) hot, it is kind of a given now so I seem to somehow have grown a little bit more accustomed to it. I no longer feel the constant need to tell everybody how hot I am. The whiteness of my skin still reminds me how far I've got to go to fit in a little bit more around these parts. I saw one other caucasian woman that was just as white as I am - score! I've been trying to work on my tan in order to blend in and seem a little bit less like a lost tourist, but I have to wear and SPF of 50 (the bottle designed for kids (and Finnish people)) because otherwise I just cook so it is slow work.

But heck, I've gotten around a bit since my last post. I'm having my "dinner" as I write this which I have to share with you because I find it rather funny - Desperados beer with crackers and cheese, a confused French dinner. I found organic cheese in the SUPER U (the supermarket)! C'est trés délicieux!

Right, so last weekend I went to my first "carbet". Essentially a hut in the jungle next to a river, designed for leisure activities. This particular Carbet was a fancy pancy one, I was forewarned that not all carbet's would be this luxurious - I'm talking toilets, showers, barbecue and kitchenette. Now that is not bad as far as camping goes. The new element was the sleeping arrangement. I am used to hiking, in Finland. Tents and doing your needed deeds in the open forest are no obstacle for me, so essentially this was five star camping as far as I was used to. But, what I was not prepared for was having to sleep in a hammock. Yes. There are especially designed mosquito nets that you place over your hammock and voila! There is your portable bed.

Sooo that was an interesting night. I didn't sleep all that badly actually, it was quite comfortable. I am not sure whether this was due to the rum that saw some enjoyment the night before. Upon arrival Anthony's colleagues were taking advantage of the river and doing some water sports, including kneeboarding and wake-boarding. Just before darkness we took a boat ride along the river. The sun was just going down and it was very surreal somehow. The jungle seemed to be falling in on the lake as there was no visible sandbank, just thickset jungle. We also tried not to kill the guy being trailed behind the boat. Because wake-boarding on a river at dusk in French Guiana whilst being under the influence is never a bad idea when you're a Frenchie (Pfff... just nuts I tell you). Anyway, the rest of the evening was spent playing a French card game called "belottte", which is extremely complicated (hurray!). I managed to hold face solely due to Anthony's boss, who was acting as "advisor" to the newbie. All in all it was a fun night!

- - -

Of course, on the 14th of July the French celebrate Bastille Day, the French National Day commemorating the commencement of the French Revolution with the storming of Bastille on the 14th of July in 1789 (yes, I did my homework). Of course these celebrations are extensive in "métropole" (the local term for mainland France). In Kourou there was a short Gendarmerie (Police) and Army parade along the street parallel to the beach, Avenue Félix Eboué. The rather funny thing was that the sound kept failing. I laughed. There we were, celebrating the glory of France, with people gathered and inspirational music playing... and beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..... - It was funny. I felt it was an authentic French Guianan moment :) saying that, the sound technician probably lost his/her job, poor fellow.

The French Navy Marines based in Kourou. Saluting and all - I thought it was kind of exciting.

The Gendarmerie based in Kourou. Cute hats.

The French Foreign Legion - Check out these bearded and aproned men - super cool uniforms, most definitely the best dressed lot - 10 points and a sticker for good effort :D

Then anthony had the camera so he took pictures of tanks.

And me, saluting (poorly) :) 

(There were more but I'm going to spare the visual army jargon).

- - -

Then...   B E A C H   T I M E !

This is the Kourou beach which is literally right outside our house... which is kind of awesome.

The beach is in a pretty good condition too. Of course there is trash but the tide is quite useful as it keeps most of the beach free from debris.

The tide moves quite a bit as you can see from the picture. Just the day before the water level was covering the entire area with the darker shaded sand.

Mmmhhh...

Can you hear the rushing waves yet? Those huts on the beach amongst the palm trees are used for setting up your hammock for a relaxing afternoon or for barbecues and partying during the evening.

An Anthony and a Melba.

The patterns that the water leaves in the sand are simply fantastic. I think they look like sand sinews, like the muscles of the beach.

I simply love the palm trees. Even though they pose hazardous, they are beautiful to look at.

A white male and a happy dog :)

Melba still loves her sticks, although now they come in the form of driftwood.

She is still learning what happens when you drink too much of the beach water - it is definitely not pleasant.

- - -

During the weekend Anthony also managed to try out his kite-surf. I have never seen this done but it looks like heaps of fun... and very very difficult.

So there you have it, our weekend in a nutshell!

Acclimatization Station :)

So we landed in one piece, Melba included. There were two other dogs traveling on the same flight which I think probably helped calm her nerves; pet camaraderie, if you will. And instead of one taking the bus and the other the car we managed to use every inch of space of our little Clio on the way home and got to travel home together - Success!

     At this moment I am sitting on what I am to call "my terrace", but it still feels too foreign for the possessive aspect. Also, the sentence "yeah, I live in South America" feels like lying blatantly. I will have to work on those. Also, there are grass-trimmers surrounding the house so I kind of feel like I'm writing at a local airfield at the moment. But when you're new to living in South America and you have a terrace filled with colorful hammocks you damn well sit on it to write your blog post. So here I am, poised amidst the buzz.

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     The first days spent at my new home have all been bundled into a blurry haze. But one distinct impression remains, the goddamn HEAT. Seriously, I mean it's not just hot, it's this almost wet and weighty, encapsulating type of humid "hot". And yes, I am Finnish, and I have little to no sense of heat-tolerance... blablabla, but I am almost close to certain that even if you'd place some kind of saharan wanderer out here, they'd at least  grant you that it's rather toasty. Over the past week I have been getting used to almost always being covered by a light coat of sweat - sorry, but it's totally true. It is really quite amazing how quickly you can adapt to being constantly a little sticky. Wearing shorts, skirts and dresses every single day is something I could definitely get used to though - so light! On the flipside, I will have to maintain a decent level of personal grooming now - no excuses.

     After going for a run (which turned into a walk) we got "rained on", where the end-result was equal to having jumped into the pool. The rain is like a tap, turned on one minute and off the next. Melba's reaction mid-walk was really quite funny, she doesn't like rain as it is but this was just something else; her eyes a'squint looking to me for answers to this madness. I really thought it was quite refreshing.

     Last week we headed down to Cayenne, the "capital" for some all around shopping. We managed to find bits and bobs for house and garden maintenance - and very nice plates! Of course, my passion for kitchenware filled, I was thrilled. We even managed to find a hoover, a blender and a dog basket (which the little vermin has still to accept as it is made of plastic and the miss doesn't like beds that shift under her weight). Cayenne was really quite impressive, a city full of character with an authentic jazzy vibe to it. The remnants of colonial architecture are clearly visible on the style of the houses. I didn't remember my camera so I didn't manage to take any pictures this time... sowwy - Soonsoon.

     We've visited the local market, about a 15-20 minute walk away, which was really quite impressive. There were plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, spices and such. Since my arrival we had not eaten any fresh veg or fruit so I was really craving something ripe and juicy. We bought ingredients for a salad and some mangoes and limes - mangoes for smoothies and limes for the evening rum cocktail, both of which are absolutely mouthwateringly tasty. The funky local maracuja fruit (pictured below) is also very zesty and tasty.

     Over the last weekend we did some very needed gardening; we were getting ingrown quite rapidly. Upon uncovering the greenery we discovered we have both a pineapple bush and some baby banana trees! .. It is too small for producing bananas but still! THIS is possibly the coolest thing ever - I mean we have a banana tree :D ... that is just too awesome. Also, we have some coconut trees and I seriously live in fear of having one drop on my head, unlikely as it is. How embarrassing would that be, fly all the way to S.A. to get killed by a coconut. Just pitiful. (Note to self: trying to throw a fallen coconut on the other still attached coconuts in order to make them fall, does not work and may result in serious injury. Avoid).

The acclimatization process has kicked in:

I live in South America, where I have a banana tree and a pineapple bush. It totally sounds good :)

Hammocks and heat.
Poolside
Sunshine.

Here we go!

The first post. Ever. On my Blog – damn that pressure. But hey, currently I am lounging in a First Class seat bound for a continent I have never set foot on. So far I am going to vouch my current situation is looking pretty un-situational. BOOM-SHAKA-BOOM-VROOM. Two champagne glasses and a glass of red wine down and this is what I have to say.

It is really hard to look normal in First Class when you’ve never sat in an automated reclining chair on a plane before (leg-room like you wouldn’t believe! ... actually I kinda feel like a midget as a consequence). Movies, games.. the whole shebang) waitwaitwait.. Champagne? – Why yes, that’ll do me just fine, thank you. Honestly I feel a bit like I’m a posing peasant – but by golly it’s kind of (/super) fun and my grin is topsy-turvy wide-eyed and booming. This new chapter has kicked off rather fantastically.

On Friday the 27^th, 2014 I set out from Helsinki, Paris bound. First off, fitting your material life into 40kg is a bit of a challenge. I repacked about three times (alas, my very awesome collection of shot glasses bought in cities I have previously visited, had to wait for second rounds – hahaha! Get it?! … Second ROUNDS!!! – forgive me). The real challenge, of course, arose when I had to say goodbye to the faces I love on home soil. There will be no pretence; tears flowed and although excitement steeped my insides, holes of nervousness poked my gut. But home is home and will always occupy a certain corner of my heart. No more needs be said. Right now, adventure calls. The future kind of feels like a beautifully wrapped Christmas present from someone near, and although you have no idea what it is, it just feels right and somehow you love it already.

A green bag, a purple bag and my scrumptious dog, Melba, all made it to Paris in one piece. Shaken, not stirred. A big shout-out is due to my mother, whom without, I never would have made it thus far ­- apparently I do not have five arms… pff, who knew!?

This following term sums up the next happening pretty adequately. Retrouvailles in French, refers to the “rediscovery” or happiness you feel upon reuniting with someone after you’ve been apart for a long time. Hello.

Now we spend two days in Paris hosted by a very hospitable sister and her very cute family. Goodness, if you’ve never heard a little French girl of two years old do a toddler-babble, you are simply missing out on a total mind-blow of cuteness; seriously extremely adorable. The constant rain in Paris was less welcoming; as are the still suffering leather riding-boots, worn for sake of space. At least I don’t smell like horse poo, I think -- Classy, I know.

A 4:37AM wake-up was set for Monday the 30^th of June. Melba baby needs to get her business done before a 9-hour flight – so, early morning walkies abound. Wish I would have taken a photo but words will have to suffice, the Seine was steaming lightly in the early morning crisp – an aura of pureness waking up the day to come. Thank you Paris. Six pieces of luggage, three souls (one four legged) and our very social taxi-driver were puzzled into the taxi and víola! Off we go.

Now, airport lounge – ohmyghod I love chocolate croissants! -- and they were FREE so I had two :D So yummie. Totally a fan of this free food concept. (I wanted to take three but my pride stopped me. Silly thing).

So here I am. Sitting in a plane miles above the sea on my way to French Guiana. Hello Life :)

I feel grateful (and awesome) and I’m going to celebrate it by having some more Champagne.
* Working it like a turtle at the bar in Las Vegas * Ohhh YEAH.

Exhilarating.

Terrific.

Unreal.