The Parents Visiting Guiana

As well as visiting Guadeloupe my parents also came to visit our home in Kourou. Guadeloupe was actually a bit of a bonus... originally they were planning on just coming to visit us (at least that is what they claim!). But all jokes aside, it was a wonderful experience having my parents come to visit me in another country. It all seemed a bit topsy-turvy actually. There I was welcoming my parents into the house I live in all the way across the world. Funny, seeing as they used to take me from country to country when I was growing up; ha-ha! the tables have turned! 

Here we are standing just outside the entrance to the zoo, which was really well kept actually. I'm not the biggest fans of zoo's as I don't like the idea of animals being cooped up in cages just so we can have a look at them once a year. I much prefer the idea of a safari. But, taking my parents on a Guyanese safari wasn't really an option. They would probably have caught some terrible obscure amazonian disease or get eaten by an anaconda or something similarly gruesome. I didn't fancy having to explain that to my siblings. So, we went to the zoo instead.

... which, as I mentioned was really very well kept. The grounds were clean, organized and very well planned. I also happen to really like water-lilies.

The first creature we encountered were these little guys. Capybara, or locally known as Cabiaï. Personally, I think they look like a mixture between a huge hamster and a beaver. Which is essentially actually what they are, a species of water&land rodents. They are very cute. I suggested we get one, but Anthony wasn't thrilled at the idea so I let it slide. (I'm still working on my alpacas.) They were not shy or squeamish in the least, just kind of happily trotting along, lounging in the sun. Just as well probably because these fellows have the luck to be excluded from being roasted and presented on a dinner plate. Oh yes, they locals eat them.

In the enclosure of my rodent friends was also a tree, where I spotted this Iguana. Later on, we counted about five Iguanas in the same tree. They are very common in this area and we have plenty in our backyard, small and large. Actually, last month I had one rather sizable one run right through our living room. I probably gave him the fright of his life, poor fellow. 

Next up, birds! 

We walked into an aviary where lots of different species were free to fly around and do birdy things.  They were a bit skittish at first but got very friendly by the end of our stay. They started off by licking the salt (and presumably sweat) of our hands and then all of a sudden flew right onto my dads shoulder.

It was quite amazing actually. These birds were just fantastic looking; sporting colours you'd have trouble even imagining. We concluded that my dads ears must be very dirty indeed, to hold such an enticement!

The yellow and blue Ara (Macaw in English) is the largest type of Parrot.

They are highly intelligent and very social birds. You can see the two red Aras grooming each other behind the crowd of tourists.

The Macaw has long tail feathers that span way below their body.

 

And the prestigious Toucan, a national symbol.

The Yellow-Ridged Toucan.

This funny looking fellow (an ant-eater of some sort, I presume) also reared his face.

I also managed to catch this pretty snazzy shot of a red-eyed dragonfly.

The zoo featured a small jungle pathway through which you are able to spot  different animals if you are vigilant. I think we made too much noise to spot anything bigger than an Iguana. But the flora was as much of a treat as any fauna would have been.

We also had a visit from this curious Squirrel Monkey.

Mum and dad having a look at some fresh-water turtles who also reared their faces.

After all the animal excitement we drove down to Cayenne and had dinner at my now favourite restaurant, Kon Tiki. So, so, so scrumptiously tasty!

If you are lucky (or patient) you get your own little private hut overlooking the sea. Fantastic view, service and food. 

Scrumptious! ... the food too :)

- - - - - - - - 

A day trip inland: Cacao

So we decided to head up to Cacao to visit a more rural village. It's a small "town" lying on the Comté river to the south of Cayenne. Most of the town's population (which was at 950 people in 2007) are Hmong farmers, refugees from Laos who were resettled in French Guiana in the 1970s. See, French Guiana is very international; it's really quite the melting pot!

The market is small and charming with excellent prices for quality food.

The Insect Museum is quaint but absolutely worthwhile. Yes, my hand and a beetle.

The most exciting discovery however, was this man. Cacao's own little potterer. He collects his own earth/mud nearby and mixes and dries his own clay. He is very charismatic and seems a lovely addition to this funny village essentially in the middle of the Amazon.

Then... oh dear, yes, we went trekking in the rainforest. So we had heard of a little "waterfall" which is a small trek into the forest from a friend of mine (thanks Vanja!). So we decided why not? 

It wasn't long, but it wasn't an easy trek either. Especially in the rainy season. My mother, bless her, who is in her prime but sadly has balance and nerve issues because of disk-problems in her back, made a real effort to advance. Suspended logs and river-crossings, no worries! Golden sticker, right there. Was it worth it?

Yes.

It's not big but it is beautiful. A naturally formed basin and runs clear fresh water.

I didn't think I'd ever be sitting in a place like this, never mind getting to show it to my wonderful parents! What a gift.

Quite something special this place.

Dad, feeling like Tarzan I suppose :D

I think its safe to say they rather enjoyed their stay :)

Trip to Îles du Salut, the "Salvation Islands"

Bonjour tout le monde!

This post will cover our day-trip to the three islands located about 14km off the coast of Kourou in the Atlantic Ocean. Collectively they are known as the Îles du Salut (the "Salvation Islands") because the few missionaries who managed to get to these islands survived the outbreak of the plague which hit the mainland. However, the history of these islands are more commonly known for something far less pleasant. Specifically, it was a French penal colony with a reputation for harsh living-conditions as well as draconian brutality.

Originally, our trip was claimed as a fishing tour, but we caught no fish. So really, in my opinion we cannot call it a fishing tour since we didn't actually catch any fish to speak of. Not even one small one. Zero. Well, we had bait on the boat in the form of dead fish, but we bought that, so really it wasn't much of a success on the whole catching fish -front.

When your alarm clock rings at 6AM on a saturday morning, one is generally not pleased. When it rings at 6AM intentionally and it is pouring down cats and dogs outside and you're supposed to spend the entire day on a boat with four other (presumably fish-smelling men), you are definitely not a riot of excitement.

Having said that, when you are greeted with this sight when the whole river is just waking up and the rain has just subsided, you cannot help but feel a sense of peace come over you.


And I even got the chance to get creative with my camera. So really, I was over the moon.

Anthony (sporting his free tourist gift) and I, having stolen his jacket that kept me nice and warm. Thank you dear.


Here you see the very fancy fishing gear being employed when we were still feeling young and eager. There will be no more fish-gear related photography featured in this post because, as I said, we caught bugger all. But within no time the weather had cleared and we were greeted by the open-armed rays of sunshine.

and this glorious-looking island: Île Royale. Shortly upon arrival our designated sea-captain started feeling rather ill, and as we were not catching any fish anyway we decided to jump off and discover the island a bit - And good thing we did too!

This is the harbor on Île Royale. Naturally, it comes lined with palm trees and a fantastic quaint little feel to it.

Anybody fancy a dip in the blue? :)

Anthony ventured up some of the steps and found this fantastic looking building which we late found out belongs to some "premier resident" of the island.

A green explosion.



A spiked tree. Yes, I said SPIKED TREE.

The vegetation on these islands is mainly covered by palm trees. The ground was simply covered in coconuts in various forms of degradation. The coastal areas, all the way down to the very edge is covered by palm trees.

Remains from the islands rich historical significance. We didn't actually go see any of the cell remnants as we didn't have enough time so we left that for next time.

Any my favourite encounter of the whole day: MONKEYS! To be precise, these are Capuchin monkeys and they sure were a friendly bunch. We ran right into a big family which was very busy tricking tourists into giving them food, just for being a monkey.

Some very nice (and prepared) tourists had brought some baguette with them. The monkeys are on French soil, which makes them French, which by default means they love baguette as all French blooded things do. Obvious really :D Anyway, they gave us some of their bread so we could feed the monkeys too. Thanks guys, awfully cordial of you :)

This monkey is clearly lost in thought. It's funny, because Anthony gets the same face when he eats sometimes. Relatives.

Look at this little cute guy!

namnamnamnam....


Anthony also tried to feed some but he was not given any bread so he was trying to cheat them into coming close with only a dried leaf to offer. Needless to say, they learned quickly that he really wasn't bringing anything tasty to the situation.

A beautifully back-lit acrobat.

We also saw these little guys, called an Agouti, which is some kind of native large-sized rodent. Anthony called them local pigs.. but really they look more a jumbo-sized sporty version of a  hamster/ guinea pig. Whatever they are, I thought they were ridiculously cute and thought we should casually steal one and have it with our chickens. Anthony was not as keen.

The color of their shiny fur was a gorgeous fox-red in the sun.

We then stumbled upon some of the older buildings riddled with decay, but absolutely gorgeous nonetheless. Situated right by the modern-day hotel which sits on the top of the island overlooking the Atlantic.

And here is the view from the top of the hotel grounds. Not a bad view to get up to I say.

This is for my mum, who loves flowers. (Dom var helt ljuvliga mamma - Hit skall vi absolut fara när du och pappa kommer och hälsar på!)

The vacated buildings had something fantastic about them just because they were so grand somehow, yet completely empty. It kind of felt like walking through a beautiful historical ghost-town of sorts.

Equipped with a bright red lighthouse.

Anthony peeking from behind the vacated grounds.

A modern-day convenience, the helicopter pad.

So picture postcard perfect that it almost looks a if we have been photoshopped in - but I swear! It's completely authentic. I don't have those kinds of skills.

If you look closely you will find a brightly colored hammock with a leg sticking out of it (which would be mine). We even had time for the midday nap - which I have to say, I am the biggest fan of. I swear people would be generally happier and more effective if they got a chance to take a nap every day. If given the chance to have it in a hammock amongst the palm trees whilst listening to the hush of the sea, all the better. Probably the best nap I have ever taken, hands down.


I had to take a picture of this when I saw it whilst glancing at the ground. I am not sure if it is a set of roots or an odd rock formation, but to me it was clearest shape of a heart and since I absolutely loved my day, I had to capture it as a memento (along with my oh-so-comfortable trusted tourist-shoes).

A sensational day in this exotic paradise!

Thank you world :)