BACK IN SURINAME

Monday, January 19th, 2026

Paramaribo, Suriname

Matt Holmes is quite the world traveler who hails from Los Angeles. He is a visitor to Suriname, like myself, and we were on the same plane landing at Paramaribo. I hit it on with him right off the bat. We brought him to the Krishna temple, let him have a taste of a Krishna meal, and drove him to the hostel downtown.

I made more friends at the temple including Anita who was awarded the Sanskrit name Advika, which means ‘Earth’. I was hoping to meet more friends in the form of those adorable sloths, monkeys, and anacondas. “Be wise as we want to respect from a distance when trekking the Oost Westverbinding Highway.” Walking the road at night is welcoming as the temperature is doable at 22–25° Celsius. The area of walking is a mix of jungle, residential, and farmland. As early as 5 or 5:30 AM you see young students waiting for the bus. They are shy.

The demographics are Indian, African, and Chinese. When the heat gets on, it’s time for a break. Two Dutch devotees, Janakki, 72, and Gauranga, 68, accompanied Shanti Priya and I to a pristine creek for a relieving swim at Kaboera, a resort/camp facility run by the Amerindians. These jungles are relatively safe. It is rare to catch a glimpse of a jaguar or a massive anteater. Fortunately, this peaceful piece of paradise we had all to ourselves. It’s not the weekend.

Time allowed for me to continue with my Monday night Gita Chat Zoom call and have to look at 4.27 which outlines the yoga system quite technically. This approach to yoga is always a good start for those pursuing the bhakti path. What bhakti truly supports is a love that is already and always present. It isn’t dogmatic.

MAY THE SOURCE BE WITH YOU

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