WHAT HAPPENS ON A SURINAMESE ROAD

Bhaktimarga Swami
3 days ago
2 min read

Tuesday, January 20th, 2026

Coronie, Suriname

I am serious about this walk in Suriname which I hope to complete over several visits to the country. At 4:20 AM, Shantipriya and Glen support me in this effort today. Shantipriya majored in archaeology and has had numerous assignments in the wild bush where Glen spent twelve years in the jungle, fairly alone, in a hut. I have the right people with me in a wild but beautiful country.

We were fortunate to have some street light visibility, but up to a point. We come to the last light and from there, apart from our flashlight, sight was obscure. From a distance, we could hear the thunderous growls of the Howler monkeys. There are many, and the group effort was indeed loud. When sunlight came upon us, thousands of orange-winged birds were awakened. They make a slightly more pleasant racket.

People thin out here, but we did meet Corey, a local woman with cigarette in hand in front of her home. How pleasant she was in meeting us! Then as Glen and I ventured west (Shantipriya is in the support vehicle), we came upon some nasty dogs, three of them, and they were very aggressive. Their owner spotted, called off the dogs, and offered us a fresh coconut from the tree. I’m practicing the little Dutch I know. I see hospitality.

Because of overcast conditions, the weather is tolerable, otherwise the blazing sun with humidity can break me down. My companions take turns on the driving. We are a good team and all three of us take our sadhana seriously – japa meditation.

Our day ended gloriously under a pandal of seventy folks who were interested in higher consciousness.