13/10/2014 Beausejour to Kourou
Gemima and Leroys house.
D107, T6, Av18.42, max51, 33,540/8,016
Fine, 33 and a cool sea breeze near Kourou
My stay with Gene and Bertrand stretched out to 4 days. They were having people around for drinks on Sunday and asked me to stay.
We got on well so it was no problem. They made me feel totally relaxed around their house. It was great having the two boys to toss the Frisbee with .Young Pablo has great skills for his age.
On the Saturday evening two friends of theirs Marc and Jean Luc from up near Normandy in France came for dinner.
Interestingly, they were collectors of ducks. They had some 40 breeds from around the world on their property.
They were holidaying here. Bertrand cooked one of the nicest meals I’ve had since beginning this journey. He did whole fish baked with onions and other vegetables.
Leeks from France were lightly fried in butter. Pumpkin was made into a delicious puree, sweet potatoes were baked. There were other side dishes I can’t remember but it was all delicious.
Sunday morning saw us up early, as Bertrand takes people bird watching occasionally, we came along as well.
It was a great morning, raptors were seen as were toucans and a numbers of other birds with names I didn’t write down.
The Sunday afternoon saw about 5 couples and a few children turn up for drinks and a late casual lunch, drinks and snacks.
It was a great afternoon in the company of some pretty interesting people from an archeologist to a doctors and artist, among others.
Everyone did their best to communicate with me, speaking in English what they could and a few spoke Spanish which helped.
It had been a great few days sharing the lives of with people from this country that is very different from the others visited so far in SA.
The ambiance around their house and forested property was conducive to relaxation.
I was up early and on the road by 0800.
I had been so well fed all weekend that breakfast was not needed. Gene told me the road from here is through savannah and is flat.
It was 10km to the turnoff to Tonate, avoiding Cayenne.
Forty km through here after some easy riding on flat smooth roads with no wind, the French Guiana Zoo was stopped at.
The need to see a Puma and Jaguar had got the better of me. Time was spent here on the net briefly, then out into the zoo that had made an effort to provide the best living conditions for its captives.
The first large aviary that the track went through was full of Australian Rainbow Lorikeets up to their favourite trick of landing on people and feeding from food bought by the visitors. One group was literally covered by the feathered friends!
Snakes were seen, many species of monkeys, other parrots and an array of South American animals.
I was quite surprised to see how large a male Jaquar is, the Pumas were nowhere nearly as big and powerful.
Once these felines had been seen, the other bird of interest was the raptor, Harpie Féroce
It was worth the visit if only to see these felines and the other animals rarely seen.
Back on the road, it was easy going again with an average of 20km being logged. Arriving in Tonate a few bananas were bought. It was 30 odd km to Kourou.
Here I was hoping to visit the space centre. Approaching town, a gas station was stopped at. The owner could speak English, he was a great guy.
Here my front tyre was removed to see what the slight disfigurement of it was. The inside wall in one section was beginning to delaminate. It appeared to be ok for the time being. I have a spare tyre folded in a pannier, should it get worse.
Back inside the gas station I inquired about camping, the beach was not safe. Gemima, the assistant said I could stay at her place for €20, I took her up on this.
The owner kindly phoned the Space centre to see if I could get into a tour group tomorrow, unfortunately they were booked out. The next available day was Monday, as there is a rocket being launched on Thursday. This is a spectacle in itself from a hill near the centre.
I rode the few km out to the centre and visited the Museum, which was well worth it.
I got my name put on the waiting list for tomorrow, there are 7 others so I haven’t really got a chance, the girls said.
Having a look around the place, some good cord was bought at a chandlery as I left my line that is used for clothes in Bertrands shed, it is easily done.
The marina was visited, it looked like a place where yachts come to die!.
A large cat pulled up at the dock, many passengers stepped ashore from its deck. They had been out to Devils Island where Papillon was filmed.
The guy at the gas station said it was expensive, like 50+ Euro.
From here, the beach was inspected then I rode back to the gas station to see Gemima and wait for her to finish work, her husband Leroy was there helping her close up at 2000.
The three of us rode in the dark to their house. I set up my tent in their court yard. They could speak only very little English, so we didn’t interact too much. They let me go about my cooking and the use of their shower. They worked long hours and had a largish but very basic concrete house. They had 4 children all at school.
They were very welcoming of me into their house.
It was a very different experience from the stay with Bertrand and Gene. These were people that lived in a neighborhood of predominantly people of African descent .
They probably needed the money, interestingly they were Jehovahs. The back streets of the town held large government housing precincts.
These evangelical churches tend to congregate around communities where they can offer an alternative light, coupled with hope. At the end of a different tunnel, for some people.
The communities high in the Andes of Peru where I rode, showed few signs of these evangelists. These Peruanos lead lives that are rich with culture and traditional ways.
The light they follow is already more than adequately enriching their lives.
All day, nothing had been eaten, due to not feeling hungry. So pasta and tuna was cooked in the back patio where I slept again in my tent to try to help my back which is nearly back to normal.
14/10/2014 Kourou to a roadside picnic area 30km nth
D42, T3, Av19.57, max53, 33,582/8,058
Fine, 33, tail winds
I was up early and ready to leave by 0700. There young son came out to observe me, using my translator I asked him a few questions.
I needed to be at the Space centre at 0800 to see if they could fit me into a tour.
Anyway, luckily they had room on the bus that toured the site. A few of the other visitors were past employees of the space program in the EU.
A couple could speak English so they translated the important stuff for me.
This is Europe’s rocket launch site, due to its proximity to the equator it is cheaper to get a satellite into orbit from here. The Russians also launch the Soyuz rockets from here.
One movie we watched was an Ariane 5 rocket taking an Optus satellite into orbit.
The site is huge, it is like a big national park with these 3 huge launch sites in the bush.
With the launch on Thursday, there are already French Foreign Legionaries in the forest on the site to keep it secure during the launch.
It was well worth the visit .
Whilst the bike was parked outside against a palm tree, many people were looking at it,. The guy who was helping translate for me, spotted that my frame is bent below the seat post by the front derailleur.
It might just be an illusion due to the fittings near by. Though, I thought to myself trust a rocket scientist to spot this.
I looked again this evening, I don’t think it is, anyway no powder coating is cracked so it will hopefully be ok.
Lunch from a supermarket Leader was of Baguette , chorizo, cucumber, red onion and cheese enjoyed in the shade outside the supermarket.
I went to the Gas station to thank Jemima for last night, she was up at 0400 to get to work.
Riding from here was, a pleasure in the tail winds that were pushing me along the slightly undulating road .
Not far from town, two men were seen swimming in a river, I was soon in the water with them.
I had not left town till 1300, so there was no point in going too far for the day.
Tonight the plan was to camp.
Some 40km on a great picnic area was spotted, here on a mown sward were some covered picnic tables the edge of the mown area was surrounded by a small creek. A carload of people were here, thay had been in the creek cutting down a plant to make baskets from the fibres.
It was only 1530 when I got here so a relaxing afternoon was enjoyed, repairing my gloves and putting new brake pads on the front .
I sat and studied the upright of the frame. Without taking off the front derailleur, it is hard to be sure it is bent.
Half an hour before dark this huge colony of marching ants decided to form a column straight under my table. I had to move everything to another just before dark.
Live and let live.
On dark 3 guys turned up with a 16 gauge shotguns hoping to shoot some Tapir.
They were characters, whilst we were chatting, two parrots were on their way home to roost. A shotgun was raised to a shoulder and a shot fired at the two unsuspecting birds, they were out of range for 16 gauge. They deviated but were always going to make it home in one piece.
I gave them the left over cord on the spool, they kindly gave me some bread.
I then moved all my gear and set the tent up. The spot where I am is in full view of the highway.
I feel totally safe here in French Guiana, it has a very relaxed feel about it.
Though, last night, sleeping near the beach in Kourou was not recommended.
The guys arrived back at 2030 fully armed and with powerful headlights, they spot lighted a feed of fish, later a shot was heard from the bush behind me.
The evening was almost insect free. With just a few mosquitoes on dusk but none after.
15/10/2014 picnic area to another north of Bellevue
D73, T6, Av20.57, max36, 33,655/8,131
Fine, 30, tail winds
The guys came back to their car about 2200 and popped over to say hi, I had heard a shot but they had got nothing.
A great nights sleep was enjoyed. My airbed now has delaminated down two tubes, so there is a big hump down its length. It is not so comfortable anymore. Luckily another is waiting for me in Granada , Nicaragua.
Following breakfast, I was on the road by 0730, clean shaven from yesterday and feeling fit. The road was again easy flat riding. I had plenty of water filtered from the creek. In the plastic bottle it looked as clean as could be.
These streams that originate away from houses give me no worries about drinking their waters.
In a couple of hours, I was in Sinnamary, here some onions and tomatoes were bought at the little market. Tomatoes are ten dollars a kilo. Bread was bought to go with these. The internet was not available anywhere in the town.
Some fisherman were watched picking large catfish from their net.
The riding in this northern part of French Guiana is as easy as it gets. There are no shoulders but with the light well mannered traffic, it is not even an issue.
Every shop without fail that sells groceries etc is owned by Chinese. They have a staff member at the counter who just sits there, not often with a friendly demeanour, but more one of “give me the money, see you later.”
Back on the highway, Iracoubo was soon arrived at. Here a desperate run was made to the local church to visit their toilet. It was impeccable timing, luckily.
In the park, a bottle of iced tea was enjoyed. Whilst there the children of the mothers at the tiny little fruit and vege market were playing near me.
Their skin was as dark as you could get it, they were so cute . The girls had little plaits in their hair. Their lineage had not detoured from their African great grandparents and those before.
I went to the post office to ask where the next picnic area was. A guy in there could speak Spanish. He asked me to stay at his house, I kindly declined his offer .
Anyway, he told me one was 10km away.
On the way there, a damp road was ridden, it had rained quite heavily on the other side of town.
Soon the Bellevue turnoff came up, a trip into the little pueblito was made to fill the bladder up.
At the store, the chinese guy could speak some Spanish, so we had a chat. He filled my 6 litre bladder then offered me a free drink which was such a kind gesture. I gave him a Euro much to his protesting.
Having just said that many of the Chinese don’t say much, this was a reassuring gesture.
Once loaded, also with potatoes for chips tonight. I was thinking about the possible bent frame. At this time, I had 10kg of water onboard. This would have easily seen my gear weighing 65kg.
Back on the way to Oiapoque, at the Brazil border, as the asphalt ran out, I remember hitting a huge pothole with a full load of water like this onboard, that may have been the time when the slight bend occurred. My two litre bottle went flying from the impact. I lifted the front wheel through, but the rear hit it heavily.
A couple of km from Bellevue, there was this well manicured park on a creek with covered park benches and tables.
I pulled in and stopped at a table at the back of the park bounding the forest.
There was a couple and their child sitting at the one near me. I asked if they could speak English, the young woman could.
Her husband was with the Gendarmes on a five year stint, they were presently based in Iracoubo.
They said it is one of the most multicultural villages in all FG.
I spent the rest of the afternoon at their table making my lunch and chatting. They gave me a beer and some deliciously sweet pomelo.
I brewed up a coffee for them . We talked about all the abandoned cars on the roadsides here, many still have number plates attached, he said the people can’t afford to have them moved so just leave them where they crash or breakdown. At one corner a few days ago there were 20 cars just rusting in the long grass.
After they left, a smallish tourist bus pulled up, about 20 people wandered over for lunch they had with them .
I heard them talking about Georgetown. Wandering over, I asked them if they knew of a good hotel in Georgetown.
Most of them were from there. They gave me the names and addresses of two cheap guesthouses in Georgetown. They were so helpful and gave me their names and numbers, should I have problems.
Many worked for Iwokrama, a Guyana environmental organization protecting and managing pristine forests in Guyana. Some 1,000,000 acres.
They were here on a study trip.
A few were going to Sydney next month to an environmental conference.
It is always great arriving into a new town, knowing where to go. It is nice to look purposeful , then you don’t get hassled by opportunists.
They left me a couple of large filled rolls they did not eat before they left. All my clothes and myself, were soaped down in the tannin stained but clean waters of the creek.
These campsites here in FG are a luxury in that there are tables and mown grass. Ants are about but are visible.
The covered tables are big enough to sit my tent on, so tonight I will be sleeping up on a table under the corrugated iron roof.
No one else is in the park, evidently they are busy in the weekends which is understandable, as they are great for kids bathing in the creeks whilst the parents can keep an eye on them.
16/10/2014 Park, North of Bellevue to Awala
D94, T8, Av19, max36, 33,748/8,225
Fine, 30, tail winds
Well, setting my tent up on the table, seemed like a good idea and was, until about 0100 in the morning.
Sound asleep, the next thing I knew I was on the ground, down the slope from the table. I had rolled over in my sleep and the tent, myself and all the gear inside had fallen off the table.
The tent appeared ok and my knee was bruised.
Half asleep, it was picked up, a few things taken out and put back on the table. I was back in it in no time and fell asleep again, though only lightly.
Come the morning daylight, an inspection revealed the top cross poles were damaged, one was broken where it inserts in the other. Skin had been taken from my bruised knee. A hole had also been ripped in the tent mesh.
I had been lucky. The hole was patched with the repair kit from my airbed and for a couple of years I have been carrying a small piece of aluminium tube to sleeve a tent pole should this happen. It was repaired as strong as new.
Once on the road at 0900, the terrain stayed flat, again in the light tail winds it was comfortable riding.
Turning off at the intersection, route D8 was entered, the road was even quieter again. This road was taking me to Awala and Lydie, my Warmshowers host for the night .
By the time I arrived in Mana, hunger was a major issue, an expensive, basic, but at the time, a very nice hamburger was enjoyed.
Lydie just happen to come to the shop and saw me sitting down, we introduced ourselves and arranged to meet in Awala at 1830 after she finished work.
It was 20km into Awala. Here Turtles come to nest on the local beaches in June, July. Three species frequent the beaches.
Once in the seaside village,after buying some fruit.
A ride was taken to the main beach, here on an almost waveless sea and brown sandy beach, one could imagine the turtles slowly coming ashore to bury their eggs. Dogs digging the eggs from the sand are a major problem.
I was told, for every mature turtle some 1000 perish.
Here a wander in the brown, incredibly warm sea was taken. The end of the road saw me arrive at a park area. Most public buildings were quite run down and had recieved no regular maintenance.
Here coconut trees were shading the park. Riding back towards town on the no through road, a sleep was had under the shade of a tree on a park bench in an unoccupied resort kind of place that must get busy during the turtle season.
At 1830, Lidie caught up with me on her bike and we headed back to her house. Her husband Alex works in the park here.
Many men were hanging about having a few beers on the streets, apparently the unemployment here in town is 30% or more.
There is a welfare system here just the same as in France, so people can live without working, she said they don’t buy much at the shops, just rice and bread. Much of their food is grown or comes from the surrounding forested areas.
Alex said his boss saw me having a shave in one of the roadside campsites. French Guiana really is a small country.
Her mum and dad were here from the Pyrennes area of France, visiting. Her mum could speak Spanish and Catalan, so we were able to communicate. Liddy could speak English and her husband a little.
Before eating we went outside to see if we could see the rocket taking the Argentine satellite into orbit, unfortunately there were some storm clouds about.
Watching these rockets heading towards space is a bit of a pastime here, one a month is usually launched, whether it be Ariane, Soyuz or the smaller Vega.
Dinner was a great casseroled chicken dish with salads. Accompanied with a beer.
My night was spent in a large, comfortable hammock underneath a thatched roof shelter at the back of the house. The hammock had a large mosquito net over it.
All the houses around the town were surrounded by a course greyish sand, it was like living on a beach.
Dropping a phone or camera would have been a disaster.
It had been a long day, once showered and in the hammock, it ended abruptly.
17/10/2014 Awala to St Laurent-du-Maroni
D58, T6, Av4, max32, 33,806/8,283
Fine, 30, tail winds
Very early in the morning, a noise was heard, that of a vehicle and a pump, cruising the street. It was the government spraying chemicals for the Mosquito borne disease, Chikungunya, which is a problem here.
The locals had petitioned against it but the practice continues.. Lydie was saying water accumulating in abandoned cars is one source of the problem. The chemical left an acrid smell in the still early morning air.
After breakfast and goodbyes, riding began about 0800, back the way I had come from Mana.
For the last two days, smoke has been one of the common odours along the way. This drier country is burnt during the dry season. Fire is a common tool used here. Unfortunately, a lot of people burn household waste which includes plastic.
A stop was made at the Mana store, where the Chinese owner told me not to pay more than 3 Euros for a boat ride to Suriname across the river Maroni and pay no extra for the bike. He also said the exchange rate allows 1 Euro to buy about 4.5 Suriname dollars.
From here, the D9 was taken south to the intersection again with the N1 To St Luarent du Maroni, the border town on the river Maroni.
It was tailwind conditions almost all the way. At one point a stop was made to take a photo of some rice fields.
Stepping off the shoulder of the road and on to what appeared to be solid ground below, saw me immediately sink up to my thighs in a swamp. I was out of there in a hurry. The surface was new grasses growing after a fire. Very deceiving!
In St Laurent, my first move was to the Suriname immigration building, here they told me a visa was needed and that it would take 2 working days to acquire, being Friday, the earliest it could be received was after 1500 on Monday.
Forty Euros were needed to purchase the document.
I had to spend 3 nights in the town. The cheapest hotels were 70 Euro. I considered going back to the roadside camp for the weekend.
Riding back to get a drink. I stopped a guy to ask about accommodation, he could speak some English and took me to a friend’s place who took in lodgers.
Here I could hang my hammock for 10 Euros a night.
It is just the best place, with a shower, toilet, and an open kind of room with a fridge with a gravel floor where I was shown the two hammock hooks.
Hammocks are a way of life here, the French Guianans take their hammocks seriously, the owner would not let me put my tent up.
It was no problems. The place also had good security with people always around.
Another French guy shares my room, Emric is here in a forestry roll for a couple of months from Lyon. We get on well.
He had to go back to work. My afternoon was spent enjoying a 700mm long baguette with salami, onion tomato and cheese, with a beer. Then, the most divine sleep in my hammock with a pedestal fan cooling me, a true siesta.
A luxury not afforded for some time.
Awakening at 1630, Emric had arrived back. We chatted then headed to a large supermarket here.
It was like a supermarket in France, all you wanted was here, all French products.
Apples were bought with things for dinner. The luxury of puffed wheat and liquid milk was bought for the few breakfasts I will have here.
I told the owner through Emric that his place was like a castle for me, compared to sleeping in tick infested long grass on the side of a road.
He laughed.
He was a man about my age who liked to chat alot with Emric, in that respect a little like myself!
Another couple turned up to spend the night. The place did not suit them, so we are here with the two other families of tenants, people of African descent, it is so different hearing them speak French, the children have the most beautiful plaited hair.
Dinner was pasta an tuna as usual, though cooked in very facilitating surroundings in good company on the balmy evening. Oh! Importantly we have a fridge in our room, and a microwave.
Personally, I can’t think of a more laid back comfortable place to relax, here on the river Maroni, across from Suriname whilst waiting for my visa.
The town of Albina in Suriname is only a few hundred metres across the river. Here awaits a previous Dutch colony, now and independent country.
French Guiana French: Guyane française; officially called simply Guiana (French: Guyane), is an overseas department and region of France, on the north Atlantic coast of South America. It borders Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west. Its 83,534 km2 (32,253 sq mi) area has a very low population density of only 3 inhabitants per km2, with half of its 250,109 inhabitants in 2013 living in the metropolitan area of Cayenne, its capital. By land area, it is by far the largest overseas region of France. As an overseas region, it is inside the European Union, and its official currency is the euro.
The addition of the adjective "French" in English comes from colonial times when five such colonies existed (The Guianas), namely from west to east: Spanish Guiana (now Guayana Region in Venezuela), British Guiana (now Guyana), Dutch Guiana (now Suriname), French Guiana, and Portuguese Guiana (now Amapá, a state in far northern Brazil). French Guiana and the two larger countries to the north and west, Guyana and Suriname, are still often collectively referred to as the Guianas and constitute one large shield landmass.
A large part of the department's economy derives from the presence of the Guiana Space Centre, now the European Space Agency's primary launch site near the equator.
French Guiana was originally inhabited by indigenous people. The French attempted to create a colony there in the 18th century in conjunction with its settlement of some other Caribbean islands.
The first French effort to colonize Guiana, in 1763, failed utterly when tropical diseases and climate killed all but 2,000 of the initial 12,000 settlers. During its existence, France transported approximately 56,000 prisoners to Devil's Island. Fewer than 10 percent survived their sentence.
Its infamous Île du Diable (Devil's Island) was the site of a small prison facility, part of a larger penal system by the same name, which consisted of prisons on three islands and three larger prisons on the mainland, and which was operated from 1852 to 1953. In addition, in the late nineteenth century, France began requiring forced residencies by prisoners who survived their hard labor. A Portuguese-British naval squadron took French Guiana for the Portuguese Empire in 1809. It was returned to France with the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1814. Though the region was handed back to France, a Portuguese presence remained until 1817.
A border dispute with Brazil arose in the late 19th century over a vast area of jungle leading to the short-lived pro-French independent state of Counani in the disputed territory. There was some fighting between settlers. The dispute was resolved largely in favor of Brazil by the arbitration of the Swiss government.
The territory of Inini consisted of most of the interior of French Guiana when it was created in 1930. It was abolished in 1946, when French Guiana as a whole became an overseas department of France. During the 1970s, following the French withdrawal from Vietnam in the 1950s, France helped resettle Hmong refugees from Laos to French Guiana.
In 1964, French president Charles de Gaulle decided to construct a space-travel base in French Guiana. It was intended to replace the Sahara base in Algeria and stimulate economic growth in French Guiana. The department was considered particularly suitable for the purpose because it is near the equator and has extensive access to the ocean as a buffer zone. The Guiana Space Centre, located a short distance along the coast from Kourou, has grown considerably since the initial launches of the "Véronique" rockets. It is now part of the European space industry and has had commercial success with such launches as the Ariane 4 and Ariane 5.
ref:Wikipedia
The last three days here have been spent relaxing, sleeping in my hammock each afternoon and enjoying all the French foods at the supermarket.
Gemima and Leroys house.
D107, T6, Av18.42, max51, 33,540/8,016
Fine, 33 and a cool sea breeze near Kourou
My stay with Gene and Bertrand stretched out to 4 days. They were having people around for drinks on Sunday and asked me to stay.
We got on well so it was no problem. They made me feel totally relaxed around their house. It was great having the two boys to toss the Frisbee with .Young Pablo has great skills for his age.
On the Saturday evening two friends of theirs Marc and Jean Luc from up near Normandy in France came for dinner.
Interestingly, they were collectors of ducks. They had some 40 breeds from around the world on their property.
They were holidaying here. Bertrand cooked one of the nicest meals I’ve had since beginning this journey. He did whole fish baked with onions and other vegetables.
Leeks from France were lightly fried in butter. Pumpkin was made into a delicious puree, sweet potatoes were baked. There were other side dishes I can’t remember but it was all delicious.
Sunday morning saw us up early, as Bertrand takes people bird watching occasionally, we came along as well.
It was a great morning, raptors were seen as were toucans and a numbers of other birds with names I didn’t write down.
The Sunday afternoon saw about 5 couples and a few children turn up for drinks and a late casual lunch, drinks and snacks.
It was a great afternoon in the company of some pretty interesting people from an archeologist to a doctors and artist, among others.
Everyone did their best to communicate with me, speaking in English what they could and a few spoke Spanish which helped.
It had been a great few days sharing the lives of with people from this country that is very different from the others visited so far in SA.
The ambiance around their house and forested property was conducive to relaxation.
I was up early and on the road by 0800.
I had been so well fed all weekend that breakfast was not needed. Gene told me the road from here is through savannah and is flat.
It was 10km to the turnoff to Tonate, avoiding Cayenne.
Forty km through here after some easy riding on flat smooth roads with no wind, the French Guiana Zoo was stopped at.
The need to see a Puma and Jaguar had got the better of me. Time was spent here on the net briefly, then out into the zoo that had made an effort to provide the best living conditions for its captives.
The first large aviary that the track went through was full of Australian Rainbow Lorikeets up to their favourite trick of landing on people and feeding from food bought by the visitors. One group was literally covered by the feathered friends!
Snakes were seen, many species of monkeys, other parrots and an array of South American animals.
I was quite surprised to see how large a male Jaquar is, the Pumas were nowhere nearly as big and powerful.
Once these felines had been seen, the other bird of interest was the raptor, Harpie Féroce
It was worth the visit if only to see these felines and the other animals rarely seen.
Back on the road, it was easy going again with an average of 20km being logged. Arriving in Tonate a few bananas were bought. It was 30 odd km to Kourou.
Here I was hoping to visit the space centre. Approaching town, a gas station was stopped at. The owner could speak English, he was a great guy.
Here my front tyre was removed to see what the slight disfigurement of it was. The inside wall in one section was beginning to delaminate. It appeared to be ok for the time being. I have a spare tyre folded in a pannier, should it get worse.
Back inside the gas station I inquired about camping, the beach was not safe. Gemima, the assistant said I could stay at her place for €20, I took her up on this.
The owner kindly phoned the Space centre to see if I could get into a tour group tomorrow, unfortunately they were booked out. The next available day was Monday, as there is a rocket being launched on Thursday. This is a spectacle in itself from a hill near the centre.
I rode the few km out to the centre and visited the Museum, which was well worth it.
I got my name put on the waiting list for tomorrow, there are 7 others so I haven’t really got a chance, the girls said.
Having a look around the place, some good cord was bought at a chandlery as I left my line that is used for clothes in Bertrands shed, it is easily done.
The marina was visited, it looked like a place where yachts come to die!.
A large cat pulled up at the dock, many passengers stepped ashore from its deck. They had been out to Devils Island where Papillon was filmed.
The guy at the gas station said it was expensive, like 50+ Euro.
From here, the beach was inspected then I rode back to the gas station to see Gemima and wait for her to finish work, her husband Leroy was there helping her close up at 2000.
The three of us rode in the dark to their house. I set up my tent in their court yard. They could speak only very little English, so we didn’t interact too much. They let me go about my cooking and the use of their shower. They worked long hours and had a largish but very basic concrete house. They had 4 children all at school.
They were very welcoming of me into their house.
It was a very different experience from the stay with Bertrand and Gene. These were people that lived in a neighborhood of predominantly people of African descent .
They probably needed the money, interestingly they were Jehovahs. The back streets of the town held large government housing precincts.
These evangelical churches tend to congregate around communities where they can offer an alternative light, coupled with hope. At the end of a different tunnel, for some people.
The communities high in the Andes of Peru where I rode, showed few signs of these evangelists. These Peruanos lead lives that are rich with culture and traditional ways.
The light they follow is already more than adequately enriching their lives.
All day, nothing had been eaten, due to not feeling hungry. So pasta and tuna was cooked in the back patio where I slept again in my tent to try to help my back which is nearly back to normal.
14/10/2014 Kourou to a roadside picnic area 30km nth
D42, T3, Av19.57, max53, 33,582/8,058
Fine, 33, tail winds
I was up early and ready to leave by 0700. There young son came out to observe me, using my translator I asked him a few questions.
I needed to be at the Space centre at 0800 to see if they could fit me into a tour.
Anyway, luckily they had room on the bus that toured the site. A few of the other visitors were past employees of the space program in the EU.
A couple could speak English so they translated the important stuff for me.
This is Europe’s rocket launch site, due to its proximity to the equator it is cheaper to get a satellite into orbit from here. The Russians also launch the Soyuz rockets from here.
One movie we watched was an Ariane 5 rocket taking an Optus satellite into orbit.
The site is huge, it is like a big national park with these 3 huge launch sites in the bush.
With the launch on Thursday, there are already French Foreign Legionaries in the forest on the site to keep it secure during the launch.
It was well worth the visit .
Whilst the bike was parked outside against a palm tree, many people were looking at it,. The guy who was helping translate for me, spotted that my frame is bent below the seat post by the front derailleur.
It might just be an illusion due to the fittings near by. Though, I thought to myself trust a rocket scientist to spot this.
I looked again this evening, I don’t think it is, anyway no powder coating is cracked so it will hopefully be ok.
Lunch from a supermarket Leader was of Baguette , chorizo, cucumber, red onion and cheese enjoyed in the shade outside the supermarket.
I went to the Gas station to thank Jemima for last night, she was up at 0400 to get to work.
Riding from here was, a pleasure in the tail winds that were pushing me along the slightly undulating road .
Not far from town, two men were seen swimming in a river, I was soon in the water with them.
I had not left town till 1300, so there was no point in going too far for the day.
Tonight the plan was to camp.
Some 40km on a great picnic area was spotted, here on a mown sward were some covered picnic tables the edge of the mown area was surrounded by a small creek. A carload of people were here, thay had been in the creek cutting down a plant to make baskets from the fibres.
It was only 1530 when I got here so a relaxing afternoon was enjoyed, repairing my gloves and putting new brake pads on the front .
I sat and studied the upright of the frame. Without taking off the front derailleur, it is hard to be sure it is bent.
Half an hour before dark this huge colony of marching ants decided to form a column straight under my table. I had to move everything to another just before dark.
Live and let live.
On dark 3 guys turned up with a 16 gauge shotguns hoping to shoot some Tapir.
They were characters, whilst we were chatting, two parrots were on their way home to roost. A shotgun was raised to a shoulder and a shot fired at the two unsuspecting birds, they were out of range for 16 gauge. They deviated but were always going to make it home in one piece.
I gave them the left over cord on the spool, they kindly gave me some bread.
I then moved all my gear and set the tent up. The spot where I am is in full view of the highway.
I feel totally safe here in French Guiana, it has a very relaxed feel about it.
Though, last night, sleeping near the beach in Kourou was not recommended.
The guys arrived back at 2030 fully armed and with powerful headlights, they spot lighted a feed of fish, later a shot was heard from the bush behind me.
The evening was almost insect free. With just a few mosquitoes on dusk but none after.
15/10/2014 picnic area to another north of Bellevue
D73, T6, Av20.57, max36, 33,655/8,131
Fine, 30, tail winds
The guys came back to their car about 2200 and popped over to say hi, I had heard a shot but they had got nothing.
A great nights sleep was enjoyed. My airbed now has delaminated down two tubes, so there is a big hump down its length. It is not so comfortable anymore. Luckily another is waiting for me in Granada , Nicaragua.
Following breakfast, I was on the road by 0730, clean shaven from yesterday and feeling fit. The road was again easy flat riding. I had plenty of water filtered from the creek. In the plastic bottle it looked as clean as could be.
These streams that originate away from houses give me no worries about drinking their waters.
In a couple of hours, I was in Sinnamary, here some onions and tomatoes were bought at the little market. Tomatoes are ten dollars a kilo. Bread was bought to go with these. The internet was not available anywhere in the town.
Some fisherman were watched picking large catfish from their net.
The riding in this northern part of French Guiana is as easy as it gets. There are no shoulders but with the light well mannered traffic, it is not even an issue.
Every shop without fail that sells groceries etc is owned by Chinese. They have a staff member at the counter who just sits there, not often with a friendly demeanour, but more one of “give me the money, see you later.”
Back on the highway, Iracoubo was soon arrived at. Here a desperate run was made to the local church to visit their toilet. It was impeccable timing, luckily.
In the park, a bottle of iced tea was enjoyed. Whilst there the children of the mothers at the tiny little fruit and vege market were playing near me.
Their skin was as dark as you could get it, they were so cute . The girls had little plaits in their hair. Their lineage had not detoured from their African great grandparents and those before.
I went to the post office to ask where the next picnic area was. A guy in there could speak Spanish. He asked me to stay at his house, I kindly declined his offer .
Anyway, he told me one was 10km away.
On the way there, a damp road was ridden, it had rained quite heavily on the other side of town.
Soon the Bellevue turnoff came up, a trip into the little pueblito was made to fill the bladder up.
At the store, the chinese guy could speak some Spanish, so we had a chat. He filled my 6 litre bladder then offered me a free drink which was such a kind gesture. I gave him a Euro much to his protesting.
Having just said that many of the Chinese don’t say much, this was a reassuring gesture.
Once loaded, also with potatoes for chips tonight. I was thinking about the possible bent frame. At this time, I had 10kg of water onboard. This would have easily seen my gear weighing 65kg.
Back on the way to Oiapoque, at the Brazil border, as the asphalt ran out, I remember hitting a huge pothole with a full load of water like this onboard, that may have been the time when the slight bend occurred. My two litre bottle went flying from the impact. I lifted the front wheel through, but the rear hit it heavily.
A couple of km from Bellevue, there was this well manicured park on a creek with covered park benches and tables.
I pulled in and stopped at a table at the back of the park bounding the forest.
There was a couple and their child sitting at the one near me. I asked if they could speak English, the young woman could.
Her husband was with the Gendarmes on a five year stint, they were presently based in Iracoubo.
They said it is one of the most multicultural villages in all FG.
I spent the rest of the afternoon at their table making my lunch and chatting. They gave me a beer and some deliciously sweet pomelo.
I brewed up a coffee for them . We talked about all the abandoned cars on the roadsides here, many still have number plates attached, he said the people can’t afford to have them moved so just leave them where they crash or breakdown. At one corner a few days ago there were 20 cars just rusting in the long grass.
After they left, a smallish tourist bus pulled up, about 20 people wandered over for lunch they had with them .
I heard them talking about Georgetown. Wandering over, I asked them if they knew of a good hotel in Georgetown.
Most of them were from there. They gave me the names and addresses of two cheap guesthouses in Georgetown. They were so helpful and gave me their names and numbers, should I have problems.
Many worked for Iwokrama, a Guyana environmental organization protecting and managing pristine forests in Guyana. Some 1,000,000 acres.
They were here on a study trip.
A few were going to Sydney next month to an environmental conference.
It is always great arriving into a new town, knowing where to go. It is nice to look purposeful , then you don’t get hassled by opportunists.
They left me a couple of large filled rolls they did not eat before they left. All my clothes and myself, were soaped down in the tannin stained but clean waters of the creek.
These campsites here in FG are a luxury in that there are tables and mown grass. Ants are about but are visible.
The covered tables are big enough to sit my tent on, so tonight I will be sleeping up on a table under the corrugated iron roof.
No one else is in the park, evidently they are busy in the weekends which is understandable, as they are great for kids bathing in the creeks whilst the parents can keep an eye on them.
16/10/2014 Park, North of Bellevue to Awala
D94, T8, Av19, max36, 33,748/8,225
Fine, 30, tail winds
Well, setting my tent up on the table, seemed like a good idea and was, until about 0100 in the morning.
Sound asleep, the next thing I knew I was on the ground, down the slope from the table. I had rolled over in my sleep and the tent, myself and all the gear inside had fallen off the table.
The tent appeared ok and my knee was bruised.
Half asleep, it was picked up, a few things taken out and put back on the table. I was back in it in no time and fell asleep again, though only lightly.
Come the morning daylight, an inspection revealed the top cross poles were damaged, one was broken where it inserts in the other. Skin had been taken from my bruised knee. A hole had also been ripped in the tent mesh.
I had been lucky. The hole was patched with the repair kit from my airbed and for a couple of years I have been carrying a small piece of aluminium tube to sleeve a tent pole should this happen. It was repaired as strong as new.
Once on the road at 0900, the terrain stayed flat, again in the light tail winds it was comfortable riding.
Turning off at the intersection, route D8 was entered, the road was even quieter again. This road was taking me to Awala and Lydie, my Warmshowers host for the night .
By the time I arrived in Mana, hunger was a major issue, an expensive, basic, but at the time, a very nice hamburger was enjoyed.
Lydie just happen to come to the shop and saw me sitting down, we introduced ourselves and arranged to meet in Awala at 1830 after she finished work.
It was 20km into Awala. Here Turtles come to nest on the local beaches in June, July. Three species frequent the beaches.
Once in the seaside village,after buying some fruit.
A ride was taken to the main beach, here on an almost waveless sea and brown sandy beach, one could imagine the turtles slowly coming ashore to bury their eggs. Dogs digging the eggs from the sand are a major problem.
I was told, for every mature turtle some 1000 perish.
Here a wander in the brown, incredibly warm sea was taken. The end of the road saw me arrive at a park area. Most public buildings were quite run down and had recieved no regular maintenance.
Here coconut trees were shading the park. Riding back towards town on the no through road, a sleep was had under the shade of a tree on a park bench in an unoccupied resort kind of place that must get busy during the turtle season.
At 1830, Lidie caught up with me on her bike and we headed back to her house. Her husband Alex works in the park here.
Many men were hanging about having a few beers on the streets, apparently the unemployment here in town is 30% or more.
There is a welfare system here just the same as in France, so people can live without working, she said they don’t buy much at the shops, just rice and bread. Much of their food is grown or comes from the surrounding forested areas.
Alex said his boss saw me having a shave in one of the roadside campsites. French Guiana really is a small country.
Her mum and dad were here from the Pyrennes area of France, visiting. Her mum could speak Spanish and Catalan, so we were able to communicate. Liddy could speak English and her husband a little.
Before eating we went outside to see if we could see the rocket taking the Argentine satellite into orbit, unfortunately there were some storm clouds about.
Watching these rockets heading towards space is a bit of a pastime here, one a month is usually launched, whether it be Ariane, Soyuz or the smaller Vega.
Dinner was a great casseroled chicken dish with salads. Accompanied with a beer.
My night was spent in a large, comfortable hammock underneath a thatched roof shelter at the back of the house. The hammock had a large mosquito net over it.
All the houses around the town were surrounded by a course greyish sand, it was like living on a beach.
Dropping a phone or camera would have been a disaster.
It had been a long day, once showered and in the hammock, it ended abruptly.
17/10/2014 Awala to St Laurent-du-Maroni
D58, T6, Av4, max32, 33,806/8,283
Fine, 30, tail winds
Very early in the morning, a noise was heard, that of a vehicle and a pump, cruising the street. It was the government spraying chemicals for the Mosquito borne disease, Chikungunya, which is a problem here.
The locals had petitioned against it but the practice continues.. Lydie was saying water accumulating in abandoned cars is one source of the problem. The chemical left an acrid smell in the still early morning air.
After breakfast and goodbyes, riding began about 0800, back the way I had come from Mana.
For the last two days, smoke has been one of the common odours along the way. This drier country is burnt during the dry season. Fire is a common tool used here. Unfortunately, a lot of people burn household waste which includes plastic.
A stop was made at the Mana store, where the Chinese owner told me not to pay more than 3 Euros for a boat ride to Suriname across the river Maroni and pay no extra for the bike. He also said the exchange rate allows 1 Euro to buy about 4.5 Suriname dollars.
From here, the D9 was taken south to the intersection again with the N1 To St Luarent du Maroni, the border town on the river Maroni.
It was tailwind conditions almost all the way. At one point a stop was made to take a photo of some rice fields.
Stepping off the shoulder of the road and on to what appeared to be solid ground below, saw me immediately sink up to my thighs in a swamp. I was out of there in a hurry. The surface was new grasses growing after a fire. Very deceiving!
In St Laurent, my first move was to the Suriname immigration building, here they told me a visa was needed and that it would take 2 working days to acquire, being Friday, the earliest it could be received was after 1500 on Monday.
Forty Euros were needed to purchase the document.
I had to spend 3 nights in the town. The cheapest hotels were 70 Euro. I considered going back to the roadside camp for the weekend.
Riding back to get a drink. I stopped a guy to ask about accommodation, he could speak some English and took me to a friend’s place who took in lodgers.
Here I could hang my hammock for 10 Euros a night.
It is just the best place, with a shower, toilet, and an open kind of room with a fridge with a gravel floor where I was shown the two hammock hooks.
Hammocks are a way of life here, the French Guianans take their hammocks seriously, the owner would not let me put my tent up.
It was no problems. The place also had good security with people always around.
Another French guy shares my room, Emric is here in a forestry roll for a couple of months from Lyon. We get on well.
He had to go back to work. My afternoon was spent enjoying a 700mm long baguette with salami, onion tomato and cheese, with a beer. Then, the most divine sleep in my hammock with a pedestal fan cooling me, a true siesta.
A luxury not afforded for some time.
Awakening at 1630, Emric had arrived back. We chatted then headed to a large supermarket here.
It was like a supermarket in France, all you wanted was here, all French products.
Apples were bought with things for dinner. The luxury of puffed wheat and liquid milk was bought for the few breakfasts I will have here.
I told the owner through Emric that his place was like a castle for me, compared to sleeping in tick infested long grass on the side of a road.
He laughed.
He was a man about my age who liked to chat alot with Emric, in that respect a little like myself!
Another couple turned up to spend the night. The place did not suit them, so we are here with the two other families of tenants, people of African descent, it is so different hearing them speak French, the children have the most beautiful plaited hair.
Dinner was pasta an tuna as usual, though cooked in very facilitating surroundings in good company on the balmy evening. Oh! Importantly we have a fridge in our room, and a microwave.
Personally, I can’t think of a more laid back comfortable place to relax, here on the river Maroni, across from Suriname whilst waiting for my visa.
The town of Albina in Suriname is only a few hundred metres across the river. Here awaits a previous Dutch colony, now and independent country.
French Guiana French: Guyane française; officially called simply Guiana (French: Guyane), is an overseas department and region of France, on the north Atlantic coast of South America. It borders Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west. Its 83,534 km2 (32,253 sq mi) area has a very low population density of only 3 inhabitants per km2, with half of its 250,109 inhabitants in 2013 living in the metropolitan area of Cayenne, its capital. By land area, it is by far the largest overseas region of France. As an overseas region, it is inside the European Union, and its official currency is the euro.
The addition of the adjective "French" in English comes from colonial times when five such colonies existed (The Guianas), namely from west to east: Spanish Guiana (now Guayana Region in Venezuela), British Guiana (now Guyana), Dutch Guiana (now Suriname), French Guiana, and Portuguese Guiana (now Amapá, a state in far northern Brazil). French Guiana and the two larger countries to the north and west, Guyana and Suriname, are still often collectively referred to as the Guianas and constitute one large shield landmass.
A large part of the department's economy derives from the presence of the Guiana Space Centre, now the European Space Agency's primary launch site near the equator.
French Guiana was originally inhabited by indigenous people. The French attempted to create a colony there in the 18th century in conjunction with its settlement of some other Caribbean islands.
The first French effort to colonize Guiana, in 1763, failed utterly when tropical diseases and climate killed all but 2,000 of the initial 12,000 settlers. During its existence, France transported approximately 56,000 prisoners to Devil's Island. Fewer than 10 percent survived their sentence.
Its infamous Île du Diable (Devil's Island) was the site of a small prison facility, part of a larger penal system by the same name, which consisted of prisons on three islands and three larger prisons on the mainland, and which was operated from 1852 to 1953. In addition, in the late nineteenth century, France began requiring forced residencies by prisoners who survived their hard labor. A Portuguese-British naval squadron took French Guiana for the Portuguese Empire in 1809. It was returned to France with the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1814. Though the region was handed back to France, a Portuguese presence remained until 1817.
A border dispute with Brazil arose in the late 19th century over a vast area of jungle leading to the short-lived pro-French independent state of Counani in the disputed territory. There was some fighting between settlers. The dispute was resolved largely in favor of Brazil by the arbitration of the Swiss government.
The territory of Inini consisted of most of the interior of French Guiana when it was created in 1930. It was abolished in 1946, when French Guiana as a whole became an overseas department of France. During the 1970s, following the French withdrawal from Vietnam in the 1950s, France helped resettle Hmong refugees from Laos to French Guiana.
In 1964, French president Charles de Gaulle decided to construct a space-travel base in French Guiana. It was intended to replace the Sahara base in Algeria and stimulate economic growth in French Guiana. The department was considered particularly suitable for the purpose because it is near the equator and has extensive access to the ocean as a buffer zone. The Guiana Space Centre, located a short distance along the coast from Kourou, has grown considerably since the initial launches of the "Véronique" rockets. It is now part of the European space industry and has had commercial success with such launches as the Ariane 4 and Ariane 5.
ref:Wikipedia
The last three days here have been spent relaxing, sleeping in my hammock each afternoon and enjoying all the French foods at the supermarket.
Fantastic hosts, Gene (right) and Bertrand (second left).
As close as I will probably get to a Jaguar! Guiana Zoo. This is a male, I did not realise they were so big. One of their favourite foods is dogs.
Rocket parts are shipped from the EU in these containers and are then assembled at the Space Centre at Kourou. (ESA/ European Space Agency)
Mural Awala
The Suyoz launch pad, the pit is fill with water to cool the site on take off.
It was such an interesting visit
The port at St Laurent du Maroni
A great spot here in St Laurent du Maroni for a few days whilst waiting for my visa to Suriname.
Emrics hammock is to the left.
Saturday markets st Laurent.
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Old broken down cars are a common roadside site. People cant afford to have them towed away.
The authorities appear to have no interest in the removal, most still had number plates attached.
great campsites with creeks and these shelters.
The campsite north of Bellevue, The tent and i rolled off the table in the middle of the night.
Turtle nesting site Awala
This aluminium tube has been carried for a few years, today it was all worth it. The rescue knife readily cut the tubing.
Lydie, my "Warmshowers" host in Awala.
People getting organized to cross the river to Suriname.
Such a laid back place here in St Laurent.
Roadside souvenirs on the way from Mana to St Laurent.
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Kourou Marina
The hairstyles and friendliness of the African people here make for a relaxing time in St Laurent du Maroni.
They are very tolerant of my lack of French speaking ability.
See photo to the right of this
The island is the hull of a steel ship, silt has provided an ideal environment for the trees onboard!
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Foreshores near the prison, River Maroni.
Typical workboat on the river Maroni.
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The fast and the enjoyingly very slow!
Ariane 5 rocket, used for launching all sorts of satellites into wide orbits. It was such a pleasure to see international cooperation on a grand scale, in something other than war.
I was very lucky falling from here in the night and not caused more damage to me and my gear.
