Suriname, French Guiana, and Brazil: Exotic Amazon

After a year of preparation, and waiting two long weeks in Paramaribo, Suriname, we get the green light from customs officials to uncrate and reassemble our KTM 690 Enduro R bikes. Finally, the second phase of “The Riding Reporters” South AmericaN adventure is set to begin!

Three years ago, Daniëlle Boelens and I rode the western regions of South America in seven months. This time, I aim to finish circling the continent on the east side in five months, accompanied by Lia Bexkens the first three months, and Carli Kooper for the last two. Jumping off in Suriname, we’ll travel 15,000 miles, riding through French Guiana, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile.

Set free, Lia and I attack our crates, and are soon drenched in sweat as we pry the wood from the steel frames in the merciless heat. A dockworker, taking pity on us, moves our crates with his forklift to the only patch of shade around. Our work then proceeds more quickly, and we’re relieved though exhausted when the bikes are back together within two hours.

Finally the time has come to start our adventure after two weeks of waiting to get our KTM 690 Enduro Rs released from customs, a process that took 36 mailings, 32 phone calls, 14 taxi rides, and even a visit to the Dutch embassy. All this because our shipper put “The Riding Reporters” on the official shipping documents instead of my personal name. Beforehand, we tried to get information online about shipping to Suriname but nothing came up and our shipper didn’t have any experience with the country either. It is easier, especially for Europeans, to ship to neighboring country French Guiana because it is part of the European Union as a French region.

Seeing as we planned our first project in Paramaribo, we chose the unknown instead and shipped our bikes to Suriname. We knew we wouldn’t mind a couple days of waiting because we would be busy anyway. Our project did go rather smoothly. In two days’ time we visited Mama Joyce, a woman taking care of orphan children in the city, and I wrote her story and photographed it. Besides the short delay, we had to pay a deposit at customs for bringing our KTMs to Suriname, which we would get back as soon as we crossed the border.

Motorcycles & Gear

2016 KTM 690 Enduro Rs

Helmets: KTM Schuberth C3 Pro
Jackets: Lindstrands Qurizo Lady
Pants: Lindstrands Blaze Lady
Boots: Lindstrands Champ
Gloves: Lindstrands Dolomit
Luggage: Ortlieb Rack-Packs 89L
Navigation: TomTom Rider 410 World Edition
Cameras: Canon EOS I Mark IV

While we were waiting for the motorcycles, we rented bicycles to do some sightseeing in Paramaribo. It’s a perfect way to get around in the small capital. We visited Fort Zeelandia, a fort and some wooden houses built in the 1600s for Dutch officers. From that time on Suriname was a Dutch colony until it gained independence in 1975. We also visited Onafhankelijkheidsplein (Independence Square), located near the Presidential Palace and the judicial court as well as the palm garden with its impressive king palms.