Visiting Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni

Jack and I stayed two days in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni. After visiting the old prison, we walked around the riverbank.  Although it looks like the sea, it's really only the Maroni River; on the other side is the small country of Suriname. (Click on photos to enlarge)

We found a shipwrecked boat which seems overtaken today by the vegetation.

We also saw a memorial to the victims of France's penal colonies-- to the many convicts (some of whom had only committed shoplifting) who endured Guiana's hot and humid climate in deplorable jail conditions.

We also saw many tropical plants as we walked around such as this pineapple.

The most beautiful building in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni is supposed to be the private residence of the préfet (like the governor).

Although the photos I've taken of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni may seem rather nice, I didn't much like this town. First of all, it's very dirty; littering is very commonplace and I frequently saw people throw their trash on the ground and just walk away. Few people seem to care about the Guiana they'll leave for their children and grandchildren. Some places were simply disgusting-- a shame to see-- and I felt distressed to witness the situation. Secondly, hungry, skinny stray dogs are everywhere. They roam the streets, bark, and fornicate. They pull apart garbage bags in order to look for food and scatter more trash. This caused me more distress.

Finally, the majority of the population in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni is Saramacan, the descendants of escaped black slaves from Suriname. I was disappointed by our welcome, mostly distant and a lot of unfriendly looks.

Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni will soon be the largest city of French Guiana as the birth rate in the Saramacan families is extremely high-- usually between 8 and 12 children. Moreover, the Surinamese immigrate massively to this city as the river border is easily crossed. Hm...