Christmas Day in Cayenne

Merry Christmas everyone! Jack and I had a very quiet day trying to stay out of the heat and humidity. However, the sun and good weather finally drew us outside in the afternoon and off we went to the beach. Would you like to come with us on our little walk? Once we leave our apartment complex, we go down the street to the roundabout and then turn right. (Click on photos to enlarge)

Next, we'll go straight along this road for about five minutes...

...and we'll turn left down the first dirt road.

After another right then another left, we arrive at this street. If you look carefully, you can see the ocean at the end of the street.

In just another two minutes, here we are at the beach! Along the way, one of the houses seems to emerge from the luxurious vegetation.

This will be the first time we ever go swimming in the ocean on Christmas Day. The water was actually quite nice and warm, and we had fun splashing around.

We wrote you a little message in the sand just before a wave came to wipe it away. Can you make out what it says?

As we left to return home, we admired the sunset through the palm trees.

In just three days, we'll be leaving for the Salvation Islands about one hour by ferry off the coast of French Guiana. I promise lots of photos. Until then, merry Christmas once again!

Merry Christmas...

Finally! School vacation began yesterday and I've got until January 5th to rest, do housework, prepare lessons and correct papers AT MY OWN PACE!

The rainy season has also started and our backyard is flooding more and more often these days... (Click on pictures to enlarge)

 The rainy season, however, is not mansoon season like in Bangladesh with continuous rains for months. Here, it's just storms every day ranging between 10 minutes to a couple of hours. Temperatures are cooler so it's easier to stay outside during the afternoon.

The rainy season is also bringing more critters into the backyard... mostly giant sized such as this grasshopper...

or this moth.

 Frogs and toads are everywhere. This frog decided to stick to our sliding glass door for a couple of hours...

...and we found another small frog hiding amongst the dishes in our kitchen sink.

One positive side to the frequent rains, humid atmosphere, and steady heat is the general effect on my garden. My plants are thriving and I can enjoy many flowers in full bloom such as my orchids...

or hibiscus...

and a few others.

Next week, Jack and I will be leaving for the Salvation Islands to spend four days together on this little tropical paradise (but with a dark history). I promise lots of pictures and some explanations about what you can see and do there. Until then... merry Chistmas!

Grocery shopping in French Guiana

As an overseas department (or state) of France, French Guiana has most stores that exist in metropolitain France. It's just getting there that's a little different.

Since there's very little public transportation here, it's necessary to have one's own car. To go grocery shopping, Jack and I first drive through the rain forest for about 7 minutes. (Click on photos to enlarge).

 Some houses have been built along the road...

 Géant is the closest large grocery store from our house. As you can see, it's pretty big.

 We can find pretty much everything we need at Géant. The prices are about 30% higher than in France because everything is imported from Europe. Also, French Guiana is part of the European community which means that it can't trade freely with its neighboring countries in South America... there are European trade quotas, high customs fees and European law requirements and restrictions. This situation has thus created a paradox : people in Guiana are forced to buy their products from Europe at high prices whereas the same products exist in South America at low prices...