Paramaribo is the capitol and largest city of Suriname (formerly Dutch Guiana). It lies on the west bank of the Suriname River 15 km from the Atlantic Ocean and is built on a shingle reef that stands 5 metres above the river at low tide (LE copied this last fact from the internet but it seems a little suspect, 5 metres is not very high). It has a population of about 250,000 people of East Indian, African, indigenous, Javanese, Chinese, and Dutch descent.
The city originated as an Amerindian village that became a French settlement (1640) and was later the site of an English colony founded in 1651. In 1667 Paramaribo was one of the settlements ceded to the Dutch under the Treaty of Breda. Thus commenced the period of Dutch colonial rule that was interrupted only by brief periods of British control during 1799–1802 and 1804–15. After World War II the city grew considerably, mainly because of tourism and industry. Suriname became an independent country in 1975.
Paramaribo features a tropical rainforest climate and has no true dry season, all 12 months of the year average more than 60 mm of precipitation. September through November are the driest months but we did not arrive until mid February so most days it rains at least once, sometimes all day. These are not ordinary rain showers, where you can get away with just a gortex rain jacket, they are like standing beneath a waterfall. Even umbrellas are useless. Most people take shelter under a roof overhang until the precipitation stops and then they continue with whatever they were doing before the deluge. Paramaribo averages 2200 mm of rain each year.
The historic part of the city, adjacent to the river, remains largely intact. Many of the wooden Dutch Colonial buildings (built after the fires of 1821 and 1832) have been restored, others remain in picturesque decay. They all conform to a general layout: they are rectangular and symmetrical in plan with steep roofs and brick substructures. Both these and the 
public buildings are generally painted white, the brick elements being highlighted in red. Doors and window shutters are in dark green. The administrative heart of the city is Independence Square, flanked by the Presidential Palace and the Ministry of Finance building. Other notable structures include the St Peter and Paul Cathedral (constructed entirely of wood), a synagogue (constructed in 1685) built immediately adjacent to the Mosque Keizerstraat (the largest mosque in the Caribbean), the octagonal Dutch reformed church (built in 1833), and Fort Zeelandia (1667, the core from which Paramaribo was built). In 2002 the historic district was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.
We visited the city on three separate days, wandering through the center gazing at the architecture and purchasing vegetables in the central market. Many house gardens have papaya trees and green pepper bushes but these fruits and veggies are usually not for sale - the most common produce available to us shoppers are oranges, bananas and eggplant. Although the market fare is rather ordinary the many restaurants serve a variety of different cuisines; Chinese, Indonesian, Indian, West African, Creole or European, at times a fusion of all of these. After many months of eating grilled beef and potatoes (popular in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil) our taste buds have been re-awakened and we are enjoying spicy food again.
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