GalibiPersonal travel impressions in stories and pictures from Galibi, Surinam. Click on the pictures to enlarge, send as a free e-card, or download for personal use. You can locate Galibi and navigate the world using Google Earth Show on map
N 5° 42.239
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Coming directly from Paramaribo, stepping off the boat that took us to Galibi from Albina was like stepping into another world. The atmosphere was very laid back in this fishing village, and the people are amerindians and looked completely different. They are actually Caribs who established Galibi as their capital of the region, Galibi being an old French name for Caribs. Galibi is called Kupali Yuma by the locals, meaning "tree of the forefathers". It actually consists of two villages: Christiaankondre and Langamankondre, which have now merged into one village along the banks of the Marowijne or Maroni river.
Galibi is very quiet, and built spaciously - each house seems to be a separate entity as there is ample space between one house and the next, giving the inhabitants a lot of privacy. Some houses are built on stilts in the typical Caribbean way, but there are also structures built directly on the sand. There are many footpaths connecting different parts of the village, almost all running roughly north-south along the banks of the Marowijne river. There are no cars, and the footpaths are all sandy, which gives any walk in this settlement a relaxing atmosphere.
We arrived in the middle of a football match between teams representing the two parts of the village. More than just a match, it was a social gathering; entire families were sitting under trees, having something to eat, while under another tree music was being played for entertainment while the players were running for the ball over the sand field. Even when heavy showers hit the field, play was not suspended. The end of the match was a good reason for a party. The next day, the field had turned into the central square of Galibi, singing coming from the school on the other side of the field.
