History Tour At plantation Frederiksdorp

Hello, my dearest Story Time friends, I am back with more travel adventures! This time I am writing to you about a hotel and resort located in Commewijne. Of course, this isn't any ordinary hotel! Plantage Frederiksdorp  Plantage means' plantation in English) has a dark history! Suriname was once a colony that the Dutch, British, Portuguese, and French fought over for a long time. We were a lucrative colony! Suriname had coffee, cocoa, sugar, and cotton plantations that exported their products to the Europeans. Because of the plantation businesses sprouting throughout this South American country, a lot of African slaves were imported by the West Indian Company. Taken away from their homes against their will, they were placed on the auction blocks for the rich Surinamese plantation owners to bid on. Suriname was known as one of the countries with the cruelest slave masters! The Dutch didn't play around with their torture games. Plantation Frederiksdorp was one of those companies back in the day. Now, the place has been transformed into a hotel and resort that showcases the history of Suriname. It took the Dutch an extra long time to abolish slavery in Suriname. That's why most of the slaves ran away from their plantations and fled to the neighboring Guyanas in search of freedom! Of course, some of them just ran and hid in the depths of the Amazon rainforest. There, the jungle became their new home as they lost their old ones. Some of these tribes went to Sipaliwini, Marowijne, and other areas of the country. From their new villages, they would strategize and build new lives for their people. The indigenous people who were previously enslaved by the Europeans helped them and taught them how to survive in this tropical jungle. Some of them even melted their villages. Others like Boni, Jolicoeur, and Baron led attacks to free their brothers and sisters from the slave masters. They plundered the plantations and tried to free as many slaves as possible. When you visit the Frederiksdorp plantation, you have the opportunity to hear the stories of these Surinamese heroes. On the resort grounds, they offer a Boni trail tour dedicated to the life of this Maroon leader who fought for the freedom of each slave till his last breath.Throughout Surinamese history, there were many tactics implemented by the Dutch and the West Indian Company to ensure that the plantation masters' property was protected from Maroon attacks, foreign infiltration, and greedy pirates that sailed like hungry vultures above the coastline. It wasn't until 1863 that slavery was finally abolished. Although by law, the slaves weren't allowed to taste freedom from the plantation life just yet! They had to work for 10 more years on the plantations before they were allowed to leave. That's when the Netherlands began experimenting with immigrants from Indonesia, India, and China. Eventually, they even began experimenting with farmers from their own countries. But none of them could stand the Surinamese climate and produce the same results as the slaves who were tortured and treated as stock. Most of these Immigrants were brought under false promises of riches to Suriname. They were told that we were like the land of Honey and Milk for the poor. Of course, when they arrived here, it was a different reality. Even the immigrants were poorly treated and cruelly punished by the plantation owners. Frederiksdorp is one of the plantations that has had both slaves and immigrants. The tour guide who led the history tour around the plantation explained to us what life was like for the Frederiksdorp inhabitants back then. The slaves had to cook sugar in the giant sugar pots that can be found at the entrance of the plantation Frederiksdorp. If they burned the sugar, it turned into caramel. Back then, caramel had no value for the slave owners, so they'd harshly punish the slaves for their mistakes. Sometimes they would even cook them in the caramel until their bodies turned into coal. Afterwards, the corpses were thrown in the nearby river or creek. Later, the plantation turned into a prison for immigrants. In one cell, they'd prop as many immigrants as possible and give them 1 bucket to urinate in and to relieve themselves. This bucket was cleaned once every 7 days. There are many things to learn from the History Tour at Plantation Frederiksdorp in Suriname. This tour is offered for free three times a day when you visit Plantation Frederiksdorp. I'd certainly recommend it if you want to gain a better understanding of the dark history of Suriname. Most of the plantation buildings have been restored and renovated to resemble their original models. The old buildings that you see on the hotel grounds are the same buildings that belonged to the slave masters. The hotel decided to keep the burn mark of the plantation as its logo. I understand that they want to preserve history, but to me, it's a creepy thought to keep the mark they'd burn into the skin of slaves as your company's logo.However, overall, the free history tour at Plantage Frederiksdorp in Commewijne was educational. I got to learn the story behind the sights that we see. Of course, I have a lot more content coming up for you, so be sure to follow or subscribe to my Story Time blog! Pray for me that my Surinamese Internet provider cooperates and allows me to share more of the awesome content I made for you soon! Of course, I had to create a vlog of my visit to Plantage Frederiksdorp in Commewijne and the history tour we took. It's a fun trip to take, which only takes 10 minutes by boat across the Commewijne River from Marienburg. In the future, I'll try to add English subtitles to the video for you, since my tour guide was speaking Dutch. Creating content and making Story Time takes a lot of work behind the scenes. That's why I keep hinting that I have many more stories to share. 😅 I appreciate all the support for my content, as it motivates me to keep creating and sharing awesome stories with my Story Time tribe!💓 So don't forget to subscribe when you see that U.F.O. pop onto your screen! 👽👾🛸Can't wait to zap my new adventures straight into your inbox. Are you planning your own trip soon? Check out Expedia, they offer amazing deals to make your travel dreams come true! As an affiliate partner, I earn a commission when you purchase through this link. But don't let that stop you from booking your dream vacation! Enjoy my vlog, guys, and until our next Story Time adventure together.📹💓