Justin Parke

🏪 Nieuwe Grond Markt 🦥 & A Sloth Rescue 🌴 Wanica District, Suriname

On a recent trip to Nieuwe Grond Markt in Suriname, we discovered a sloth stranded on the roadside, and gave it a little help crossing the road.

🚙 FAMILY ROADTRIP WITH @FAUSTOFRASER 👨‍✈️

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](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/justinparke/M4Gk67wu-IMG_1316.JPG)^{*@faustofraser on the far left, inside Nieuwe Grond Markt*}

A good friend of ours and fellow Hiver @FaustoFraser recently took my family and I on a road trip to Nieuwe Grond Markt with hopes of scoring some raw peanuts, an increasingly rare commodity in Suriname during this economic crisis.


^{the @kidsisters gathering Hive content}

The @KidSisters were in tow, busy enjoying the sights and sounds of market life and snapping their own original Hive content. It's rare if not impossible to visit a market in Suriname and not see a caged bird, and even quite common to see a local carrying their caged bird with them around the market while buying groceries.

[

](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/justinparke/Z8Ft5Ddm-3.JPG)^{*customers impatiently waiting for their حلال rotis*}


^{@faustofraser, @sreypov, and the @kidsisters awaiting halal phulouris}

One of the first sights we noticed was a halal roti shop that seemed quite popular. We inquired if there were any Ital or vegan snacks, and to our surprise, we were able to score some phulouris, a snack very similar to Indian boondi, but larger and more spongy.

🕵️‍♂️ EXPLORING THE MARKET 🚶‍♀️

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](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/justinparke/WwodAF8H-6.JPG)^{*view of the market interior just past the food stalls*}

The market is quite large, as you can see in the above photo, so we spent about 15 minutes exploring all the different areas, but mostly in search of raw peanuts.

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](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/justinparke/5j3NLi3j-7.JPG)^{*purveyor of cucumbers and spiky mini hipster cucumbers*}

Nieuwe Grond Markt has all the standard fruits and vegetables we've found at all other markets in Suriname, but the above seller had some spiky mini cucumbers, something we'd never seen before, so we bought a bunch for curiosity's sake.

[

](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/justinparke/wXcgElAX-99.JPG)^{*@sreypov marveling at these strange cucumbers*}

Spoiler - they taste just like ordinary cucumbers.

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](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/justinparke/sa31VZ44-luffa.JPG)^{*luffas - $7.50 SRD a piece*}

We found some luffas at a decent price, so @Sreypov snagged a few to make a very special Cambodian soup.

[

](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/justinparke/TSbxZQWD-89.JPG)^{*Monkey-B awaiting big sister and Mom*} [

](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/justinparke/pQuLiFlY-podo.JPG)^{*podosirie (açai) juice for sale alongside raw peanuts*}

About to give up on our peanut mission, we found them for sale in the flowers and plants section of the market on our way out. The peanuts were sitting right on top of an açai juice ice box, the seller well-aware of the current peanut crisis.

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](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/justinparke/CoaYmbiu-IMG_1330.JPG)^{*@sreypov and @faustofraser heading back to the car*}

Satisfied with our haul, we left the market with road snacks and enough fruit and vegetables for a few more days of life. We couldn't have imagined what surprise was in store for us on the highway.

🦥 SLOTH SURPRISE 😲

[

](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/justinparke/OuLKgkdf-IMG_1332.JPG)^{*@faustofraser with the sloth we saw on the road's edge*}

While cruising on the highway, a dream of mine was realized when I noticed a sloth on the shoulder making efforts in vain to crawl across the road. I shouted "Sloth! Sloth! Sloth!" as Fausto slammed on the brakes in an effort to prevent this animal from being hit by another passing car.

^{@faustofraser - elite animal rescue service}

I stopped traffic while Fausto grabbed the sloth and carried it across the street. It was so cool to be able to assist this wild animal in it's mission of crossing the road, and we got some very memorable photos in the process. To see pictures of me with the sloth, check out this post from @Sreypov.

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](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/justinparke/UJ9fxy0s-11.JPG)^{*the sloth back at peace on a tree trunk*}

Once placed on a tree, this little guy or gal seemed at ease, so we felt like we had done our job, and we hopped back on the road to finish the day's errands.

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](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/justinparke/9ec8T6t3-13.JPG)^{*the sloth making its escape back to the heights*}

It was so exciting to encounter a sloth like this here in Suriname. Here in Suriname, travel in general is not very affordable, and most citizens have their own car. If you are without a car in Suriname, the Amazon is just as inaccessible as it is expensive to visit, so we've settled for wild encounters at the forest's edge.