Cacao market

From Cayenne, if you drive along the RN2 in the southern direction for roughly 60 kilometers, you will reach Cacao village. Landscapes shift from savanna after Cayenne into deep primary forest on both sides of the road. Cacao has been given in the seventies to Hmong people, an Asian community of refugees originated from Vietnam, Thailand and Laos. Since the time of their settlement in French Guiana, they did an impressive farming job to transforming the jungle into a vegetable garden or a garden of Eden. This has certainly be a hard time to get there, and the young generation is no longer willing to continue their parent's hard work. They apparently fancy urban jobs more.
Anyway, Cacao is a tiny village famous for its Sunday market, visited Sunday 29/04/12 by the MSG teams.
Here is an overall view on the market from the main village square.

 

Various types of vegetables and fruits from the Hmong production are on sale.

Exotic flowers (Bractées de Balisier) or ...

lovely embroideries, typical from the Hmong culture, are also available.

The typical Asian food is served in open air restaurants aside the market.
Here under MSG team at lunch break (from left to right: Cyril, Rolf, Stéfane, Elaine, Francois and Liliane). Don't try to get a coffee in Cacao, it is not on the menu :-)

Finally, never leave this place without a visit at the village museum "le planner bleu". The teacher of the village, a real fascinating character, will delight you with his guided tour on butterflies, spiders, snakes etc... You will really lean a lot. In a single word he will tell you:
All you ever wanted to know about French Guiana but never dare to ask.

Association le Planeur Bleu, 97352 Cacao

Tel. Fax: +33 (0) 594 27 00 34 

leplaneurbleu@wanadoo.fr