Thursday, March 30, 2006

Outsider


Outsider
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Kids at the school in Punta Gorda, Belize.

Ride


Ride
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Play


Play
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Doug & Paul


Doug & Paul
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

I love travel!

Pick a peck


Pick a peck
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Peppers destined for salsa and hot sauce at the San Ignacio public market.

Katia shops


Katia shops
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Back in San Ignacio (near the Guatemalan border) again. It was a 3 1/2 hour journey on a well maintained highway from Punta Gorda. I drove Katia's truck the entire distance. There is about 9 miles of unpaved road just outside of PG which certainly rattled our bones. But the rest of the Hummingbird Highway is quite scenic -- with lush mountains, orange and lime orchards -- and my favourite -- banana groves? orchards?

Today (Thursday) we spent the day in San Ignacio. Here's a shot of Katia shopping at the public market.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Hula Girl Punta Gorda, Belize


Hula Girl Punta Gorda, Belize
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Wednesday night and Katia and I are back in San Ignacio.

The day started early with me watching Guatemalan news (blood and guts big time) while Katia went to shoot the sunrise.

Later, we headed to Paul's place again -- to record some more performances and to continue the interview.

We were finished around noon.

It was a pretty amazing experience meeting Paul and it's sad to think I may never be in his company again.

More images are coming when I have access to a bit better internet connection. I am currently poaching from a hotel about 1km from the balcony railing on which my laptop teeters.

The trip is going well, of course. Lots of great non-touristy experiences.

Brent is coming to San Ignacio tomorrow and then we will head to Guatemala on Friday. After a few days and a few more Tecate, we'll head back to San Ignacio -- then Belize City -- then Caye Caulker.

It's starting to go by too fast.

However, I am looking forward to Caye Caulker (and indeed home) for a break from the noise. Yeah, I know I'm super sensitive -- but this is the noisiest country in the world. You wouldn't believe the number of dogs that bark all day and night (more at night, as its too hot during the day) and people who blast karaoke at 11. Crazy.

C'est la vie, I reckon.

Bed beckons...

Cheers!

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Transport


Transport
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Look


Look
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Listen


Listen
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Strum


Strum
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Late


Late
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Transmission


Transmission
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Paul's House


Paul's House
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Punta Gorda


Punta Gorda
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Punta Gorda


Punta Gorda
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Grief


Grief
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

At the end of a long day's shooting...

from the "working vacation II" dept.

For the last several days I have been in Punta Gorda, a small town in Southern Belize.

I'm working with filmmaker Katia Paradis (Yaha Films) on her story about three traditional Belizean musicians – one Garifuna, one Mayan, and one Creole.

The Garifuna musician, singer/guitarist Paul Nabor is the focus of our shoot in Punta Gorda.

Paul is a 78-year-old who traces his ancestry back to Africa. He's one of only a handful of people who still speak the Garifuna language and hold on to the traditional music.

We've been here for a number of days, and I have not had time to post much in the way of text. It's been a surreal experience. Paul is dirt poor, yet he is rich in many ways. Spending time with him is like being in another time. He has a myriad of stories about the old days and his life as a boxer. He also entertained people around Central America decades ago. In fact, he still prefers to use his beat off and somewhat out-of-tune guitar. The guitar is 53-years-old.

When he sings, this amazing voice suddenly appears. Normally he is soft spoken, but suddenly his voice becomes powerful as he belts out traditional songs in both Garifuna and Spanish. He also speaks Creole and English.

I was surprised to learn many Garifuna words, especially numbers, are very similar to French.

I don't think I have ever spent so much time in a place that is so far away from my reality. I mean, who goes on vacation and then spends 4 or 5 days hanging with an elderly musician in his leaky palapa hut.

That said, this is like no vacation before, and that's the whole point. All inclusives will be nice when I'm 70, but right now, sleeping with ants, getting bitten by sandflies and avoiding snakes seems to be a pretty cool thing.

And, at the end of the day, I can always relax under a sold roof with a rum and mango.

More to come!

Cheers!

Monday, March 27, 2006

from the "holiday" dept.

Monday... Punta Gorda, Belize.

For some reason Flickr is bunged up, so I don't have the ability to post a bunch of pictures from today.

And what would those be?

Why from today's big shoot with Paul Nabor in his wee home.

It was pretty amazing to see this guy -- a 78-year-old Belizean -- play traditional Garifuna music for us. This little old man suddenly unleashes a soulful voice accompanied by his old guitar.

Truly amazing stuff... and if you head to the flickr site (see link, right), you'll see the point and shoot images. The D70 stuff is to come.

Going to hang here in Punta Gorda for another couple of days... then head to Guatemala. Then back to Caye Caulker...

Ah, life is good!

Cheers!

Sunday, March 26, 2006

from the "PG" dept.

Alive and well in Punta Gorda, Belize. Working with Katia on her film about three old musicians, one of whom is Paul Nabor of Punta Gorda. Today we visited with him and shot footage of several Garifuna women singing traditional songs. Quite amazing... this is a holiday!! Screw all inclusives!! Who needs em!

Off to get some rice and beans and cheap rum.

Never coming home!

Cheers!

Cross


Cross
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Katia and Paul Nabor


Katia and Paul Nabor
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

It's so nice to be working on something real... not just fires and car accidents and the like.

Watching


Watching
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Sing Song


Sing Song
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Katia, Paul Nabor and friends...

Resting


Resting
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Hanging out in Punta Gorda, Belize.

Friday, March 24, 2006

from the "waiting" dept.

Friday.

Not much excitement today, so far.

After Roh and Brent went to work, I hung out at the house.

The first order of business was to make sure all my audio gear was working and piled together. I am heading to Punta Gorda, via San Ignacio to do sound for Katia's documentary on Paul Nabor, an old-time Belizean musician mentioned in earlier postings.

Unfortunately, I have to drive Katia's truck as she doesn't have her license presently. However, she lives in San Ignacio, which is a good two hours west of Belize City.

Worst case scenario, I will struggle with a bunch of gear and luggage on a local bus tomorrow. Best case scenario I will be able to get a ride out to San Ignacio tonight (looks good) with one of the local people working on the cruise ship commercial.

Brent did pop home around lunch time, so I joined him for a bit over at the Putt-Putt. It's a bar with food service on the site of a former mini-golf course. It was easier and cheaper to call the bar Putt-Putt then get a new sign.

I was convinced to try a local food item called gibnut -- a edible mammal. Brent didn't explain exactly what it was until after I finished. It's something akin to a guinea pig, and damn tasty. And it is known as the Royal Rat. Sided with rice and beans and potato salad, plus the standard Belikin beer this filling skoff was but US$6. (BZ$12).

And why is it called the Royal Rat? Fodor's explains:

Although it's not among the world's greatest, Belizean food is one of Central America's best cuisines. Staples include tasty treats -- like the fryjack, a beignetlike dough fried to a golden crisp and served at breakfast -- rice and beans, fried chicken, and tasty creole "stew chicken." Added to these are such acquired tastes as iguana, known as "bush chicken" or "bamboo chicken;" gibnut, a small rodent dubbed the "royal rat" after Queen Elizabeth dined on it during a state visit; and oddities of the British culinary heritage, like bread-and-butter pudding and cow-foot soup.

At the Putt-Putt, I also met the owners of a small resort near San Ignacio. They asked Brent and I to pop by when we head to Guatemala next week.

After a some running around, Brent dropped me back at the house. I did some laundry and got the clothes on the line just in time for a torrential downpour. The sun is now out, and my fingers are crossed that they will be dry by the time I depart for San Ignacio (if I do tonight).

So far the trip has been relaxing, which is the whole point. And while I've spent a lot of time at Brent's, that's OK, because there is very little to do in Belize City. The real adventure is still to come. Though yesterday's Mexico trip was a nice roadtrip.

More soon!

Cheers!

Thursday, March 23, 2006

from the "Mexico and back" dept.



Later Thursday morning:

After a long wait, we finally got on the road around 10am.

Brent had to meet some crew members arriving at the Belize-Mexico land crossing today. He's location managing a rather large 60-person two day commercial shoot here for a cruise line. Most of the people involved in the spot are from Mexico.

Our ride was a massive 10+ passanger Kia diesel mini-van. The air conditioning barely functioned -- but it kept things cool enough.

Our first stop was to pick up a PA for the shoot -- Javier. Then we headed north with Javier spinning stories about working on a Julia Roberts film.



Several hours later when we arrived at the border, we discovered that there was a hold up on the Mexican side. Something to do with paperwork delayed the trucks carrying all the gear for the shoot.

Then, there was a similar delay on the Belizean side.

During this time, Brent and I walked into the Corazal Free Zone, a tax free enclave on the Belizean side of the border. Normally I would have had to pay exit fees, but Belize customs waived that. I didn't have to get stamped out, although I could not really go too far into Mexico, as I would need to go through Mexican controls and that would raise issues re-entering Belize.

I snapped pictures of the border, including a sign that introduced North America. I have never seen anything like that before.



We managed to grab a bite to eat (stew chicken, rice & beans) and a Corona at a small bar in the free zone, a place utterly devoid of shoppers -- but not underwear.





As the day began to come to an end, the Mexican trucks finally cleared customs. Javier went with the trucks, and two of the production personnel joined Brent and me in the van. Jamie and Candella were from the Mexican film company and spent much of the drive on the phone.

As day turned to night, the driving conditions worsened. Belize roads are poorly marked and in poor condition to begin with. At night, they're crazy -- filled with bad drivers, drunk drivers, and hazards on the road -- usually pedestrians dressed in dark colours.

It was a relief to arrive in Belize city - and the first thing we did was hit the Princess Hotel where Jamie and Candella are staying. This is when we learned that one of the drivers had been stopped by police -- and threatened with arrest after it was discovered he was driving sans license.

The night was getting longer and longer, and Brent wasn't having much of a birthday. I was growing bored, so I met up with Brent's wife and we went for some Indian food before heading home. Brent came home several hours later.

After the debrief, he was off to bed, while I watched a bit of tube (Daily Show!) before calling it a night.

Cheers!

from the "north to Mexico" dept.

A brief post:

Brent turned 40 this morning, and we're heading up to the Belize-Mexico border to pick up some people for a film shoot.

Breakfast was typical: nummy soft tortillas wrapped around mushy chicken and veg, topped with Marie Sharp's finest hot sauce.

Just killing time before hitting the road.

Pictures & words to come. Also, I just recalled that Roadspill is just two days shy of its third birthday. Jeepers!

Cheers!

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Grins


Grins
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Hiding amongst the pineapples


Hiding amongst the pineapples
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

She was poking out, wondering what I was up to.

Dinner


Dinner
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Blue Door


Blue Door
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Green Door


Green Door
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

It's hard to shoot anything in Belize City, as the crack heads instantly hassle you. However, I did manage to get a few shots. There is no lack of colourful buildings, though I would assume this is more due to the availability of paint rather than an artistic plan.

from the "day one" dept.

It's the first full day in Belize... and still quite early. I find that in such a warm and humid place, sleeping in is difficult. However the body tends to adjust by getting sleepy earlier in the evening. If you go to bed at 10, you're up at six, with eight hours of sleep.

Well, in a perfect world.

Here, around 3am, the local hounds went nuts. For about an hour they barked their heads off. One group feeding off another. Such is Belize City, and certainly not unexpected.

I should add some of the highlights from Tuesday:

Arrival at the airport was smooth, as was customs. The US$25 cab ride to the city was typical. A chatty cabbie with lots of great stories -- especially about politics. I think he was surprised by my knowledge!

As mentioned in an earlier post, I arrived at Brent's and we broke out the 23 year old Guatemalan rum in honour of his upcoming 40th birthday.

We dined at a small Chinese restaurant around the corner (good, cheap and filling)... before hanging out for the evening. Roh arrived home around 8 and we BBQ'd up a mess of ribs. Fantastic meal...

And that brings us to Wednesday.

I've spent the morning following the news of the sinking of a BC Ferry off the northern coast. It's amazing to be able to sit here and listen to live CBC BC radio coverage in addition to reading copy as it moves on the wires. Through my CBC work, I have access to the internal news network and can call up stories, scripts, etc.

And, if I were not in Belize, I'd be working the CBC BC website today.

The plan for the day is rather loose. Brent has his hands full setting up a shoot for a Mexican crew. They're coming to Belize tomorrow for several days to film a commercial for a cruise line.

While he works the phone, I'm just hanging out. There's little to see in Belize City, so there is no point leaving the house. Which means I have lots of time to do nothing in particular. I've got some reading to catch up on, but that's the extent of my plan.

Tomorrow I will go with Brent up to the Mexican border. He has to pick up one of the Mexican crew members. I haven't driven up to that part of the country (directly south of Playa del Carmen (Chetumal) since my first visit to Belize in 1999. It's doubtful we'll cross over into Mexico, however.

This weekend I'll head down to the southern part of the country with Katia to work on her film. I've yet to confirm days or times... but I'm expecting it to be 2 or 3 days. There's a small bit of pay, and my expenses will be covered... however I'm not doing it for that -- it's about helping out cool creative folks.

I forgot to mention that Grandmaster popped by yesterday. He was in fine form, and looking for a bit of scratch. He makes occasional appearances at Brent's place looking for a dollar or two. Fair game, Brent says, as GM isn't making anything from the production of the doc and has donated a lot of this time.

That's the story so far...

Cheers!

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Empty


Empty
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

... as you can see, I really did have the whole arse end of the plane to myself. Very, very nice.

So... I am at Brent's and while we wait for his wife to get home from work, we're drinking 23 year old rum and trading stories. And surfing.

Brent is production managing a shoot for a cruise company, and in between sips of Centenario is responding to emails and making calls.

I am working wirelessly as well, but writing blog stuff and uploading images.

It's a tough life!

Cheers!

Instructions


Instructions
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Compared to the flight from SEA-MIA, MIA-BZE was like being in first class. The plane was half empty, and the seats seemed bigger.

I may have been a bit groggy, but none-the-less, the last leg was comfortable.

I arrived just after 1pm in Belize City. All went smoothly, especically customs.

The air temperature was 30C, meaning that my attire of a fleece and jeans was now terribly wrong. I ditched the fleece, and seriously considered putting the shorts and sandals on... but then decided it was quicker just to get my ass to Brent's.

The cab driver was a talkative sort, and we discussed Belizean politics. He was certainly surprised by my knowledge. He must have thought I was a portly American tourist.

Wrong.

More in next post!

Cheers!

Faded


Faded
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Mmmm


Mmmm
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Hula Girl Seattle


Hula Girl Seattle
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Hula's having fun in Seattle.

Spacey


Spacey
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Short Seattle post:

Bought stuff.
Enjoyed nice weather.
Caught flight to Miami.
More to come.
Cheers!

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Traveller


Traveller
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Bottleworks


Bottleworks
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Heaven! 800 different beers, one store.

Coasting


Coasting
Originally uploaded by borderfilms.com.

Went to a place called Von's for a drink after shopping. Service was so bad, the manager gave it to us for free.

Good thing, as it was almost a dine and dash!

from the "See Tattle" Dept.

Arrived Seattle safe and sound.

Spent the day spending. Will spend the night sleeping.

Off to Seatac tomorrow night.

Pictures to follow!

Cheers!

Saturday, March 18, 2006

from the "not much time left" dept.

It's Saturday, and after spending the day enjoying the sun, not working, and shopping for trip goodies, it's now time to pack.

I decided to buy a carry-on bag this time. Mostly to better protect my stuff. Sticking cameras and recorders in a backpack is too risky. I've been lucky so far. But it's time to be take more care.

I also have a hard drive to take as well, and that needs significant padding.

I've already packed a bunch of stuff, and picked up the rental to get to Seattle tomorrow. It's a Corolla. Whoopee.

More to come!

Cheers

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

from the "brain dead" dept.


Yeah, yeah... I know I've been slack when it comes to providing you my daily blather. But I've been so busy providing blather to others, I've had little time for my own.

This will come to an end. Soon.

It's less than a week until I depart for the tropical south. In fact, I leave for Seattle on Sunday -- where I will overnight -- before flying the redeye to Belize City on Monday. I arrive Tuesday afternoon.

So, in addition to the above mentioned daily blather creation for others, I am running around doing errands and buying stuff.

Lots of irons continue to glow in the fire, though none are ready to yank out yet. More news soon.

I did hear back from the Lonely Planet folks... will have the thumbs up/down by April 15. Mark your calendar.

Oh! Saw the British film Tristram Shandy with Chris, Vince and Randy this evening. Funny as hell. Weird too. Perfect!

More soon. And much more from Belize.

Cheers!

Sunday, March 12, 2006

from the "this and that" dept.

It's officially Sunday morning, almost a week since my last (short) post.

I've been busy with all kinds of work and various projects. Friday was a day off and I did very little. Today I spent the morning buying stuff for the trip -- memory cards, dry bags, et al. It's not very far off, and much needs to be done, and bought.

Speaking of Belize, I will be working on a couple of projects there -- both are music based and both will be a nice change from writing news. I'll be back to my old tricks as an audio guy.

I'm already thinking of extending my trip by a week... not sure what that will cost. My airfare was dirt cheap (C$460). A change will probably mean a $100 fee and the difference in a new fare. It might be a ton, it might not. We'll find out soon.

That's about it... sleep calls!

Cheers!

Monday, March 06, 2006

from "away at home" dept.

This entry comes to you from Don & Linda's fab pad near False Creek. A stunning view and a hungry cat reward me when I house sit here. Although, I'm not overnighting, due to an early start in the mornings.

I've run out of words since I put the Lonely Planet project to bed. But, so sum up:

I survived.

Working every day (save one) before I go to Central America. Can't wait.

Lots percolating, and a longer entry is to come.

Cheers!

Saturday, March 04, 2006

from the "planet clear" dept.

The Lonely Planet project is done.

I's been a long two weeks, but back to the normal 7-day work week.

More soon.

Cheers!