Roadspill

PICTURES AT: http://homepage.mac.com/dougmurray/PhotoAlbum13.html

Belize City, Belize

Remember the scene in the (original) Grinch where the green one is expressing his displeasure with all things noisy?

Welcome to Belize City!

If there is a noise capital of the world, then this is it. From very early in the morning until the last seconds of the day, there is a canine symphony that fills the air. On the weekend, there is the addition of stereos that are cranked to 11. And then amplified!

And then there is the heat. By early morning, it feels like mid-afternoon. So the body thinks that 6am is a good time to wake up. And there is the humidity. I have never glistened so much.

But all is good. Belize City is part Worldvision infomercial, part… well, actually I expect to see Jann Arden, Rod Black or Tom Cochrane around the next corner. Is that Bruce Coburn I see over there at the well?

Welcome to the third world, and for all the noise and dirt and heat, it is wonderful. The rhythm of Creole. Street tacos. Mennonites selling furniture. Rotund tourists. It is like Belize City is some sort of magnet that pulls everything together.

So far, I have spent time only in the city. I’ve met local folks, enjoyed local fare, and watched Brent as he paid gringo prices to the fish mongers.

Today will be planning day: planning the CBC radio items, hopefully some television work, and, of course, border stuff. Brent is at work – he just popped in to see if I wanted to go with him to cover a murder that happened overnight in the north of the country. I decided that felt too much like real work, and decided that hanging out with the barking dogs was a better option.

The stories I’m thinking of doing are:

- Pandy: a behind the scenes story on the most popular kids television host.
- Mr. Peters: the last of a generation of Brukdown musicians.
- El Aranal: the community with a soccer field split by the Belize-Guatemalan border.

I also will attempt to post some images at:

http://homepage.mac.com/dougmurray/PhotoAlbum13.html

Until the next time…