14th FEBRUARY - THE WESTERN HIGHWAY

Back in Belize City.  Sitting on the San Ignacio bus which will soon be heading along the Western Highway towards the jungle, the Maya Mountains and the Guatemalan border.  Suddenly it's on its way, passing a narrow canal full of litter and a church called the ‘Chapel of Restoration Ministries, Restoring the Whole Man, Body, Soul and Spirit.’  They go for big names here in Belize.  Now it’s passing the ‘Youth for the Future Secretariat’ - whatever that might be - and a sign which announces 'Coca Cola Makes Your Dreams Come True'.  Here in Belize City, I wonder, what might those dreams be?....

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6th FEBRUARY - HAULOVER CREEK & THE SWING-BRIDGE

It’s early morning now and I’ve set up temporary office in the bathroom because I don’t want to disturb Idris who’s still asleep. Outside the slatted glass panes of its window I can hear a dawn chorus of whirring, buzzing, shrieking and whistling.  It’s only 6.00 am, but the birds are all up, it seems, and so are the inhabitants of Belize City, making the best of the day before the sun comes up. A smart lady with a white shirt, smart suit and dark, sensible shoes goes past looking like an office worker.  A man on a bike parks outside a brightly-painted building with swings and slides.  Children are going in.  It has to be a nursery.  A group of young people gather on an area of scrubland carrying banners and hailers, dressed in red and white.  It’s a squally day and rain keeps falling, sending them rushing for shelter.  It’s not like an English squall either.  The rain only has to fall for a couple of minutes and the roads are running with it.  It falls like tears of iron and people have no choice but to head for shelter....

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