Belize City: Sitting on the dock at the bay

“Sitting on the dock at the bay, watching the tide roll away …” or so the song goes, and it could have quite easily been written right here. As I am writing these words I am myself sitting on the dock of a guesthouse overlooking the river that cuts Belize City in two; connected by the famous swing bridge. It is only ten o` clock at night but ever since the sun descended at 6pm the city has been dead. I find this silence remarkable considering that this is the biggest and busiest city of the country, I am sitting right in the middle of it and the Belizeans are not particularly quiet people. It really seems like public life stops with sunset; there are no buses leaving at night, stores close at about 6pm and people disappear from the streets. At this exact location only a few hours ago the streets were congested with cars honking and polluting the city. People filled the sidewalks passing by the many shops, stands and store fronts. The city truly felt alive, vibrating, sweating and moving. Despite its small size Belize is very rich in diversity and this city reflects it: there is the Mayan heritage as well as the Latin feel that the Spanish influence has left; but moreover there is a strong British influence as well as a big population of black Belizeans (which were originally brought here not so voluntarily) but Belize has also seen voluntary immigration from all over the world including large groups of Chinese, Indians and German Mennonite all mixed together into a colorful bundle, adding some Caribbean vibes and Latin passion: in other words Belize.