Yesterday I got an email telling me that the ship, that I am supposed to board in Panama, will set sail one week earlier than expected. I am under big pressure now: I have to pass 7 countries and cover some 4000km in 8 days. On top of that I will have to bring my bike for full service in Guatemala. So I changed my plans, had an early start this morning, and right now I am in Belmopan, the capital of Belize. This country is about 9 times bigger than Luxembourg, but has only 300.000 inhabitants. Belize city is the biggest town, with some 70.000 people living there. I drove around for a while, trying to find some sort of city centre, but did not succeed. Same for Balmopan with only 14.000 people living here. There is nothing interesting to show you, sorry. All I found, was the first corrupt policeman on this travel, but with the experience I acquired with his much worse colleagues in the former soviet republics, I managed not to give him any money.

I am in the only hotel in Belmopan, operated by Chinese. Sitting in the Chinese restaurant this evening, three strange couples entered here. Long skirts, and scarves for the women, black trousers and suspenders for the men. They spoke a strange language, and upon my request, told me it was German. But I still could barely understand them. So our conversation went on in Spanish. They are Mennonites, and their community, the Shipyard community, lives in the North of Belize. Some 500 years they left the Netherlands and Germany to escape persecutions for their religious beliefs.They are strictly non-violent, and have special agreements with the Belize government regarding taxes, and do not have to make a military service. Like the better known Amish, who are issued out of the Mennonites, they refuse all modern comfort. Some of them do not even have electricity. The most progressive one have tractors, but for some reason they have iron wheels, the rubber wheels being prohibited.

I did not shoot these photos; despite a very pleasant conversation, the Mennonites did not want me to make photos of them.