And our next story is about a TV crew that flies the Colombian flag but talks "lone kriol" - in a style that sounds a lot like our Belizean lingua franca.
They are from San Andres Island, home of the Teleislas network.
They're here to film a show called "Caribbean Culteo". It's a look at Belize as a tourist destination but seen through the eyes of a host and crew who have way more in common with Belizeans than the average North American or European set.
We caught up with them on the City's foreshore this afternoon to get their impressions of our country and to learn a bit about the island that they call home.
Belize is set to be featured in a Colombian travel show on the TeleIslas network, and when you hear that, you may be expecting a Spanish speaking, Latino crew but the crew is mostly creole, led by beauty queen turned host Josseidy Mileidy Escalona.
They are from the island of San Andres, a Caribbean island off the coast of Bluefields, Nicaragua - which though Colombian is principally a black, kriol speaking country.
She told us about what for her was the surprising effect of arriving in Belize
Josseidy Escalona, Host
"Well I believe that when time we reach and get the first time here at Belize by the airport and you could talk your creole, that was for me the most amazing thing, I tell Jessica like eh, that feel so good that you can get. To another place and you can talk your creole to the people them, for me that was the most amazing thing."
And we wondered how Belizeans had responded to hearing creole from her.
Josseidy Escalona, Host
"Yes, because normally they believe that we are tourists, you know, so they are aye so you can talk creole too, where you from? You sound like Jamaican. That's what they tell us all the time so we are like no we are from Colombia, we are from an island that belongs to Colombia but is in the Caribbean and we talk creole English, and Spanish it's the same just like here. I highlight that I believe in Roatan and also now, in Roatan, Honduras and now in Belize because the people they are so how, you say home hopeful, you feel like home you are walking on the street and you. Are hailing everybody, everybody di hail you so it feels like if your home and you can talk your creole, you go and you hail them and the Garifunas they are right there with their drum, you dance, the Punta and everything. It's just like you're home, you feel like home. The vibe is the same thing, the music, the people, the color, the beach everything, you feel like you are home."
Josseidy's producer agrees and told us that while their show is about exploration it's also about introducing the San Andrean ethnicity and culture to the wider Caribbean.
Yessica Cifuentes, Producer, Director, Logistic Coordinator
"The program name Caribbean Culteo, so Caribbean cult is a program about going to different Caribbean islands and seeing what we have in common with them. We are from San Andres Island Colombia which is an archipelago made up of 3 islands. It's San Andres, Old Providence, and Cetlina so we are like a little small island, we are part of Colombia but we are very very far from Colombia. We are actually maybe 90 miles from Nicaragua so our demographic and our culture is plenty different from Colombia we have islanders people, we have history, slavery, all the slaves that they bring that side was from Jamaica. We share plenty things with the Caribbean people like from the West Indies so you know. We fry fish we got rundown and we eat dumpling, Pattie, crab, we got Calypso music, we got traditional instruments, we got a pile of things that. We feel like nobody no know we they don't know where we are or anything. We have creole too. So we Mae this project to make people know us and also to get to know different islands and see all the things that make us one Caribbean people."
And what will our fellow Caribenos think of these beautiful scenes shot in Belize? A place they may not be too familiar with.
Yessica Cifuentes, Producer, Director, Logistic Coordinator
"I believe they will be surprised because it's so similar, it's so similar but I believe you know sometimes they maybe will feel kind of bad because for us sometimes it's sad to see how a next country can have so much advancement and how sometimes we are just on the same thing and so maybe it will be something to reflect on and that is why I believe this program is so special because sea when you open your eyes to see what is possible then that makes. You want to take it back to your home and see what we can do to do better so I believe it's a nice message because you have the tourism part superior and so advanced and we no ready yet."
As for the camera-crew they seem to have been having a blast in Belize and even getting some ideas about how their little island can do tourism a little better.
Jorge Leonardo Stevens, Camera-man
"First of all I see plenty things that we don't see down on our island, in certain things especially the touristic part and I think we're short of a little bit of things to get up to date. We are down here so I see like they have some little bars we call them in the water. In the water you got them spot that you can come with your wife or your girlfriend and anything and you sit down right den so and you drink your nice little juice, cola, anything that you want to drink, beer. We are short a little bit of that yet. We feel like the same vibes down here. I see like the same types of music them, different history depends the native people, different history, practically the same thing to say we have Spaniard that side, down here got Spaniard too. Down here got all class of mix blood up that side has it too."
But one thing these cameramen noted in Belize that they say is missing on their island is the trees.
Carlos Andres Cubillos Escalona, Camera-man
"Well I was surprised with the Aztec structures them and with the cult, sometimes we see white people and we are accustomed in our island that when we see white people we think on Spaniards. So a lot of the time we see white people and think they speak Spanish but they speak creole and thing so we it's a lot of different things of green spaces that maybe we are losing some of them, some of the green spaces on the island but here we see a lot of green spaces and well I think the popularity here is less than in San Andres, yeah it's lesser than in San Andres. We are smaller like 27 kilometers and we have a lot of population but I love the vibe and I love everything here."
Jorge Leonardo Stevens, Camera-man
"I feel like I was stay."
Carlos Andres Cubillos Escalona, Camera-man
"We was stay."
Cherisse Halsall
"When will you be back?"
Josseidy Escalona, Host
"Pretty soon, pretty soon."
"Caribbean Culteo" will air on the Teleislas network and is expected to be seen by 70,000+ San Andreans. It is also distributed regionally by the Caribbean Broadcasting Union.
