"....it was time to invest
in a third suitcase and even if the Texas
branches of Saks Fifth Avenue and
Tiffany’s were still a little beyond
our reach, it was time to fill your
boots clothes-wise. Cowboy boots, of
course.

One final tip for anyone who opts to
stay at the Derek — try the hotel
restaurant, the Bistro Moderne. The
food is superb; the service
impeccable. And being all nouveau
and French, the portions are tiny.
Tiny by Texan standards; spot-on
by English. We actually cleared
our plates. A first for Houston.

And so on to Belize. Part of the whole Jungle Dome joy is
the level of personal service and attention
Andy, Simone and their staff offer each and
every guest. In part, that comes from the fact
that their family adventure centre remains a
relatively small operation with just three
family rooms gathered around a stunning
swimming pool; in part, it comes from the
warm and welcoming nature of the
individuals themselves.

Put it this way, within two hours of his
arrival, the Evening News’ football writer
finds himself enjoying a kick-about in the
setting Central American sun with a six-foot
plus ex-Charlton Athletic star — who actually
smashed home a hat-trick for the Addicks on
his last visit to Carrow Road — and the rest
his five-foot something Mayan Indian cowboy
team-mates.

Three days later and we were all
jumping on to the back of the team’s pick-up
truck for the trip to the neighbouring town of
San Ignacio, where Banana Bank — named
after the equestrian resort that surrounds the
Jungle Dome — were duly beating their hosts
4-3 on a parched, dust bowl of a pitch. Andy
Hunt scored a hat-trick.
Had I been at work, it would have been

Had I been at work, it would have been
Arsenal away that particular weekend and
the chance to watch Thierry Henry rip
Norwich apart. Instead it was San Ignacio
versus Banana Bank, half an hour from the
Guatemalan border, in the very depths of
Belize. A world away — in every sense.
So much for the football. Drive up beyond
San Ignacio and on towards Guatemala and
there lies one of Belize’s greatest
architectural gems — the ruined Mayan city
of Xunantunich......"

Part 3 Coming soon