"...Rick Waghorn and his family enjoy a jungle
paradise in Belize.
It is a question that has obviously been
asked a thousand times — so much so that
some bright spark has actually turned it into
a clothing label.

Indeed, the wife even bought a hat with the
question embroidered on as we waited to
catch the water taxi to San Pedro. "Where the
hell is Belize?", it read.

Courtesy of 12 unforgettable days as the
guests of one-time Norwich Union-workerturned
Premiership striker Andy Hunt and
his partner, ex-MTV star Simone Angel, at
their Jungle Dome home, I now know the
answer to that all-too familiar inquiry.
Belize is a little corner of paradise, not that
far from holiday heaven.


It is also roughly the size of Wales and sits,
in what must be a slightly uncomfortable
squash, in between Mexico to the north and
Guatemala to the west. To the east lies the
shimmering, sky blue seas of the Caribbean.
If in doubt, grab the nearest soldier. For
though Belize gained its full independence
from Britain in 1981, colonial ties between the
UK and what was British Honduras remain
very strong.

English is still the first language, while the
British Army still maintains a permanent
base in the country complete with SAS-types
passing on jungle warfare secrets to
generation after generation of sun-burned
squaddies.

It was a detachment from the Green
Howards passing round the sun cream on our
water taxi to the out-lying islands; a column of
their dusty Land Rovers heading for a spot of
rum-laden R&R in Belize City as we headed
inland from the airport at the start of our big
family adventure.

The first challenge is, however, actually
getting there. There are currently no direct
flights out of the UK into Belize.
The preferred route is via either Miami or
Houston in the United States after which it
is a simple two-and-a-bit hour
flight down across the Gulf Of
Mexico with teenage American backpackers
and sun-dried Californian hippies for
company.

We opted for Houston, Texas, and a
two-night stop-over at the Derek Hotel.
Funnily enough, it happened to be little more
than a block away from the biggest and
brightest shopping centre in Houston, the
Galleria. Given the strength of the pound to
the US dollar — and, for that matter, the
linked Belizean dollar — it was time to invest
in a third suitcase and even if the Texas....."

Part 2 coming soon. Courtesy of Rick Waghorn