In the tuk tuks at 5am, 0 dark hundred. 15 minute ride to the East entrance of the temple. Walk in by flashlight and join many others who had entered from the other side. Much posturing to get a good spot around the lake to watch the sun rise from behind the temple and capture the reflection in the lake. Following sunrise, we smartly went into the Temple for the tour with Sam, our guide while the throngs went home for breakfast. Our repast came a bit later after a crowd free and fascinating tour of this magnificent monument. One more stop at another Temple within the same group before returning to the Hotel for a break and 'foot massage'! Dangle your feet in a fish pool for the fish to 'chew' the dead skin from your feet! What a sensation! Two more temples later in the afternoon, but, again, uncrowded and good light. Friday brought another 'temple day' outside of the City. Two examples of ruins, but historically important and the last completely in tact and charming.. Our last night as a group was spent down in the Old Market, long Happy Hour, dinner, then dancing up a storm once we found the live music! Great tour and GREAT group of people that we will keep up with!

Left Phnom Penh for drive north through the countryside. Fascinating to see how the farmers live. Very fertile land and simple lifestyles, but very happy people. Stopped at a silk farm for lunch started by a Vietnam expat who returned after the war. Weather has been such that he is just rebuilding his silk worms, but he was able to demonstrate the entire process. Lovely lunch, met the ladies who made our respective scarves; lovely. Silver factory was next (actually in someone's garage) but interesting what they were able to produce with their natural product of silver. Nice bungalow hotel with a pool. Onto Siem Reap the next am, a small, cosmopolitan City, whose claim to fame is the Anchor Wat. 120 hotels and great nightlife and restaurants. Stopped for a river trip on the way through a colony of vietnamese, Cambodians and Laotiand who come to live on the river when the river is high. The river flows into the largest lake in Cambodia, the Boeung Tonie Sap. Nice picnic linch on board. Arrived in Siem Reap in time for another evening at the FCC, very near the hotel. Down to the
old market area for dinner and nightlife! Thursday am at 5am! Set off for sunrise view

What a delightful group we have: 6 from Sydney, Australia, 2 from Alice Springs (!) Australia, 3 Brits, another American couple from Chicago and us. We began our day learning about the wworst part of Cambodian history knowing it was all up hill from there. A visit to the prison camp of the Kymer Rouge. What is amazing is to see the kind of atrocities that happened in our lifetime and to meet an acrual survivor of the camp who showed us his cell and described his experience while imprisoned. Chilling! Then tothe Killing Fields, ugh, but real. After a delicious lunch a brief visit by the Palace (closed for the holiday), but an incredible view of the $1.2 million US dollar funeral pyre that was being built for the cremation of the recently deceased King next month. It will all go up in flames! A fascinating walk through their sculpture Museum and back to the hotel to regroup for the evening. FUN group dinner at the FCC (foreign correspondent club) with magnificent views of the river.

We have been 2,1/2 days in Hong Kong visiting nephew Jon Pratt, wife Amanda and their 3 lovely girls. We have had the luxury of the Mandarin Oriental which was VERY well received after our horrific 36 hour trip (awful Caribbean air, missed flight etc). Once here we have had a super time with Jon and Amanda. Fun afternoon walking around the City and exploring the most amazing mid City mall that was so big we got lost, but found the biggest Apple Store I have ever seen, 2 stories! Lovely dinner in their charming home; fun visit with their darling girls and a good night's sleep! Saturday brought the sun and warmer temperatures, 59 degrees! Fun lunch in an eclectic Italian restaurant with the kids in a highrise full of different restaurants. After a driving tour of downtown we went back up to their house on the Peak and out for a well needed walk around The Peak path. We returned to the city on the Tram; quite the steep descent! Lovely evening at The China Club housing an amazing collection of contemporary Chinese art. Peking duck, hot & sour soup, beef, pork, fish, veggies, yum, lots of small bites, but boy are you full. Finished the evening at the outside rooftop bar overlooking the City under gas heat lamps! Sunday was repacking, haircut for Brad and off to the airport to fly to Phnom Penh to begin our Cambodian adventure

After a day of cleaning the boat and lots of laundry later, we settled in the North end of Admiralty Bay in Bequia for 2 weeks with friends before xmas. Derek on Buzzard greeted us upon arrival which was a fun catch up before he took off to St Vincent. Janie and Paul on Shian were the next to arrive and then Moonbeam with David and Lynn. John and Chris on Oriole followed suit a few days later. Lots of swimming and socializing and visiting old friends ashore. We have spent enough time in Bequia that the locals know us well and welcomed us back warmly. Our model boat builder, Nugget, even finished the 'wrecked' model of our boat, so it sits proudly at Sargent Boat Works if you come by. The highlight of Christmas Eve was the Lessons and Carols service at the Catholic Chuch complete with newborn baby and rock music! This was followed by a delicious dinner at The Auberge with Eileen and Jacques holding court. Christmas Day was a gathering of OCC friends at The Green Bolley and dinner at The Gingerbread, phew! 2 days later we had a rousing sail down to Grenada where we are putting up the boat for a month to travel to Hong Kong and Thailand with the CCA and visiting family.

After 12 wonderful days with the Fitch Family in St Lucia, we set sail (motor sailed) back down to Bequia. We had an easy passage as the wind and seas had calmed down dramatically. Anchored off of Princess Margarets Bay with its lovely beach, but after one night of uncomfortable rolling we moved to the North side of the bay, BIG improvement. 4 loads of laundry later (wonderful Daffodil Laundry) and a day cleaning the boat, we were back in business and ready to enjoy old friends here in town. Doris' market was my first stop and then reuniting with Cheryl at The Fig Tree. With both the American and European economies in a slump, things are relatively quiet here, but pleasant days with lots of swimming is good enough for us. Our British friends are trickling in for Christmas so we should have a fun week. We send Christmas and Holiday greetings to all. Peace and Love from us both...