We've been hanging around a lot lately. Bud and I aren't really sure how school is going because we have been vacationing so much! Just kidding! We are having fun though with all the visiting relatives.

The beach is nice and clean at this resort because they have beach cleaners who come around a few times a day raking and brooming(?) the beach. They also clean out the water by going through it with the nets.

Mom got to do a lot of reading. This is one of the few places you can go in Cambodia and have just the sounds of nature surrounding you!

I think this is the only five star resort in Cambodia. They were setting up for the buffet at night-which was delicious!!

Mom ordered fish one night. She got fish. Luckily, she could not see much of it because the lights went out in the restaurant as soon as we got

our food. I guess that is a positive way of looking at no electricity. (This was not at the resort...although we lost some power there too!)

Here are a few pics of the countryside as we made our way to and from The Killing Fields.

The boys were outside the gates looking for a little money. Their English was very good so we could easily understand them.

The cow picture is pretty common here. You always need to watch out for the cows!

Here are some market pics for those of you interested in flowers.

And for the more adventurous type...we have the fried bugs...

...and if you would like delivery, you can just wait for the broom to come past your house-it's the same idea as the ice cream man, just different products.

Dad, did you buy travel insurance for that girl in the green? Ashley decided to take the moto out for a boot! Alright, alright, she only went around the block and yes, we will put a helmet on her next time.

Snails for sale! Get your fresh (maybe) hot (it's hot here) snails for sale!

Here is the electric company busy at work here in Cambodia. No need to shut down the road when you are trying to fix the light...just hope that no one hits you!

Mom is learning how to use the internet cafe.

Mom and Noah and Kara and me.

First picture here is Al acting as Mom for a sleeping Sophie and Noah Dedert. Also, a couple Sundays ago we went out to the village (about an 1hr and a half outside of Phnom Penh) to attend a Khmer church. It truly is amazing that we could fellowship with about 175 Christians out in the "boonies" considering that approx. 96% of Cambodia is Buddhist. Tom, Hannah and Naomi Beeke came to visit us and the Dederts in Cambodia for two weeks and we were able to take a relaxing weekend with them at a resort outside of Phnom Pehn - of course, Tom tried to get Bud hooked on bird-watching. We did see many beautiful species!

Riding and Eating

Local farmer transporting his LIVE chickens to the market (Don't get too close..you may get pecked!). Also pictured here is Darryl, Tom, John and Bud ready to go for a day's dirt-bike outing. John and Henrietta came to visit from BC, Canada for a couple of weeks, and we were able to go out for dinner with them, along with Uncle Jim and Aunt Ruth who came down from China for a couple days.

Well folks, we hope we have pleased some or all of you with the little update. We will try to do this more than once every two months!!
Ta-Ta for now!

CHRISTMAS DAY!!

Christmas was a good time for Sophie!

Here are some more random pictures from Vietnam.
Al on the street corner in Da Lat.
The king's palace just as it was in the 1930's. It was pretty neat to look at all the old things that are still very intact. Al playing the piano from the 1930's. This was the same piano that the king's daughters and wife played.
Bud pretending he is the king on a quizzical phone call.
A nun in a little village who called this her Buddha dog...hmmmm...she also made incense-1,000 sticks a day.

A woman making a silk tablecloth.

AHHH...GOLFING
This was Bud's favorite part of vacation. Our poor caddies, we golfed until it was quite dark...but we made all 18 holes! It was a beautiful long coursel

The Buddhist temple: The gardens outside the temple were very beautiful. I just stepped in for a moment and it was a very interesting idea. The people would take an incense stick and bring it to the monk who would then bow and
bless it? (that's a guess) before handing it back. Then they would put it in the front by the big Buddha.

Da Lat, Vietnam: It was so cold here that I "needed" to purchase a scarf and a hat. Maybe it was not a necessity, but I was sure glad I had them because my cheeks were very rosy in the cool mountain air! We had some great experiences here in Da Lat. We took a tour around and were able to go elephant trekking (picture 1&2)...we thought we would fall off. There was also a mini-zoo at the spot so we saw some crocodiles and monkeys. Bud was actually able to "pet" the croc through the fence.

Vietnam: December 16-December 23, 2006
We had a very interesting trip. Here are some pics: View from some mountain top. Vegetable fields in the mountains. What Bud did most of the trip:) The crazy traffic at night on a corner. Bud at the War Museum (former called the Museum of American and Chinese War Crimes...they changed the name because they thought it was bad for business). Bud playing some game on the side of road with a kid. Bud riding on a cyclo (Al is taking a picture from another cyclo).