Hi All, a few hectic and interesting days have passed, some good and one bad, so I'll start with that. Unfortunately last night when Lindy and I were walking back from Siem Reap she was mugged, but it all happened so quickly that I didn't see or hear anything until I heard her shouting and saw her lying flat out on the road. We were walking along a stretch of unlit road when a moto came along without lights and snatched her bag from her shoulder and in the process pulled her to the ground damaging her knees, elbows and ribs. She lost some money, but the worst was that her camera, bank card, room keys and telephone were in it and the loss of those things hurts most. After the incident we were very concerned that he would come back and try to get mine, but we managed to get back here safely, but in future will have to get a tuktuk back after dark. Today she is bruised but ok, tomorrow will be visiting the Tourist police for a note to give her insurance company and then she'll have to sort out the financial issues. It will leaver a bitter taste in her mouth as she leaves Cambodia on Friday. I will miss her as we have spent quite a lot of time together. It is a warning that we must all take care of our personal safety, as we had become rather complacent about it.

The rainy season seems to be happening a bit more now and we have had frightening electric storms. On Friday evening at about 9pm there was such a tremendous crash very close to us, I nearly hit the ceiling of my room with fright and then everywhere descended into darkness and remained so for the next 20 hours and as a consequence the power has been off for two longish spells today, but all ok at minute. This afternoon we had very heavy rain for a couple of hours, it hasn't affected us, but many houses around are surrounded by deepish water.

As a consquence of the power cut I forgot to set my alarm and so missed going to the 'Feeding of the Spirits' at 4am yesterday morning. It is part of the Pchum Benh Festival when everyone offers sticky rice to their dead relatives spirits and they hope in turn it will give them a good year. We made the sticky rice balls the night before and sprinkled them with sesame seeds and cut up fruit into bite size pieces. Once at the pagoda they sat in the pagoda and listened to the monks chanting and then when the band started playing everyone went outside and walked around three times throwing the rice and fruit into the darkness, the spirits can only come out when it is dark. If you do not go and feed your ancestors you are supposed to have bad luck during the next year. (This is the simplistic version of their beliefs).

When I got up and discovered what I had missed i wasn't very happy, but luckily was asked by the security and housekeeping staff to join them at 10am when they went to a different part of the celebrations, so I jumped at the chance. They has spent hours the previous evening cooking many different kinds of food and that were to be taken to the pagoda and offered to the monks. The girls dressed up beautifully in their national dress and the men in smart western clothes. I went on the back of Meut's moto and the others followed carrying the food and the girls sitting sidesaddle on the motos. Once there, after removing our shoes we queued to see the monk, when it was our turn we knelt in front of him and he blessed the food, but very quickly removed the money from the plates and tucked it into his own robes! The food was whisked away by someone else, but then we were each given a bowl of rice, we sat down in the pagoda and listened to the monks chanting and once that was over went onto another room and walked along along a table putting a spoonful of rice into each bowl and placing money under it - not sure of the reason or purpose. After that we came back here, but much food had been kept back and we all joined in a celebratory meal which was very pleasant. The festival lasts for 15 days and the rituals I've mentioned will be continuous for the duration, Thursday and Friday are the final days and as many people as possible will return to their homelands as Friday will be big family and village celebrations. That is why our schools will be closed. I have got Mon, Tues as maintenance days and then the other days off.

Last Friday I went with ABC's and Rice school on their visit to Melea Temple, it was very different from anything I have ever experienced in the past, but the outcome was the same - very tired, but happy children at the end of the day who had had many new experiences. However, sadly I don't think the children will have the opportunity to share and talk about their experiences. I came back exhausted, filthy dirty, but able to enjoy a long, cold shower, clean clothes and then a comfortable, bug free bed in a room of my own that didn't leak.

We arrived at the school at 7:30am and the children were already there waiting in their Sunday best and carrying a plastic bag with a bit of rice or bread in and perhaps a bottle of water. The organisation took 90 mins - I could have done it in five, but the two in charge had never done anything like it before. Eventually it was established who was there and had returned their permission slip and which truck they were to travel in. Once on board they were given a small doughnut type thing to help them on their way. Two fo the trucks has a sun/rain shade but the one I travelled in had nothing. After interminable head counts we were ready to leave, but some of felt as though we were suffering from sun stroke already, some children were uncomfortable but took everything in there stride as every bit of it was a new experience and I think all were a little nervous or afraid.

We were really squashed into the trucks, the seats were just a barfown piece of wood resting on another piece and so were not stable. The kids were crammed in and didn't know where any of the adults could fit in, but with a push and shove we were in. Tess and I sat on the back row with three other children, but asked for a piece of rope to go across behind our backs as we felt vulnerable to falling off backwards! But once we set off everyone felt a pleasant breeze and was excited by everything we saw around us. Once we left Siem Reap and the hustle and bustle we were into beautiful countryside of paddy fields and coconut trees with a few thin cows and water buffalo. The children loved seeing the lotus and water lily flowers. We passed many stilted shack homes and children who still do not have the opportunity to go to school. I was excited by the oxen carts I saw and finally I was able to photograph pigs being transported on the back of a moto. I have seen it many times but the camera has never been handy, as I've usually been cycling at the time. This time the pigs were alive and squealing loudly.

After a two hour journey mainly along very bumpy red earth tracks we arrived at our destination, we struggled to contain the children as they leapt out of the trucks and ran off, as you can imagine it did not sit well with me. Eventually a bit of order was restored and a fter a drink of water we walked around the ruins. Some amazed at the carvings and what they saw, others just wanting to run, jump and just like home one boy had managed to take a football along too. There were large stones, trees to jump on, over, through etc and the a lake to walk round - all wanted to jump into the lake as it was now midday and well over 30 degrees. Then it was time for lunch - a picnic of bread, boiled eggs and tinned fish - that amazed the children as it was something they had never seen before, they would have eaten the eggs until they came out of their ears.

The temple was a ruin, but there were some standing parts which gave a good idea of its once magnificence, and the enormous rainforest trees growing through everywhere added to its beauty. The library is still standing and it is difficult to comprehend that this backward, poverty stricken country was once such an advanced place of learning, architecture and of technology.

The return journey was similar to the outward one, but we could see the black clouds gathering, and those of us in the roofless truck were very keen to get back before the rains started. Fortunately we did, and we were all amazed where some of the children managed to fall asleep. Once back at school they were quickly sent home and we were left trying to decide who of us was the dirtiest - I think Tess and I were the winners because of where we'd sat. We were very tired, dirty and exhausted volunteers in the tuktuk on the way home and none of us has been able to clean their clothes sufficiently to wear them again. Neither did we have the energy to go out for dinner in the evening.

A visit without risk assessments, pre visit and vehicles that would not have passed MOT's in the UK, but there were no incidents, injuries, moans, fights or other mishaps. Were we just fortunate, or has the rest of the world gone mad?

The pictures of the dog have been included as Jo said she did not look too bad, nobody could believe it when I told them so I tried to get more pics to prove my point, but I still cannot show her maggot infested tail, or her flea bitten body, but she a beautiful face and has certainly benefitted from the meat I have given her. Apparently she missed me on Friday and looked like a lost soul, but somebody else did give her some food. She'll be extremely grateful that I'm here fo a few more weeks. I think her time after that will be short lived.

Jon and Meryl have arrived in Bangkok and will be arriving here on Wed for one week, I hope they can cope with the road conditions and cycling as there is much to see. The battery on this computer packed up on Wed, a bit of a shock as it is only 4 months old, however Jon has managed to get me a replacement one from Dell under warrenty and have been able to bring it with them.

Bedtime now, have a good week everyone,it's great receiving your messages, keep them up. Take care, love to all, J