It's been a 'chill' couple of weeks in Phnom Penh. We've arranged a house-swap so have a place where we can cook our own food, settle in and not have to unpack and pack every other day, and just pretty much relax and recharge after months on the road. The house is a French colonial (actually), with high ceilings, doors and windows and a spacious yard right in the center of town. We can walk to the Mekong River, take took-tuks to the market, and get delicious noodle soup for breakfast right across the street ($0.65 a bowl). Last week we dragged a potted plant from the deck into the living room and went to a local shop where we bought Christmas ornaments and decorated our 'tree'. Santa came last night and the kids were excited to find gifts under the tree and their stockings filled with candy (much to Mama's dismay).

The highlight of our time here has been the arrival of our good friends Matt and Sheila from Hawaii. Matt and Sheila have visited us in Zimbabwe, Jordan, the Matt to the UAE, and Mexico. It's so nice to be able to spend the holidays together. Matt and Sheila took a Khmer cooking class the other day with Maya and Mira and then after a long shop to the local market yesterday morning, reproduced their masterpiece (Amok - chicken, lemon grass, chilis, celery, etc) for Christmas Eve dinner last night - delicious. 

Other highlights of our time together in Cambodia's capital include a 35km bike ride through rural villages where we learned/saw how people raise silk worms and produce silk. We also visited the Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocide Crimes. Ahhh - what a somber and heavy experience. The site is actually a high school that was converted into a torture site during the rule of the Khmer Rouge between 1975-79 where they tortured and killed 12,000. Only 7 people who entered the doors of the school survived.

On a more positive note, tomorrow we'll take a 6-hour bus trip to Siem Reap where we'll do a 3 day bike tour of Angkor Wat and other Angkor ruins.

Today is Christmas day so on behalf of all of us - I would like to wish everyone reading this blog a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Cheers, Rob

 Fresh silk on the loam

 Getting on basic ferry across Tonle Sap

 Ferry captain

 Not a care in the world

 Nadia on way to river

 Great smile

 Beautiful Nadia relaxing after long bike ride

 Huts for rent riverside

 Child eating

 Delicious dinner "Amok" prepared by Matt

The gang