The kindness of the Cambodian people was apparent when Jenny and I first arrived at Phnom Pen airport ... our pick up had not arrived and as we stood there a guide from another company noticed us maybe looking a bit “ lost ” and he then phoned and arranged a driver to pick us up .... problem solved !! Having lost a night sleep on the journey we had a couple of hours kip then we were off. The hotel was in a great location , the Mighty Mekong river at the end of the road, the old market at the other end and Palaces and temples 5 mins walk. Hot and humid, we were also very happy to think that after our walkabouts we could have a cooling dip in the pool or sit ... read more

Quite a change of scene ....from Alaska to Maastricht in the Netherlands ??. I was only home 2 days and then packed the bags into the car and off on the ferry across the Channel. it was a bit of a crisis in those 2 days with me coming home to a power cut to my house , so guys digging holes in my driveway and me with torches and candles and not much sleep - in addition to jet lag . But it was fixed and I got away . It's not the best time to be driving round the Brussels Ring Road on a Friday afternoon in July but I made it to Maastricht and my house exchange family. They were to leave the next morning after showing me round the house and settling ... read more

Weather wise it hasn't been bright sunny skies , but hey ho we make the best of it and we have seen such dramatic skies and landscapes and marvelled at the conditions that the native people and Alaskan pioneers have coped so resourcefully and we have no idea what it would be like in winter. Our journey for 3 days took us down the Kenai peninsula to Seward and Homer , we almost bumped into a cow moose munching grass at the side of the road - I was just going to say to Ros " there's a horse " when we both said ? " it's a moose ". We took a 3.5 hour boat trip and you will see from the photos it was rainy and cloudy but that didn't matter I almost lost ... read more

Here I am managing to keep jet lag at bay by writing a few lines and keep myself awake. Rosalind and I had a wonderful journey here to Alaska yesterday, flying from Gatwick to Reykjavik and further connections in Seattle to Anchorage. Keflavik airport was very busy, as it is now quite a big hub for North American flights , and very expensive as Ros found out when she picked up a couple of snacks...... $9 for a bag of nuts and a flapjack bar almost sent her into a spin ... so the flapjack went back !! Then we had the excitement of her name being called over the tannoy system and off we toddled to the Info Desk to be told she had been specially selected by US Immigration for a security check . ... read more

The Normans did not only conquer Britain in 1066 but were as far south as Sicily in the 12 Century. KIng Roger ll crops up everywhere here and seems to have been a great builder ... the World Heritage has recognised religious and civic sites in Cefalu , Palermo and Monreale as special in that there are amalgamations of religions of Western, Byzantine and Islamic cultures. In addition Cefalu is a lovely seaside town with narrow street thronged with locals and tourists. Cafes and restaurants abound and there are little shops selling everything from Italian leather handbags and ceramics to sundried tomatoes and pesto! Tucked away down one street is a mediaeval laundry site where women would gather and do their washing as well as have a good old chat I am sure !! The water ... read more