All Aboard!

January 17, 2007. This is the day we take our suitcases aboard the Ship of Life. Well, don't too excited, it is still not leaving the port! Ha! After staying in a hotel in Ho Chi Minh City last night, we decided to stay on the boat until the paperwork was completed to sail into Cambodian waters. There is still some painting and work being done so there are many people around. I wanted to help dust, but they didn't seem to want us to do much. The Captain, Sparky and Channy were going out to dinner as they usually do, so we decided to cook on board. We went to a little market and came back with Ramen noodles, Ritz crackers, milk and corn flakes. The noodles were very good and we even used chop sticks! For entertainment after dinner, we went on top deck and watched a crane tranfer bags of rice from one boat to another. There was a nice breeze and the stars were out. Bill arrives tomorrow and hopefully final preparations will be complete. We found out today that Marie-Claire and I will not be allowed to ride the boat back to Phnom Penh. We are disappointed, but the most important thing is the boat getting into Cambodia. Excitement is in the air!