Alan's Favorite Photos

Looking out of our porthole--Victoria Harbor, Hong Kong

Cambodian children--photographed on the way to Phnom Penh.

Jan Having Fun

Speaking at a conference for women in Cambodia ....


At the Botanical Gardens in Hong Kong ....

Eating out at a Chinese restaurant ....

At home in our cabin ....

Friends We Left Behind

The Dragon Rescue: An Exciting Story!

PAGE ONE

Papa and Mimi took a trip far away across the ocean to help people in a country called Cambodia. Old people there tell stories about huge dragons that lived a long time ago. They say the dragons were very dangerous, but Papa and Mimi didn't believe the dragon stories. One day they took a walk beside the sea to get some exercise and look for pretty things to photograph. Papa found a beautiful bush with flowers called Hibiscus. But where was Mimi?

PAGE TWO

While Papa looked at flowers, Mimi wandered away by herself. She was very happy and started singing about a make-believe dragon. "Puff the magic dragon lived by the sea," she sang. She held up her hands and pretended to be a dragon. Can you guess what happened next? A real dragon was sleeping in a cave. He had been sound asleep for a thousand years. When he heard Mimi singing, he popped up out of the ground to see what was happening. Mimi didn't know the dragon was right behind her and about to grab her! Poor Mimi!

PAGE THREE

The dragon was as big as a house. He had green skin and and sharp, pointy teeth. He opened his claws to catch Mimi. When the dragon grabbed Mimi, she began to scream. "Help! Help! Please rescue me!" She tried to get away, but the dragon wouldn't let go of her. She kept screaming for help, hoping that Papa would get there in time.

PAGE FOUR

Papa heard Mimi crying for help and he ran to find her. When he saw the dragon he thought about what he should do. Should he call for the police? But they were too far away. Should he give the dragon money? But dragons don't use money. The dragon roared at Papa to go away. But Papa shouted back, "Give Mimi back to me, or else!" Then he ran up and pulled Mimi out of the dragon's claws.

PAGE FIVE

Do you think Papa was afraid of the dragon? Of course! But he loved Mimi so much he wouldn't let the dragon keep her. They rode home in a Tuk-Tuk. Mimi wore flowers in her hair and Papa kissed her. The dragon returned to his cave and went back to sleep. He doesn't bother people anymore. And they all lived happily ever after.

The End.

Interesting Signs Along the Way

Alan's Band & Weird Food

There's a lot of talent on the Doulos. I was lucky enough to link up with some great musicians, Dodo from Switzerland and Werner from Brazil, to play Celtic/Folk music for a coffee house onboard. We had a blast!



Jesus told his disciples that when they went out on their mission they should accept hospitality and eat whatever food was set before them. This advice can be a challenge in Cambodia where they set before you such culinary specialties as fried frogs and dried grasshoppers, beetles and spiders. My music colleague Werner is trying to pretend he is very happy with the taste of a black beetle. I had one and it was very bitter. The grasshopper, on the other hand, was quite tasty.

Yi-An Neoh's Photos

Our ship doctor was Yi-An Neoh from Australia, shown here with his family and friends in the ship dining room. He kept us safe from Malaria, Dengue Fever, and other tropical health hazards!

Yi-An is not only the ship's doctor, but also a professional photographer. We appreciate his permission to reproduce his Cambodian shots below.