I had a leisurely breakfast, chatting with a producer also staying at the college. Then I spent an hour packing my duffel bag to ship back to Cambodia and deciding what to carry with me for the rest of the trip. I decided to pay the $10 Euros for a taxi to the Palais.

TNT is the sponsoring shipping company, so I trolleyed my duffel bag to the counter inside the market. It weighed in at 20 kilos - perfect! I told them the day before it might be 30 kilos, which they said would be fine for the $95 Euros flat rate world-wide - including Cambodia.

I thought it best to check the weight of my carry-on, which was good to do because it was 8 kilos and Ryan Air only allows 7. I've heard they're very picky because they want to make extra money on overweight. I put a few more things in the duffel bag, but it was still slightly over 7 kilos. I grabbed my laptop out and sure enough, it went to 6 kilos. Wa-la!

Inside the Palais, I went around to say my goodbyes and give a few gifts that made my luggage lighter. I had another coffee with Barbara Mudge and further discussed combating piracy in Cambodia. At noon we parted ways and on the escalator I started talking to the gentleman behind me. It turned out that he was a journalist for The Hollywood Reporter. He had heard a little buzz about the girl from Cambodia, so we chatted for about 15 minutes as he took notes. He promised to send the article (or a link) if it goes to print.

By 1pm I was on the shuttle to the airport in Nice. My flight didn't leave until 6pm, but I like to arrive at airports early, because you never know if there will be traffic or long lines. I'd rather spend a few hours lounging around the airport than rushing to get there. I had noticed a fast food restaurant in Cannes called Quick and was pleased to find one in the airport. I ordered a "Magic Box" kids meal which came with a toy truck for my grandson, Sephy. Did I mention I got a kids meal at a London McDonald's and have a toy key chain to give him?

((I am choosing to send this PART ONE while I have WIFI at the airport; I don't know what my Internet access will be when I reach Ireland.))

Mariam Arthur