Greetings from Hong Kong!

Friday night was our Welcoming Dinner which was held at the Beas River Country Club's Clubhouse. It was a formal dinner and we were randomly assigned seats to help us break out of our familiar teams and mix, mingle and meet other team members, coaches and chaperons (also called Team Managers).

I was sitting at the table with FEI bigwigs, a steward of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, the NZ coach, our FEI dressage judge, and the president of the HK Pony Club. It was interesting to meet horse people from all over the globe. We had a lovely and very diverse buffet- one of the hors d'oevres options were huge snails still in their shell. I regret to inform you that I passed on that option! The desserts were the best part of the buffet- they had all sorts of custards, creme brulees and puddings. Very tasty!

We heard speeches from the organizers and president of the HKPC and were treated to a slide show of things to expect over the next two weeks. I am happy to report that our team looked classy and well put together. Elizabeth & Sara wore knee length white pencil skirts, a red shirt and fitted navy blazers on top. They would have made Ralph Lauren proud! The boys looked quite handsome in their white shirts, khakis, navy blazers and their American flag ties. Our team got many compliments on their appearance and in my very un-biased opinion were the best dressed!

Saturday was the most fun yet. We went on a "junk trip" in the South China Sea. We boated out an hour away from the island and dropped anchor in a beautiful cove. We were able to swim, dive from the boat, and play on the beaches. Most of the PC'ers dove off of the top floor of the boat- what adrenaline junkies! The water was beautiful- emerald and clear and very calm. There must have been about 40 other "junks" near us. It reminded me of boating on Lake Hartwell, except this was the tropical version and our neighbors were singing Chinese karaoke! It seems like the kids really got to know eachother on the trip.



We leave for China shortly. It will be an hour and a half bus ride. When we get to Camelot we get to meet the horses our team will be riding. The US team drew group "E" horses. Here's hoping that group E stands for "exceptional" in dressage!

Janna