Went to an exhibition by young Cambodian artist, Vandy Rattana with photos of these beautiful ponds with lush vegetationn or grasses around them. Then we find out through a video that these ponds were created by the bombs that the US illegally dropped on Cambodia in the 1960's and 70's. With little documentation or information about these ponds, Vandy travelled to 10 provinces most affected by the bombings. He engaged with the locals to tell the story of the bombings and the local people's relationship to the ponds. People told their stories of hiding from the bombs or of family members being killed by them. It was very powerful. I hadn't thought about how the physical scarring of the land would remind people constantly of theie losses and how the bombs had lasting toxic chemical effects ... read more

Wakiki is great but you need to get out into the country to find the Real Hawaii. I found a hostel in Makaha on the west coast, the least touristy area but it is starting to pick up. It's great here. Very different. Makaha is not a rich area. Most people here are indigenous Hawaiians living in small fibro houses. There are also lots of homeless people living on the beaches. House prices have doubled in Hawaii in the last 5 years due to mainlanders buying up holiday homes. So even people with a minimal wage job can't afford to buy or even rent a cheap house. But Makaha has beautiful scenery and beaches and turtles and whales. After arriving here I went for a walk along the coast and there is this little cove where ... read more

Visiting Pearl Harbour brings up all sorts of emotions. The attack on Pearl Harbour was a horrendous crime. The men who died there should be remembered as innocent victims of Japanese aggression. It was rightly condemned by FDR as a "Day of Infamy". The USS Arizona Memorial is very moving. It seems to float on the water over the wreck of the ship. A wonderful reminder of all the dead sailors trapped in the wreck. But I can't help thinking about all the people killed in American attacks. Particularly, after visiting Hiroshima I came to the conclusion that the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was wrong. America could have bombed an uninhabited area as a warning and given Japan an ultimatum. The Shrine and Museum in Hiroshima showed the devastation that was caused there but it ... read more

San Francisco lived up to its reputation. When I arrived it was foggy and wet. But it was lovely with the old buildings appearing out of the mist. I liked San Franciso straight away. Then the hostel looked very interesting, right on the harbour but I couldn't see if there was a view. I was in a large dorm with men of all ages. That night I could hear the foghorns of the ships in the Bay but intermixed with symphony of snoring of many varieties. Snore, snore, snore, wheeze, hoooooot, snore, snore, snore, wheeze, hooooot. I didn't sleep the best. The next day the mist eventually cleared to show a magnificent view over the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and the Bay. I explored Fisherman's Wharf and over to the Mission area where the Spanish first ... read more

This winter in North America has been so white even Vancouver had snow. But they're not used to it. Even the locals say that. Other cities get right into gear when it snows and get the snowploughs out and people clear the footpaths. But in Vancouver they are not prepared. Some roads are cleared but the footpaths are still covered in snow. And then it warms up and rains so it turns to slush. Then it gets cold again and it turns to ice, especially black ice. So its very slushy and slippery walking around. We went to Ron and Kate's place for New Year. Slipping and sliding on the road in the dark at 5 o'clock looking for their house. But we had a great time there, with delicious local delicacies prepared by Kate. And ... read more