Delving into Vietnam

The war is everywhere in Vietnam, even though it ended 40 years ago. The references are everywhere, from the propaganda to the souvenir T-shirts.

The Killing Fields and Pol Pot

Over the past few weeks, we have been traveling around the absolutely wonderful country of Cambodia. However upon reaching Phnom Penh, we came face to face with the brutal history of the regime that shook the country apart only 40 short years ago.

Beauty and the Bugs

Behold the majestic tarantula, king of spiders, and a mite tasty too, once you get the hang of it.

The World Wars

Wars. Always pointless, never much different. After having visited memorials and sights from the First and Second World Wars, I have learned much about the differences, similarities, and what we, as a race have learned. The largest difference would be the consequences.

The North of France

 

Michel et Elizabeth: dwarfed by their house and their hospitality.

North from Paris, from a one room apartment and millions of people to a large stone farmhouse in the tiny village of Villers Chatel near Arras in the northeast of France. It was bliss – from shared space to our own private bedrooms. Our Servas hosts, Elizabeth and Michel, fearing that we spoke no French, had invited their bilingual cousin Andre (30 years ago he lived in Quebec) to dinner that evening. We had a wonderful meal together and pored over maps to plan an 18 km bike route to the memorial at Vimy Ridge.