In 2001 I visited a remote central Australian community about 800km from Alice Springs in my role as a public health nurse. I don’t remember the exact reason for my visit, but I spent some time wandering the community with a list of names and a cool box holding a small supply of vaccines, looking … More Crossroads and Crackdowns
Cambodia was once described by their own Minister of Agriculture as “a nation of forests”. That was pre-Khmer Rouge. Since then lawlessness and corruption have created an environment in which both illegal and government sanctioned deforestation now occurs at alarming rates. Today it is estimated that only 3% of the country remains covered in primary … More An Ecotourist’s Paradise
It has been the best holiday but it is about to come screeching to an end for me while Caz moves onto a Yoga retreat. It’s about two weeks now since Kelly and Caleb returned to Melbourne. From Siem Reap they traveled to Phnom Penh on the same morning as we caught a boat to … More Boating to Battambang
Perched on the toilet in an open air bamboo treehouse on a hillside above the seaside village of Kep last week, a short wall separated the smells and sounds of my dysenteric squirts from a sleeping Caz. I’m poolside at our Phnom Penh hotel now while she sleeps off her third bout of squirts in … More Sharing the Love Bug
So far, re raising money for the blind woman’s house, we have the approximate equivalent of US$1,000 specifically for this project. This is separate to the other projects I’ve talked about, which I will also update on when they take shape. Anyone interested in adding to the house build, please contact me. If you do … More Quick Fundraise Update
Joe died in his home three weeks ago, unknown to any health service. His family do not know why he died. Joe also did not know why his legs became weak/deformed as a young child. All he could tell me when we met, was that he got a fever and then stopped walking “during Pol … More Where Love and Hate Collide
Wat Opot and Phter Koma have been the tip of the iceberg of our holiday so far. I am traveling with a nursing friend who left Alice Springs a few years ago, who I’ll call Caz and the sister of my neighbour, who I’ll call Kelly. Kelly’s 8yo son “Caleb” is with us so we … More Tourism With a Local Edge
Almost a week ago I returned to Cambodia for another extended stay. In a few weeks I begin my second assignment with Medecins Sans Frontieres, this time in Phnom Penh. Meanwhile a holiday with friends, tripping around the country, is underway. Two nights at Wat Opot Children’s Community was as boisterous as one might expect … More Throwing The Baby Out With The Bathwater
When I determined to work on this blog I did not imagine that the outcome would ever be so positive. My earliest, brief entries to this blog, were nervous and resistant. This was at least in part due to fear of unfair judgment and criticism of both myself and those I wanted to write about. The positive forces … More Art For A Broken Heart
New Zealand’s South Island is a panorama of tiers stretching in a lengthwise direction roughly parallel with the coastline. Most prominent, at least initially, are rows of alpine summits piercing into blue skies or disappearing into woolly clouds. Dizzy heights descend into rolling forests and grassy slopes, which in turn meander into a patchwork … More Good Riddance For 2017!
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