“Always remember that you are a Quaker”, was the last piece of advice my Grandpa gave me before he passed away. In his young adulthood my grandfather changed his religion and joined The Society of Friends (Quakers), of which he was an active member for the rest of his life. As I travel the world, […]
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So often travel photographs and the stories that go along with them only highlight the wonderful, the amazing and the life-changing aspects to the trip. When I show my pictures to family, friends and travel enthusiasts, they see that spectacular view or the amazing animals and listen to the funny or insightful stories that go […]
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I first learned of Sarina Farb while reading her open letter in response to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has been speaking out about the importance of the environment. Sarina’s beautifully and academically written words encouraging the newly-elected US congresswoman to embrace veganism led me to want to hear more of what Sarina has to say. So, […]
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Editor’s Note: We met Cameron while attending the Tampa VegFest in 2017. It was easy to see why his booth was bustling with people. We too were immediately drawn to his portraits. We began looking for familiar faces among his many gorgeous photographs and we spoke about several sanctuaries at which we too had had […]
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We drove through beautiful wheat fields set to the backdrop of deciduous trees showing off their flashy fall foliage. It would have been simply a lovely ride in the country if we didn’t know where we were going. I had never been to a slaughterhouse before and was a little nervous but felt that our anxiety […]
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While in the village of Ta Klang in Thailand’s Surin Province, I came across a paper-making factory that taught me how to turn elephant poo into paper. Unfortunately, the poo is collected from captive elephants, usually chained to either a tree or post of some sort, standing with their poo racked and stacked to the side. […]
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The van takes the familiar curves and we know exactly when to turn our heads to the left for the next beautiful view. “This is our last time”, we look at each other with tears in our eyes, “Let’s make the most of it” and brace ourselves for a series of hard goodbyes. Ever since […]
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Of course, stray dogs live a tough life regardless of what streets they roam in their corners of the world. However, it seems as though the dogs that call the lanes of Chiang Mai home face a particularly uphill climb. These soi dogs, as they’re commonly known, must overcome challenges around every turn if they […]
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Off the northwestern coast of Lombok, Gili Trawangan is known as the party island, when compared to its smaller siblings of Gili Meno and Gili Air. However, the island’s nightlife was not the main draw for us. Instead, it was the promise of snorkeling with sea turtles that forced us to include the rowdy isle […]
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On my last morning I took a final look at the map of Ayuthaya that the guesthouse gave me when I noticed a small cartoon-drawn elephant with the label “Elephant Kraal” in the top right corner of the page. With a piqued interest, I looked into this further and discovered that this was the last […]
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Editors’ Note: This is a guest post written by Kwa Ganjapanne, a Thai university student in Chiang Mai, who has made the uncommon and often unpopular decision to become vegan. While one can find support in many other countries, vegans in Thailand are rare and often find themselves alone. In her post, Kwa shares with […]
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I’ve always been fascinated by the North American moose and no matter how many times I see one, I am still always surprised by their size. Standing up to a towering 7 feet at the shoulder, it’s often hard to remember they are in the deer family. I enjoy learning moose trivia as well, such as […]
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Ever since first learning about the ancient city of Petra, nowadays located in the Kingdom of Jordan, we wanted to go there. Seeing the vibrant photographs and reading about Petra’s history and “discovery” at a special exhibition at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Hull, Quebec whet our appetite to travel there and explore. Not […]
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We spent a week within the Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary, midway between the Thai border to the north and Siem Reap to the south. We helped out by planting trees in one of the most deforested countries in the world, weeding, creating gardens, and cleaning out the duck pond (not as much fun as the other tasks). […]
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It was late January when rumors started swirling that Save Elephant Foundation was getting ready to rescue another elephant. A few months earlier, during my trip to Surin province to witness Dao Tong’s rescue, my fear of throwing up on the truck due to my crippling motion sickness kept me from fully experiencing this momentous […]
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From the moment you step off the train it is clear that monkeys are the main focus of Lopburi, for residents and visitors alike. Small enough to walk all around in 30 to 45 minutes, it is easy to navigate on foot. We recommend using the bathroom at the train station (3 Baht, bring your […]
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As you may know, since we volunteered at Elephant Nature Park in May 2012, the foundation that runs it (Save Elephant Foundation), its people and especially the animals it cares for have become very dear to our hearts. In late 2010, two Australians similarly volunteered and their lives immediately changed as well. During their week […]
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Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the Surin Elephant Roundup, a government-sanctioned festival celebrating Thailand’s revered Asian elephant. The multi-day event draws large crowds all eager to witness elephants showcasing their amazing abilities. Elephants dancing to Gangnam Style, throwing darts to pop balloons, playing an organized game of soccer and even walking upright to […]
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