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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Dear Baba, Today is your birthday and although we have never met, I am thinking of you. You may not know this but every time I dust the dining room table and chairs, which you had protected with plastic for so many years and that now stands in our dining room, I say hello to […]
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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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Due to jetlag we had been awake since 1:30am and the sky was just starting to get light. It was finally time to begin our journey from Manila to Puerto Galera. We checked out of the hotel with our two backpacks and headed towards the Pedro Gil Light Rail Transit station (LRT). Jeepnies were starting their morning routes […]
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Sitting with one of the beach dogs we had befriended, I looked out across the silvery water and could smell a mixture of salt and impending rain in the air. I was glad that we were staying for an entire week. Talipanan Beach was quite small and cozy and was said to be the quiet answer to […]
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There is something alluring about caves. Whether a cave experience is with a guided tour or a solo adventure with a head lamp, stepping into a cave is like entering a completely different world. Caves hold a mysteriousness that speaks to the adventurer in all of us. Amidst the stalagmites, stalactites and beautiful crystals live bats […]
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It has just rained here and everything is now cool and quiet. The waves are gently coming in and the fog is lifting – sublime, but in a very different way than we had expected. We decided to stay on the not-touristy side of the island, the one that has no beaches and the one […]
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On April 25th, 2015 an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 hit Nepal causing more than 7000 deaths and an immeasurable amount of injuries. The world watched in horror as reporters showed images of treasured UNESCO World Heritage sights in Kathmandu reduced to rubble and people sleeping on the street for either fear of aftershocks or […]
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When looking up things to do in Taiwan, I came across Shifen Falls just outside the capital city of Taipei. What struck me as especially interesting was that the Taiwanese often refer to Shifen Falls as a “mini Niagara Falls”. Mindy and I were married at Niagara Falls and so I found myself wanting to do my own […]
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Located at 6575 Park Boulevard Lotus Vegetarian Restaurant is a pleasant surprise in among the many businesses and strip malls along this Pinellas Park busy street. A meal at this eatery is not only a more unique choice than the ubiquitous KFC next door, but it also is the much healthier option. Without having to travel all […]
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Our wanderlust has taken us all over the world and although we have never regretted visiting any country, there are some countries in which it is easier to be vegan than others. But this doesn’t mean that we would have traded our experiences on the high Tibetan plateau or the rice terraces of Banaue, Philippines simply […]
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The frequently on-the-move lifestyle of the backpacker dictates bringing only the bare minimum as to avoid schlepping copious amounts around the world. As such, that perfect pair of shoes that go with everything you packed and shampoo that doubles as body wash, dish soap and laundry detergent, should make the list. In no particular order, […]
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Although we hadn’t planned on it, our travels led us to ring in the New Year four times in 2014. It was amazing to see how different cultures celebrated the ideas of saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new. While some traditions were more familiar than others, some were very unique and even bizarre. Here […]
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What a year! 2014 was a year of amazing travel including to three new countries and major changes such as relocating across the world as we begin the next chapter of our lives. Let’s look back at this eventful year: Singapore In January, I was lucky enough to travel with Lek Chailert, the founder of […]
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I was very excited to join Save Elephant Foundation‘s Surin Project, wanting to spend time with elephants again. I soon discovered, however, that this was a different sort of elephant project, one that helped people. But I wasn’t interested so much in people; I wanted to help and be around elephants. So, while I begrugedly attended the mahout (elephant care-taker) […]
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I was very happy to spend one of my last weeks in Thailand at the Surin Project, which helps improve the lives of captive elephants. After volunteering for a week at Elephant Nature Park in the north of Thailand, where I learned about the plight of Asian elephants, I was eager to do all I […]
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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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To the unprepared visitor arriving to Phuket during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar might be a bit jarring. With fire crackers, gods, trances and cheek impalement it can be easy to forget about the food. Not only is the Phuket Vegetarian Festival unlike any other food festival worldwide, it is also one of the most […]
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