It had to finally happen to me. I had been hearing stories of getting food poisoning or some type of sickness while traveling ever since I had begun this journey. I felt lucky that I hadn’t gotten sick thus far and thought it was because I had an iron stomach…. but the night before my … Continue reading
There were other activities to do in Chiang Mai besides feeding rehabilitated elephants. After arriving in this city in the mountains of Northern Thailand, I explored the night market full of goods and watched a dance show set to mostly disco music, as well as exploring the old city. I took a cooking class where … Continue reading
The Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand takes a more individualistic approach to conservation than what I had experienced thus far, and in doing so, made me truly feel for each animal I met with. This is emotionally trying, and while this type of approach may seem to accomplish less on a larger scale, … Continue reading
Bangkok is overwhelming. It’s an immense city full of shining glass skyscrapers and monorails, canals and temples, and food carts in the street selling everything from skewered chicken to fried stick bugs. The hotel my hosts were staying in happened to be on Soi Nana- a street famous for its ‘lady bars’ in the center … Continue reading
The different attitudes and approaches towards street animals in one country versus another is a fascinating topic. In Thailand, street cats were everywhere, but I watched as men would bring bike loads of cat food to feed these strays in the streets. However, locals told me rumors that the street dogs were often carted off … Continue reading
The World Wildlife Fund has a goal not just to help the wildlife in its title, but the local communities who are so necessary to keeping these creatures alive. This was my takeaway from my time with WWF in Nepal. While some would think that an organization like this is totally focused on helping animal … Continue reading
As I boarded the bus, truly alone for the first time in my journey, I couldn’t help but be intimidated. It was a 6 hour drive South through the mountains over the bumpiest unpaved roads I’d ever felt. My extremities had actually started to go numb by the end of my trip from the constant … Continue reading
Shyam, the director of SASANE, suggested that we go with Laxmi to the mountain town Nagarkot to watch the sun set and rise over the Himalayas. I thought it was a great idea and immediately agreed; I had been wanting a better view of those mountains than the hazy peaks one can see between the … Continue reading
There are many opinions on zoos and their place in conservation. Personally, I support them if they have high standards of creature care, habitats, and conservation efforts. I feel that allowing people of all ages around the world to be put face to face with wild animals that they would never see or potentially even … Continue reading
90% of victims of human trafficking in Nepal never report it to the police. There are many reasons for this. These girls often don’t understand the legal system or must deal with corrupt police and immigration officers. They worry that no one will want to marry them, and their families put pressure on them not … Continue reading
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