Saturday, May 16, 2015

Animal Cruelty, Authentic Culture & Raw Travel


After posting on Instagram a photo of an elephant to promote our Laos episode, someone posted a sarcastic comment about the elephant enjoying “the rope around its neck and the chair on its back”.
What I did not post and I suppose should have, was an explanation that we discuss the treatment of elephants in Laos and other parts of Southeast Asia in the episode. We talk about ways travelers can make a difference in their sometimes cruel treatment. In fact, that is the entire reason our friends, the elephants, were included in the episode.  They provided an “organic” entree to make the point that elephants in Southeast Asia, especially in Thailand, are sometimes drugged, beaten, etc. into submission for the amusement of “tourists”.
We had tried desperately to shoot at elephant sanctuaries in both Laos and Thailand but either the timing was off or they were too strapped for resources to accommodate us or just didn’t bother to email us back.
After an exchange back and forth on instagram, the commentator said she was a fan of Raw Travel but was “against animal cruelty”. I bet if you ask 10 people, 9.8 out of 10, myself included, will say they too are against animal cruelty.
But this exchange did get me to thinking. Why are we so quick in the West to jump to conclusions and lecture the rest of the world on how they should live? Why should people in the wealthiest economy in the world be able to tell people in one of the poorest what they should and should not be doing? Is it right to do so? I honestly don’t know.
Read the rest of the post HERE

Monday, May 4, 2015

Manny Lost the Fight.. But Manila Wins My Heart


The fight of the century featuring Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather was a disappointment to most. No surprise there. Anything that hyped, with that much money at stake is bound to disappoint.
Which is why I love to travel to under hyped destinations, even places that people would never think to visit. Manila, Philippines is one of those cities and if you go in with low expectations (as we did) you are bound to be rewarded with an unexpected experience that could have you raving about the place.
The Philippines are a group of over 1,200 islands with some of the most stunning landscapes and beaches in the world and this is why most people visit.
Read the rest of the article HERE