As I type this, my fingers are stained a deep brown—espresso, as its manufacturer named it—a souvenir from spending the last few days sanding, staining and (soon!) sealing the banister on the loft of my fixer-upper. I’ve spent the last year slowly renovating a traditional plantation-style house in Hawaii, an endeavor that’s been both fun and frustrating, and promises to yield a nice profit. I have another year until it’s finished, a timeline established by my work schedule and by the fact ... Read More
From Rides to Rehab: The Complicated State of Tourists & the Endangered Asian Elephant
The streets of Thailand are swarmed movement: the three-wheeled tuk-tuks, jam-packed songthaews, and zipping motorbikes cram among cars and buses, a mix that earned the country first place in the world’s most congested roads. But of all the modes of transportation available in Thailand, the most somber is the elephant. Often adorned with colorful ornaments and fabrics with a haphazard seat tied to its back, the elephants trudge along the sides of roads in tourist cities. I couldn’t help but ... Read More
