Day 290: House of Blessing and House of Love
The House of Love is a home for women and children who have been affected by HIV/AIDS. This includes women who have been sold into prostitution, AIDS orphans, and children taken out of their homes because of abuse. Many of the residents at House of Love do not have Thai citizenship, which also means they have few rights in Thailand. House of Love began 16 years ago as a refuge to approximately one hundred displaced women and children, most of whom have been affected by HIV/AIDS, and many of whom had been… Read More
Day 288: Zoe and Sex Trafficking
This is my second post on victims of trafficking. By now you may have guessed that these men, women, and children have a special place in our hearts. The brutality they’ve had to endure, and the deep wounds their abuse has caused remains heavy on our hearts. Our journey to Thailand was much anticipated. Yes, there are gorgeous beaches, so beautiful that Leonardo Dicaprio starred in a movie set on one of them (The Beach). And the food is outstanding, with fragrant spices, savory meats, rich soups, and a variety of noodles to accompany them. But… Read More
Day 286: Destiny: Hope for Victims of Trafficking
I got brave and had my first haircut on the road since leaving Chicago almost exactly nine months ago. It happened in Chiang Rai, a beautiful city in Northern Thailand, close to the borders of Laos and Myanmar (the Golden Triangle). Was I nervous that my hair dresser could not speak one word of English? Well…maybe a little. Did I feel any anxiety that one of the two ladies working on my hair was in training and a bit unsure of what to do. Yes! But it all turned out well in the… Read More
Riding Elephants with Ryan
Riding, cleaning and feeding the elephants in Thailand was an experience I’ll never forget. We started by listening to one of the workers there give us a quick (10 minute) talk about safety, like not standing behind an elephant when it is unaware of your presence. We also talked about facts, and how the number of elephants in Thailand is skyrocketing (or should I say ground rocketing) downwards. There were over 100,000 elephants in Thailand a couple of years ago, but now there are only 3000 left! After the quick talk we had about the elephants,… Read More
Danny and Mecan
Patara is a nice place where the people give you lessons on how to treat, and take care, and ride elephants. For the day, you get your own personal elephant to bathe, ride, and feed. My elephant was called Mecan, and the way I remember Mecan, is the word mechanical. In the first 20 minutes, you feed your elephant bananas and sugar cane. When you wanted them to open their mouths, you would say: “Bone”. And if they obey, and eat what you give them, you say: “Dee dee”. Deedee means… Read More
Bangkok by Ryan
Bangkok, which was originally called Bang Makok, means “City of the Wild Plum”. Why is it called that? I don’t know, but if by “plum” they mean traffic, than the name would make a lot of sense, because Bangkok is a city of wild traffic. Just like in Indonesia, scooters weave in and out of the smallest gaps in cars, and they’re either really lucky or really good at driving the scooters, because I haven’t seen any crashes so far. Maybe it’s a bit of both. Trying to cross the street? You… Read More
Day 278: Elephant Nature Park
Our experience at Elephant Nature Park was also really nice, but a lot less hands on. Most of the elephants here have a history of abuse, exploitations, and neglect. It was sad to see the many injuries and even blindness caused by man, but it was also encouraging to know that there are people who care enough to help make it right. At Elephant Nature Park, you will not ride the elephants, but you will learn about them, feed them, and watch a video that teaches you about the abuse they experience… Read More
Socializing with Thai Elephants
In Chiang Mai, my family and I visited two elephant organizations. It was our first time actually getting to interact with elephants…and it was pretty amazing! The first place we went to was at Elephant Nature Park where they took care of abused elephants. Many people have abused their power over the animals and have taken it way too far, leaving the elephants wounded, severely scarred, and damaged for life. The owner of this organization is an incredibly sweet lady who has taken in these poor elephants and mended them with her… Read More
Attack of the Monkeys and More – Kathryn
First of all, we went to visit a close friend. Her name is Becca. She is a teacher with her friend Kimberley in a really nice school in Indonesia. She took us to see a lot of fun things, including many markets. But to get to the markets, you have to get through the traffic. And believe me, there’s a lot of traffic to get through in Indonesia. But once you get to those markets, it’s so fun! All those foods and drinks and deserts! It was so fun the first night. But then I… Read More
Danny
Deena Gainor
Kathryn
Ryan Gainor
Ryan Thomas
Mikayla
Six Hearts One Journey 
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