Best place to be a stray dog? Hands down the Taj Mahal. I met this dingo-like dog at sunrise on the back side of the Taj. What a cool place to live, right?

Agra, India. 2016.

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I always love a good monkey interaction. The Batu Caves outside of Kuala Lumpur are a hot spot for these bad boys. They are truly pests, stealing anything and everything they can. We saw one snatch a bronze buddha statue wrapped in bubble wrap from a young woman who just purchased it at the Hindu temple gift shop. Convinced that there was food inside, these monkeys ripped, bit, and tore as hard as they could until they realized the bronze was not edible. Although they did eat the bubble wrap…

Selangor, Malaysia. 2022.

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At Kapaleeshwarar Temple in Chennai, the cows are confident. Ravenous and fearless, they bump into you with their heads in attempts to be handed some sort of food. I pet them like dogs as they followed me around.

Chennai, India. 2021.

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It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there on the streets of India. As I was zipping through the city in an auto rickshaw, I saw this skinny cow wandering down a sidewalk past a sleeping man on a hot & humid December day.

Chennai, India. 2021.

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Kruger National Park -- one of Africa’s largest game reserves and home to the “Big 5”: lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffaloes. Giraffes and impalas too.

Kruger National Park, South Africa. 2016.

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On my drive to Coimbatore, India I noticed this man with his cows out of the car window. If it isn’t already clear, I am obsessed with cows. I jumped out of the car and walked up to him as he began milking one. Although he doesn’t look pleased, he was excited that I was interested in his cows.

Coimbatore, India. 2018.

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Gulmarg Ski Resort, in western Kashmir on the border of Pakistan. After taking a few ski runs a couple thousand feet above here, I stumbled upon a fine herd of goats and sheep. I made sure to find someone to translate to the shepherd my infatuation with his animals.

Gulmarg, India. 2018.

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On the drive home from Tamil Nadu, we stumbled upon these blue horned boys. It’s a tradition in the state to paint the horns of cows for different festivals. I’m a fan.

Rural Tamil Nadu, India. 2018.

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Stumbled upon this little squish-faced cat in a storefront of a lottery shop. I love the confidence in his sassy attitude.

Tainan City, Tawian. 2018.

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Of the solid waste generated in India daily, only 83% is collected. Of what is collected, only 29% of this solid waste is treated. One part about the country that I think everyone can agree on is that trash is absolutely everywhere. It’s very common to see stray animals eating solid waste and living among it. I saw this dog sleeping on a little bed of trash in Varanasi in 2016. Although it is heartbreaking to see, at least he is giving the trash a purpose that benefits him.

Agra, India. 2016.

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Fort Kochi, Kerala — on my way back from working with a women’s group, our tuk tuk stopped to watch an elephant being used in a ceremony (one of the few instances where people have found a loophole in the illegal use of elephants). When you look closely, you see that both men are holding sticks. These sticks have sharp metal ends that the abusers use to keep the elephant obedient. Always, refuse to ride and do not support these type of experiences.

Kochi, India. 2018.

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Old vs. new world moment on the highway through the Arabian desert. Camel meat is a delicacy in Saudi Arabia so you frequently see groups of camels being transported on trucks throughout the Kingdom. Despite the whipping wind, they always seem to have a content smirk on their face.

Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia. 2022.

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The Oregon Coast is quite the place. Three words to describe it are empty, desolate, and vast.

A lot of Trump signs, coffee drive-thrus, and anemones. Ohh and 1,209,346 tsunami warning signs.

Pacific City, Oregon, USA. 2020.

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The day before my first day of working in Kochi, I met this dog. He followed me all day long and we would hang out occasionally after. Good boy.

Kochi, India. 2018.

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Mossel Bay, South Africa — cage diving with bigass great white sharks. It’s on my list of top 10 experiences for sure. Bloody fish chunks floating on a string, wetsuits, cold Indian Ocean water, and big sharp white teeth.

Mossel Bay, South Africa. 2016.

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A bed of light fluffy fish nets? Count me in. This dog found quite the spot inside a fisherman’s boat in the beach town of Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu. He finally caught on to the fact that I had been manically photographing him.

Mamallapuram, India. 2021.

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All elephants owned by humans are victims of abuse and torture. South India is a hub of elephants used for human-related purposes. Although the use of elephants is illegal in India, people have found 3 loopholes:

1. Use in religious settings - temples, ceremonies

2. Weddings - very popular in Kerala

3. Tourism - foreigners have always loved riding elephants

Kochi, India. 2018.

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A fiend indeed. This cat was on the prowl for some bloody fish caught earlier that morning in the Arabian Sea. However, the stall owner knowingly looked the other way with a slight smirk on his face.

Fort Kochi, India. 2018.

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Mysore magic at the Sri Chamundeshwari Devi Temple. A hilltop Hindu temple with cows, monkeys, Hindus from all over India, and some hijras (a community of eunuchs, intersex, and transgender people). Nandi is the bull who guards Lord Shiva, one of my favorites in Hinduism.

Mysore, India. 2018.

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Wildlife SOS, an Indian nonprofit located outside of Agra, saves elephants from captivity who were previously used for tourist rides, religious ceremonies and temples, and weddings. They also almost entirely eradicated the “dancing bear” industry in India, which cuts ropes through the nose of moon bears to make them stand and dance on street sides for cash. This elephant’s toes are covered in blue medicine to help with a foot infection - an extremely common problem elephants suffer from due to glass and trash on the streets. All elephants you see being controlled by humans are abused and in captivity. Refuse to ride!

Agra, India. 2020.

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I met this tortoiseshell cat in Tainan, Taiwan. As a tortie owner myself, I appreciate seeing other tortoises abroad. This one had extremely long fur and insanely large eyeballs. I had to snap a pic of her stare…

Tainan, Taiwan. 2018.

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Dock Port of La Libertad is bustling with a massive fish market, fishermen patiently waiting for a bite on the pier, and visitors eating and drinking as they look over the rough Pacific Ocean waves. This pier was undergoing a complete renovation funded by China when we were there, so who knows what it will look like in the coming years. Some of the best pupusas we had were in a little roadside stall right outside of the fish market. We were quite the pupusa sluts on this trip.

La Libertad, El Salvador. 2022.

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Elephanta Island in Mumbai Harbor is home to the Elephanta Caves. These caves are filled with thousands of ancient Hindu carvings… and the best part is the island is run by cows :)

Mumbai, India. 2018.

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Dogs, cats, cows, goats, pigs, birds, all eat the trash left behind by humans… and trash of all kinds is everywhere in Varanasi. Plastic especially causes problems because of its immortal nature.

Varanasi, India. 2016.

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A slum in New Delhi — the “semi-permanent housing” area means people live in houses they make of wood and tarp. They sort through piles of trash to find things good enough to use or sell. Cows sit and feed on the trash all day long.

Delhi, India. 2020.

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I stayed in a cute air-conditioned hut when at Kruger Game Reserve in South Africa. This kudu liked me — he came to visit me every day and night. There were also bush babies who joined us for dinner… absolute heaven.

Kruger National Park, South Africa. 2016.

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Caught in a tourist trap in Bagan, I quickly started to question the authenticity of everything. Women weaved big looms and smiled as they cooked lunch. However, this “authentic village tour” was complete crap. I met this little girl though who displayed the only realness I had seen all day. She sat alone and patiently pet this stray dog so nicely on the head, with zero care who saw.

Bagan, Myanmar. 2016.

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My odd creature, Shandy, who frequently sleeps on my face :)

Denver, Colorado, USA. 2020.

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My sneaky jungle friend in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. I was leading a community service trip of 30 high school-aged teens, so as a staff member agreed to follow a set of rules. One of these rules was not to pet wild animals. Well, he ended up sleeping in my room with me one night ;)

Guanacaste, Costa Rica. 2015.

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Coconut Lagoon is a quaint boutique hotel on the Kerala backwaters. The best part of this relaxing retreat is that there are mini cows on the property. Don’t go to close though, they tend to charge at you.

Kumarakom, India. 2018.

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This is for sure monkey business if you ask me… they are literally biting on the power lines they are sitting on in this photo.

Old Delhi, India. 2020.

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A father and daughter walk on the roadside in the middle-of-nowhere town called Lumbini, Nepal. Here, I saw the stone that Buddha was supposedly born onto. Why would someone want to give birth onto a stone? Sounds a bit uncomfortable for everyone involved.

Lumbini, Nepal. 2018.

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If you like anemones… go to the Oregon coast. They are absolutely everywhere on the rocks and they love hugging mounds of mussels.

Pacific City, Oregon. 2020.

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My cat Shandy’s favorite place to stare at the snowfall.

Boulder, Colorado, USA. 2017.

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I LOVE bats. One of my favorite parts of India is that no matter where you are in the country, at dusk the bats emerge. What once belonged to the birds during the day, switches over to the bats at night. This big guy flew over busy Chennai on his nightly mission.

Chennai, India. 2021.

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I just had to go against the sign when I saw these picturesque kittens in Hong Kong… wouldn’t you?

Mong Kok, Hong Kong. 2018.

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On the Greek island of Mykonos, the cats run wild. They literally fill this cute little downtown. Every rooftop, alleyway crevice, and stone wall holds evidence of their reign.

Mykonos, Greece. 2016.

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This cute tabby meowed at our door every morning and night at our hotel, the Mykonos Blu. Finally, I gave in and let him sleep in the room with us. He curled up in a little ball in the most peaceful sleep I’ve ever seen.

Mykonos, Greece. 2016.

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If it isn’t clear already, I love yellow. This street cow walked by at the perfect moment in front of this yellow wall and colorful clothesline and I couldn’t resist snagging a pic.

Mamallapuram, India. 2021.

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