A LAMB, A PUPPY, A NEW PET

We met Cinde Jeheber, aka, the Ocelot Whisperer, in Costa Rica last year. Cinde volunteered with us at at the Monkey Park Foundation, where we prepped food for various animals, such as monkeys, marmosets, and one sultry female ocelot. 

Last week, we heard from Cinde in Nicaragua, where she traveled to build houses for the homeless. Between hammering nails and digging holes, she found a scared little puppy so shaggy it looked more like a little lamb than a dog.

She asked Carmen, one of the women her team was building a house for, if she could use her water to wash the puppy. They scrubbed it clean and dried it, and from then on, the little dog kept going into Carmen's new house and laying down, as if he lived there.

After a while, Cinde decided to ask the new home owner if she would like a puppy. Immediately, Carmen started crying, saying “I've been loving outside for 15 years all alone, now I have a house and a dog!"

And that's how Cinde's Random Act of Kindness to a lamb-looking puppy helped a lady get her first dog. 

Thanks for continuing to give back, Cinde! You inspire us!

HAPPY 2014!

First, thanks to everyone who has read the blog -- we hit 100,000 visits earlier this year and we couldn't be more excited. 

We also want to thank all of you who sent us messages, liked us on Facebook, and wrote to us about all the different ways they've been able to make giving back part of their lives...Ben and Ali babysat a newborn howler monkey in Bolivia, Cinde Jeheber who still volunteers at the animal sanctuary in Costa Rica, and Liz's mom, Sheila, who decided to become a weekly volunteer at her local library. Your stories and so many others inspire us to keep our goal of giving back at least one day each week alive. 

Wishing everyone a wonderful 2014. We are excited for all that the new year will bring. 

PHOTO FRIDAY: FRIENDLY FACE IN MADAGASCAR

He may look like he's about to inflict some serious pain on an intrusive photographer, but 70-yr-old Philibert, who worked at the guest house where we stayed, actually had a smile nearly as bright and contagious as the grin on the kid from last week's Photo Friday. 

We caught Philibert in action while he was building a fence out of palm leaves to protect some brand new coconuts he had just planted around the property. If you've got a fence that needs mending or building (or a photographer that needs scaring), this is your man.

PHOTO FRIDAY: HAPPY MONKS IN MYANMAR

On a tiny island on a tiny lake in southern Myanmar, atop a needle-like column of limestone there sits an ancient golden pagoda where holy men still go to worship. Below the stupa numerous monks live, including the crew seen crossing the old concrete bridge above. All the guys seemed happy to see us, shouting out a loud "Mingalaba" as they approached. One even gave us a thumbs up. Despite all the hardships the people of Myanmar endure, we have never been greeted with anything less than a smile and friendly word. It's a habit we're trying to learn ourselves.

PARADISE FOUND...SORT OF

Like so many local kids playing on the surrounding beaches, we're excited to be here in Bacuit Bay, Philippines. The jagged limestone cliffs. The jungle-covered islands that dot the horizon. The palm trees heavy with coconuts and stretching up into the sky. 


In many ways, we've found a little slice of paradise. 


But if you're looking for reliable electricity or an internet connection faster than a 1990's dial-up AOL connection, you're pretty much out of luck. Power reaches homes intermittently, plagued with regular brown/black outs that make sleeping through the 80-degree nights somewhat uncomfortable, unless you're a hungry mosquito. And the world wide web remains a luxury for most. 


We're not complaining, mind you. Less time with a computer, more time exploring the nearby islands, hidden lagoons, and paradise slice. 


But it does mean less frequent updates to the blog, at least for now. More to come this afternoon, hopefully, including a post to celebrate National Poetry Month.