My first welcome to Chilean Patagonia is a rainbow over the parking lot of the utilitarian airport at Punta Arenas. The wind whispers a song that’s somehow evocative of the tune that loops on the ice cream truck that passes my home in Los Angeles everyday. I guess flying for about twenty-four hours straight will…
To the End of the World: From Patagonia to Cape Horn
It’s a five-hour ride from Torres del Paine National Park to Punta Arenas, where I will board the Stella Australis cruise ship to Ushuaia, Argentina. I wander on a street parallel to the Strait of Magellan, looking for the port, and pass a sleeping stray dog; he springs up immediately and starts walking ahead of…
Living La Pura Vida
BOOM! I wake in the middle of the night to roaring thunder and a vehement downpour through the trees, crashing against the roof of my bungalow. In the pitch-blackest darkness, my eyes never adjust, with minimal city lights permeating the atmosphere in this little coastal town called Tamarindo in the Guanacaste province of Costa…
How I Took Responsibility and Went Cruelty-Free
It’s not a secret—most of the products Americans use in their homes and on their bodies have been tested on animals. We all know, so I’ll spare you the gory details. Everyone is appalled, but most can’t help but take a passive stance on it. No judgment. I get it—for a long time I did…
Survivin’ and Thrivin’
Guess who’s the new Health and Wellness Editor at Thrive Market? It’s your girl (me)! I want to share with you my sustainable seafood cheat sheet that I created for Thrive. But first… In case you didn’t know, Thrive Market is the coolest thing ever. If you’ve ever wanted to shop at Whole Foods for…
Not So Supernatural: How Do Marine Mammals Hydrate?
I didn’t know yesterday was World Oceans Day, but luckily I did spend some time in the ocean. This summer, I have a weekly surf club going on. No, this is not a picture of me, but it could be. I’ll tell you a secret: I’m totally afraid of the ocean. Yes, me, who spent…
Journey to a Secret Spot on Catalina Island
We trudge along a steep incline with 20 pounds of paraphernalia strapped to each of our backs. Tents, sleeping bags, propane tanks, water, a kite, a frisbee, mason jars filled with cake, fairy dust – the essentials. The strain is relentless, until we reach a ridge, where the sea and sky coalesce into one infinite…
Not So Supernatural: Can Snakes Slither Backwards?
Ever sit around and wonder about the small mysteries of the world? How do marine mammals hydrate? Why do turtle doves come in pairs? Why are coconuts hairy? I do. I think about this stuff all the time. Sometimes I feel insecure that I’m asking a stupid question, but of course, there are no stupid…
Endangered Baby: Saiga
The saiga antelope has an old soul – they have roamed the Earth since the age of mammoths, saber-toothed cats, and woolly rhinos. Their distinctive feature, a large hooked nose, not only characterizes them as anomalous creatures, but it’s actually functional – it acts as a filter for sand and dust in the summertime and…
Oil, Oil, Everywhere
One of the awesome things I learned in Costa Rica is that there is plenty of oil there . . . yet they banned oil drilling. Why? Because the oil is beneath National Parks, and those are protected, and they intend on keeping them that way. More than 25 percent of the country is protected…
The Buzz About Honeybees
There I stood just a couple of feet away from a honeybee hive, and I felt no fear. I never thought I would feel that way around tens of thousands of worker bees fearlessly protecting and nurturing their queen, but this day I felt attuned to to their plight. By chance, I had just met…
This Baby Needs Help
I have this new friend at the Kitten Rescue, and he’s too young to even have a name yet. He’s sick right now with aspiration pneumonia (a bacterial lung infection), and a pericardial hernia. Right now he’s at VCA West LA in an incubator, on oxygen and antibiotics, with an IV catheter in his jugular….
everything is nature 