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Sold into Prostitution

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What would you do if someone you cared about was kidnapped and sold into forced marriage or prostitution? This is the true story of Ben Randall of ‘The Human, Earth Project’ and his fight for justice in the dark and dangerous world of human trafficking.

A few years ago, globetrotter Ben Randall spent a great deal of time in SE Asia, photographing and befriending countless locals. Here are just some of the portraits that you can have in your own home with just a small contribution to the cause.

Meet “M”

While teaching English in northern Vietnam, Ben got to know a 15-year old girl, who we shall call “M”.

After Ben had long left the region, he discovered that M had been taken against her will, kidnapped, and sold across the border into China as a bride or even worse, possibly into the sex trade.

Human Trafficking. Human Slavery. We are apt to feel in our free world that this is history, but sadly it is not. Today alone, more than 20 million victims around the world, primarily women and children, are subject to this brutality.

Ben wanted to do something for his friend M, but what could he do? He was just one person on the other side of the world. He could have just ignored the whole issue and got on with his life, but that would be the cowardly way out.

Ultimately Ben determined that the only course of action was to do something to help find M. Ben created ‘The Human, Earth Project’ to film a feature-length documentary of his search for M and bring awareness to the tragedy of human trafficking affecting millions in 161 countries all over the world.

How You Can Help
Please take a few of minutes now to watch the video and to learn more about the project.

Take a moment to visit crowdfunding page to make a contribution. There are some great rewards including exclusive prints and a chance to have your name in the movie credits.

You can also share the campaign on your favorite social media sites by clicking the buttons below.

Share this Human Trafficking Story on Facebook    Share this Human Trafficking Story on Twitter   Share this Human Trafficking Story onGoogle    Share this Human Trafficking Story on Pinterest

Together we can all help Ben shed light on human trafficking atrocities and help get M home to her loved ones. Even if this protects just a single young boy or girl from falling victim, it will have been worth all the hard work of the countless volunteers and others like you who have contributed along the way.

Can Minimalism Save the World?

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Minimalism has been around forever.

One of the purest forms of minimalism can be found by looking at the ancient methods of North American First Nations. They would set up their tents, create a temporary “town”, hunt for food and then move on to a different location while barely leaving a trace. When they would kill a large animal such as a Buffalo, they would use everything. Nothing went to waste. The skin was used for shelter, bones carved into weapons, fat became grease and all the meat was consumed.

It was minimalism at its finest.

Then things changed. In came industrialization and World War. Machines were developed to make weapons, which then evolved to produce various products. A lot of these products made life easier. Things got cheaper. Fast forward many years later while including greed and engineered marketing and advertising and we’ll, we’ve created a big problem. Now we have mass consumption. Absolutely insane quantities of stuff. Absolutely insane amounts of waste. Absolutely insane amounts of pollution.

We’ve certainly left a trace.

Go take a look at a land fill. Now multiply that by millions. Think of just one city like New York, which  sends 14,000 tonnes of waste to the land fill every day. Yup, every day. Just one city.

Can minimalism save the world?

Take a trip to Wal-Mart. Look at all the useless crap. Stuff nobody ever needs. Stuff that people buy, use once and toss in the garbage, where it will never decompose. If it does decompose, it’s toxic. How much stuff does everyone own that never gets used. Not only did it cost hard-earned money but it also takes up unnecessary space, which costs more money.

Our biological tendencies crave more and were encouraged to do so. Support the economy, right? This is a joke. A bad joke. It’s unsustainable in the first place.  It’s a roadmap for growth, growth, growth and crash. The way we measure growth simply doesn’t work. It’s a relatively new way of looking at things and it’s already outdated. GDP should really stand for garbage, destruction and pollution. That’s really how growth is measured to determine a country’s wealth. How much garbage do we have? How many things can we destroy? How much pollution can we create? The more the better. That is growth. That is money.

Really? Is this progress? Shouldn’t we be measured by our sustainability, happiness, connection, purpose, intelligence, health…..

So where does minimalism come in you ask?

Thankfully, minimalism is growing. It’s still very small compared to the opposite but at least it’s growing. Minimalism is the art of getting rid of things that don’t provide us value so that we can focus more on the things that do. It’s questioning our purchases. It’s thinking about what we really need to be happy and content.

Minimalism has many positives.

  • It will save you money since you won’t be buying useless items any more.
  • It will save you space, which will ultimately save you a lot of money since you won’t need as big of a house to hold all your stuff.
  • It will save you your sanity since you won’t have to deal with so much stuff. Imagine a giant weight being lifted off of your shoulders.
  • It will improve your health as you won’t be eating unnecessary food and you’ll likely be exercising more as you won’t have worthless items grabbing at your attention span throughout the day.
  • It will improve your relationships as you’ll suddenly find more time to spend on the people who really matter.
  • Hell, you might not have to work as much either since you won’t be needing as much money because you won’t need to buy so much stuff.

Maybe this is the most important part – you’ll have more time. Time is life. Suddenly, you can use your extra time to focus on hobbies that add life to your years. Maybe you can focus on a side-business or a different job or more recreational pursuits. Maybe you can use it to spend more time with your kids, your wife or your pets.

With time, the possibilities are endless.

Sure there might be less consumption. Maybe this means a little less money, which doesn’t matter because we don’t need as much stuff. Rather than more money for more stuff, we can have more attention to spend on solving important world issues.

Less consumption will mean less garbage, less pollution and less destruction, which will create healthier cities and healthier countries.

Do we really need another cartoon-inspired USB stick?

No – what we need is more attention to focus on the stuff that really matters.

So maybe, just maybe, minimalism can help save the world.

What do you think?

Seriously – What do you think?

Cambodian Military, Monkeys, and Floating Villages – Cambodia Part 2

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As mentioned in the previous post, the temples around Angkor Wat are beautiful. I had no idea how many temples there were around the Angkor area and how impressive each of them are. After having some fun with little monkeys, and taking pictures of many others, we took a ride around Bayon, marveling the magnificent faces that stare at you throughout the visit. Bayon was probably my favorite temple although Bapuon (another favorite) has a very beautiful walkway along with a pyramid like structure that offered grand vistas of it’s surroundings.

Bayon

All the temples as you can imagine, have many people trying to sell you things which can get on a persons nerves after awhile. However, sometimes I find it quite sad and wish I could buy from everyone. One lady determined to get me to visit “her” little restaurant ran along-side my bike as I repeatedly told her I already had a restaurant I was going to. I felt bad that she worked that hard to earn a sale but I already had a “familiar” spot I wanted to return to.

After a great meal at Angkor Thom stall #30, we took our rented peddle bikes and tried watching another sunset take place but once we realized the clouds weren’t willing to budge, we made the 1-hour trek back to our guesthouse.

Once back at the guest house, I knew I needed to figure out a way to get to Prasat Preah Vihear, another UNESCO site located far north on the border of Thailand and almost the border of Laos. I found out that a car and driver would cost me $120 USD which I didn’t want to take on myself. Determined to make this work, I found another guest nearby and told him about the temple that awaited us. The British guy was in and became a friend for the remainder of our trip to Cambodia. We agreed to take one day off and then take the car 4-hours north the day after.

Cambodia floating villageBut of course, a day off is rare for me so instead, my fiancee and I went along with a guest house worker to a nearby fishing village on the Tonle Sap. His name was Visnay and was the only reason we decided to make this trek. I had heard many bad things about this “tourist trap” but considering our guide was from there and who’s family still lived there, we had to do it.

A short tuk-tuk ride later (actually not that short because it broke down and we had to wait for another), we arrived at the river passage that leads to the Tonle Sap fishing village. We jumped in our boat which is kind of ridiculous considering it could hold about 15-20 people and headed out into the village. The fishing village looks pretty awesome and I can imagine how cool it must look when the water levels are high. We saw many houses on stilts, people getting around with little wooden boats, and pig pens floating around in the water. I snapped some great photos and then stopped to visit Visnay’s parents as well as a short stop at a local school.

tonle sap school fishing villageThe school was full of adorable children all eager to learn new things. They stopped to greet us and one of the teachers had us tell the class about ourselves. We then asked the kids to ask us questions, but since we could tell they were shy, we bribed them with “Canadian” pencils we had bought in Vancouver. Now we could tell they really wanted to ask questions and some did. It was cute to see how much they struggled to think of something to ask. We answered some easy questions, gave out some pencils, and said our goodbyes. We then went back to the boat and headed into the Tonle Sap, a big filthy lake where most of the fish and shrimp come from in Cambodia. After another quick pass by the floating forest, we went back to the river, got back in the tuk-tuk, and headed home.

The next day, we departed at 4:30am to make way to Prasat Preah Vihear, a UNESCO World Heritage Site 4-hours north of Siem Reap. The ride was dark and uneventful but after 4 boring hours, we arrived near our site. We then paid $20 USD to take a short ride in a 4×4 up the mountain to see the temple. This was a steap climb and a steap fee as well but since most of it goes to the poorly paid army, I figured it was okay.

prasat preah vihearAbout 20 minutes later, we arrived to the top, pleasantly greeted by much of the army who are present there to protect the site from Thailand. In fact, it was just 1 year before we arrived that Thailand shot missiles, blowing up the temple in some parts and killing many people. The army has lived at this temple for many years and it was now closed to anyone wanting to visit from Thailand. It’s a shame that anyone would cause mass destruction to a temple so important and so beautiful.

The most special thing about the temple to the naked eye is that fact that it sits high on a mountain overlooking Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos. The view is breathtaking as is the view we took in the military binoculars as we watched the Thailand side for any mishaps. The military were surprisingly friendly, often asking us questions and telling us much about there home in the temple.

prasat preah vihearIt wasn’t just military either. It was also their families. We had 4 cute kids that kept following us around saying “hello” over and over again. When we stopped for a quick bite to eat, we shared with them our bread and jam, and also gave them some pencils. They graciously said thank you and ran off laughing.

Not many people come this far to see one temple that is guarded by the military but I’m really happy we did. The temple is great, massive, and has a very impressive view from the top. The fact that the military lives there makes it extra interesting and if you have a chance to go see, please do.

It was a long day and it was great to finally hit the bed. The next day however, just for curiosity, we decided to switch hostels and create some new adventures.

To be continued in Part 3.

Why not read part 1?

 

 

Vegas on the Cheap

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First off, let me be the first to say that Las Vegas is not one of my favorite places. It can be a ton of fun but it’s just not my typical type of adventure. However, It’s definitely a cool place to see once and I know many people who absolutely love it. When I go, I try to keep things relatively cheap, so here are some tips for you to do the same.

Las Vegas was one of our stops on the 40-day American road trip we did last year. We didn’t have a lot of cash and we knew we wanted to see some shows (which are expensive) so we needed to cut down on other expenses while visiting.

Believe it or not, Las Vegas can be cheap if you want it to be. First off, for accommodation, we chose to couchsurf. We found an awesome guy living in the suburbs who let us, along with other people from all over the world, stay at his place. They were totally cool to hang out with, gave us our own room, but the only problem was the A/C stopped working. June in Vegas was the hottest temperature I have ever experienced, even having been to Australia, Indonesia, and Mexico.

Because of the no A/C issue, we decided to say 2 out of the 5 nights at a hotel on the strip to relax and be able to breathe at night time. We managed to get 2 great deals (Planet Hollywood on Thursday night and Flamingo on Friday night) for just $50 per night thanks to Priceline and Hotwire. Another option if your traveling alone is to book a hostel for about $25 per night. Hostels in the USA are very expensive (especially in New York at $45 per night) but if you’re alone in Vegas, this would be my choice as it allows you to meet other people and create more of a party atmosphere.

Another thing you’ll probably like to do while baking under the sun is take in one of the many fantastic pools the city has to offer. My three favorites were Mandalay Bay, Flamingo Go-Go pool, and the Tropical hotel pool at the end of the strip. If you want a party, the Go-Go pool at the Flamingo is the best bet. It has beautiful waterfalls cascading into the pool along with places for girls to dance. It does smell like beer though as the day goes on. Tickets are usually $20 I believe but you can get in for free by just grabbing a “players” card that someone is bound to leave next to slot machines. We were staying at the hotel and noticed our key said nothing about Flamingo but it got us into the pool. This made me realize anyone can get in for free with a little creativity.

Mandalay Bay is the fancy wave pool that’s very fun to hang out in. You can party here but it’s not really that type of atmosphere, at least not when we were there. It feels more like a posh/family hangout. It’s totally the best pool overall and although I have never stayed at Mandalay Bay, I’ve managed to get into the pool for free on more than one occasion. What you need to do is walk to the pool and before going in, ask someone who is about to enter if they will let you come in with them (since you need to be a guest to enter). It worked both times for us and the guests were more than happy to pretend we were with them. Just don’t look too shady. If you look like Tiger King, you may not make it. Then again, maybe you’ll have an even better chance. It is Vegas after all.

A Casino on Fremont Street

There a few free shows in Vegas that are not too bad as well. The two best ones in my opinion are the fountains at Bellagio and the laser show on Fremont street. The fountains at Bellagio are outside and go off at certain times at night to music. It’s only about 15 minutes but it’s well worth checking out. The laser show on Fremont street plays music and effects along the roof of the street. Freemont is the best street in Vegas in my opinion and the drinks are cheaper than anywhere else. The show is very cool to see and you can even zipline across it if you like. That part isn’t free of course.

Although I don’t know of any free food in Vegas, you can eat moderately cheap. My top choice whenever I travel the USA is Subway. A footlong sub is typically just $5 (certain kinds) and is very filling. Two of these bad boys per day is just $10 and more than enough most of the time. If you don’t mind spending a little more, I also recommend the buffet at Flamingo. It’s approx $18 and has hundreds of items ranging from seafood, steaks, desserts, salads, soups, asian food, sushi, fajitas, and much much more. I believe a day pass is $35 if you can eat that much. Also, one of my favorite bars is the House of Blues located inside Mandalay Bay. It has a very cool atmosphere and if you get there for happy hour, most beers are just $2-3 and all appetizers are half price.

Keep in mind that if you want to drink but still save money, buy your booze from one of the many gift/convenience/liquor stores for dirt cheap and then drink it on the strip.

My biggest tip is to STAY AWAY from all the timeshare offers you will get. They will offer you great gifts like free shows or $200 gambling credits. Unless you don’t mind wasting 6 hours of your day (they will tell you it’s just 2 hours or less) in a high-pressure sales situation and then STILL having to go through other troubles to get the free gifts, then just ignore every one of them.

If you’re okay with spending hundreds on shows, you can’t go wrong with Cirque Du Soleil. I’m not usually a big spender for shows but I managed to shell out a whopping $180 for a ticket to O by Cirque. It’s the most famous show on the strip and is almost always sold out. Try and get tickets within the first 20 rows if you’re going to go. The theatre itself is absolutely beautiful and the performance is the best I have ever seen. It’s a mixture of theatrical play, acrobatics, aquatics, and a 25-foot disappearing pool. The music is outstanding and it’s really the best memory I have of Las Vegas. I’m sure any other Cirque show is unbelievable as well.

So, my best advice (from my own experience) on spending a little while in Vegas is:

  • Try Couchsurfing, booking a hostel, or using Priceline/Hotwire to find great deals on hotels (unless you bought a package with your flight)
  • Check out the great pools in the area and with some creativity, they can be totally free.
  • Go see some of the free shows in the area including the Fountains of Bellagio and the Freemont Street Laser show.
  • Eat at places like Subway, gorge on cheap buffets, or find happy hour deals at places like House of Blues.
  • When booking tickets for shows, try looking online for any deals happening, or if you don’t mind the last minute, you can always find one of the many “Last-Minute” ticket sellers on the strip.
  • Walk. The Strip is a cool place to walk, as well as inside the casinos, and down Freemont street.
  • Don’t forget to have fun. While you can certainly do Vegas on the cheap, the most important thing is to have fun. When will you be in Vegas again? Go to a show, do some wine tasting in Las Vegas, throw a few bucks into a gambling machine, and just let loose.
If you’ve been to Vegas, did you keep it cheap? Do you have any more recommendations? 

The Next Chapter

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guanajuato

When one chapter ends and another hopefully begins.

I wrote about this on the bus heading home from a 2-week job on a military base in Wainwright, Alberta. It was a totally unique experience. I had received an offer to act as a villager in a military role play exercise. This meant I got to pretend to be a spanish villager while watching ground troops and tanks cover the area and humungous helicopters hover overhead. I met over 100 amazing people from all walks of life. Some were musicians, some were actors, and some were just trying something new. Some were Canadian, some were Mexican, and some were Columbian. We became family for 15 days, living in dorm-room type conditions, working together, eating together, and partying together. Some of us became good friends that will continue well into the future.

And yet, despite how cool of an experience this was, the 2 weeks ended quickly, and I found myself on a bus headed back home. Everyone was still sitting around me on their way back home but I knew that for most of us, we would never see each other again. We had just woke up from an amazing farewell party complete with a talent show and a spectacular performance of the Northern Lights (otherwise known as Aurora Borealis).

It was a mixture of sadness and happiness. It was sad to close a chapter on such a wonderful experience, yet exciting to imagine what the next chapter was going to hold.

I’ve felt this so many times as I’m sure you have as well. High school, college, university, trips around the world, hobbies, sports, and new found friends. Each chapter must end at some point.

But the best way to fight the chapter blues is to begin a new one. One filled with new adventures, new experiences, and a new story.

I’m now in Mexico City, a new chapter to finish off the 2011 year. I know next year, I will turn the page to another chapter featuring Malaysia and the rest of SE Asia. I know the location but I don’t know the story.

So although it saddens me a little to finish one chapter, it’s exciting to begin the next.

As long as you keep your curiosity alive and the adventures rolling, you won’t get stuck in one chapter and life will keep churning out amazing stories of unique experiences and new friendships.

Have you started a new chapter lately?

Fate and a One of a Kind Hollywood Experience

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Ryan Reynolds, green lantern
Even Ryan Reynolds was surprised that we scored tickets to the Green Lantern screening in Hollywood.

Okay, I’ll be the first to say that I’m not a big believer in fate or anything like that. I don’t really think we have a set-purpose in life or a time which we are scheduled to die. I am, however, constantly impressed by the timing of various events that just seem so perfect.

There are so many events that happen when the timing is absolutely perfect. I could talk about the random decision to go to another city for just 1 semester of university which led to meeting my girlfriend of 3 years. I could talk about the group I emailed to help sell some extra books I have which turned into a membership and a free trip to Japan. But since the World Domination Road Trip just ended, it seems only fitting to talk about one of the very cool “fate” type moments that happened While I was in Hollywood.

It was a a very hot wednesday afternoon and we were just finishing up a taping of the Jay Leno show where we had been in the audience. It was around 5pm and since we were already in Burbank, I decided to swing over to Hollywood to show Karla the sights. Considering it was rush hour, we parked in the first location we could find which happened to be a mall right on Hollywood boulevard. We were starving and decided to look for a restaurant immediately. We were eyeing up a pizza restaurant but not wanting to spend to much time eating (and ordering and waiting and so forth), we decided on a little crepe place that looked like it would be quick. After the meal (which was pretty damn bland), we walked out to Hollywood boulevard and noticed the street was closed off and that massive crowds were lining up for something. As we walked closer, I noticed Blake Lively (actress in the Green Lantern) who we had just watched Jay Leno interview earlier that day.

We then realized it must be a screening of the Green Lantern at Grauman’s Chinese theatre. We began to look for more actors and then noticed Ryan Renolds a few feet away from us talking to reporters. Karla was excited to see all this action and of course, to see Ryan Reynolds. I was more excited to see Jason Bateman who was also there for some reason. But seriously, what a cool Hollywood experience for Karla on her first trip to the U.S.A (and for me as well). After some quick pictures, I grabbed her hand so we could move towards the theatre which I really wanted her to see before we left. We began to walk in and around the crowd when someone tapped me on the shoulder and asked me if I wanted 2 tickets. I had no idea what he meant so I just asked “how much?” and he said they were free. “You can have them as long as your gonna use them right now” he told us.

Are you gonna come?

Suddenly I looked down and realized it was 2 tickets to the screening! “Hell yeah!” I replied.

Next thing you know, were following them alongside the red carpet towards Grauman’s Chinese Theatre to watch the Hollywood screening of the Green Lantern. I was amazed. I gave him a sincere thanks, grabbed some free popcorn, and headed into the beautiful Hollywood theatre. A red curtain kept the screen covered while security sat Ryan Renolds and the rest of the cast about 20 seats behind us. Once the cast was seated, the curtains unveiled the screen and the show began.

Such a spontaneous and unique event. An absolutely amazing experience for Karla and myself in Hollywood. Had we chose to eat at the pizza restaurant (which we almost did), we would have missed the opportunity by a few minutes. Had we decided to find parking elsewhere, we would have missed it. Had we not walked past the couple with the tickets at that precise moment, someone else likely would have grabbed them.

The timing was perfect. The moment was perfect. The movie was okay (haha). The stars had lined up and the cosmos were aligned perfectly with our souls. 100% fate.

Nah, it was just a lucky coincidence. But none the less, it was awesome.