Author: Anna Flam

Originally from New York, Anna Flam began traveling after graduating from Cornell in 2008 with a BS in Biology and Society. After three months abroad she decided to become a Dive Instructor, and after six months cancelled her flight back to the US. Anna spent four years teaching scuba diving in Australia and Thailand. Watching coral bleaching incidents and overfishing firsthand she grew increasingly concerned with the state of the environment. Witnessing the devastation following the 2011 Thailand floods, Anna decided to return to school and work to make human development and environmental conservation more compatible.

Anna Flam
June 24, 2013 Anna FlamEcotourism Sustainability in Phang Nga, Thailand, students

Torture on Thailand’s High Seas

I was going to write about my recent village interview trip today. Remote villages without internet — or even electricity in many cases — prevented any new entries. However, I’ll postpone that until tomorrow, asContinue reading

What do you miss from home?

When living in the developing world people always ask about the things I miss from home. However, that list is surprisingly short. I have the occasional bagel or salsa craving, but hot showers, TV, andContinue reading

My Mind is in the Gutter

I never thought I would spend so much of grad school obsessing over toilets. They’re far from romantic, with nowhere near the appeal of saving cute baby elephants or turtles. Toilets, though, can have hugeContinue reading

Teenaged Thai Casanovas

“Arjaan suai,” were the first words out of my student’s mouth. After nearly two weeks behind a desk, I jumped at the opportunity to teach some informal English lessons at a local temple. One otherContinue reading

Ecotourism: Green or Opaque?

It’s Thursday, and the color of the day is green, so I thought I would write a bit more on ecotourism — my focus for the summer. Yingluck Shinawatra, the Prime Minister of Thailand, isContinue reading

On Tuesday We Wear Pink

Call me farang. Since returning to Kuraburi, that has become my new name. Farang is a Thai word for any foreigner of western descent. Sometimes it is an insult for idiot tourists. Other timesContinue reading

Managing Breakneck Development

I didn’t end up flying at all while in Burma. My qualms about the first bus from Yangon to Bagan were mostly unfounded. The bus did take over 10 hours to go about 400Continue reading

Helping Local Burmese Refugees

I love traveling, but occasionally it becomes disheartening when I cannot help all of the issues I see out here. Transplanting Traditions Community Farm (TTCF) is a great local farm in Carrboro. Current funding isContinue reading

Temples, Trekking, Markets, and Festivals

Nyaungshwe, Burma, or on the banks of Inle Lake. I came out of the woods, after four days trekking, and into the middle of a five-day full moon festival. My first day in Nyaungshwe IContinue reading

Return to Thailand

Bangkok, Thailand — 5.10.13 7-11 was the only shop still open when I landed in Phuket, and they only had normal sized SIM cards. Luckily one of the guesthouse staff showed me a SIM-card hack.Continue reading