We began our volunteer work Tues at Gaucharan, Govt. Jr. High. It’s a bumpy uphill hour and a half jeep ride away, accross small waterfalls and views overlooking green hills, valleys and rice fields. We arrived to school around (:30 and were assigned a class to observe. I walked into class and asked “wheres the teacher?” they told me “you’re the teacher!” I laughed “No really, where is he?” they… Read More
Frances and Hayden on Blog duty this week!!!
We just left the Maori village and had a great time! We stayed with Paora and Aramanu on their small faremette just outside the actual village of Porongahou (sp?). They had a few cows and a few sheep and a small garden, and two cats. About half the group slept inside but the rest of had to rough it in tents outside.… Read More
So we got an early start on our trip to semuc champey. We had to catch the bus around 8 am and would have almost missed it if it werent for the help of our friendly local Tigo Van. After a couple blocks crammed in the back of the van and enjoying some bumping music, we made it to the bus station to head off for another adventure. After just… Read More
Hola para el todo mundo. Chloe’s right she did write alot but we did do a lot in Agualongo de Quinche. On Friday as Chloe told you we went up to a set of lakes. while she went for then more intense hike I went for a milder one with Cecila and both of the Megans. the below image is of the main lake, the weather was beautiful, not to… Read More
We just finished up a week at San Marcos filled with some awesome learning activities and for many a spiritual self discovery. However our final days in San Marcos saw endless tropical rains that prolonged our stay and probably drove a few of us over the edge with cabin fever. The rains caused numerous landslides on some major roads that prevented us from finding a reliable way out and leaving… Read More
For the week following our time in Auckland, we stayed on a dairy farm seemingly equidistant from the small town of Otorohanga and the black sand beaches of Marokopa. On this farm, we milked the cows, grubbed the fields, cooked the meals, cleaned the homes, and fed the calves. In the evening we hung out with the owners, David and Claire Carey, and their son, Mike. Dan, Greta, Casey, Katie,… Read More
Hey everyone! It’s Chloe here reporting on our fantastic week in Agualongo.
After our shopping spree in Otavalo, we headed back out into the country to Agualongo, a small community ofless than 200 people. We were again with homestay families, this time all of us were on our own with separate families. I was with Angelita Torres (the town healer – thoughwhen I showed her my insect-bite induced rashes she… Read More
As our bus neared our final destination, we were struck with awe by the sight of hills of luscious green tea leaves and blossoming trees.. all topped off by the sun shining down on the whole of the highlands! We were greeted by our translators Yusto, Leod, and Teetus and our wonderful hosts Jenny and Geoff. After a scenic walk downhill, we arrived at the children’s village, which would soon… Read More
Hello there, friends!
So after an intense 8 days at the Deer Park Institute in Bir, the group arrived safe and sound to Amritsar 2 nights ago! Bir is a scenic little town that’s about a 4 hour bus ride from McLeod Ganj, with only one main road. Like McLeod Ganj, it too is occupied by Indians and Tibetans alike. Our days at the Deer Park campus were spent meditating… Read More
Final days in Calcutta/Kolkotta: some saw the museum (charging 150 rupes for foreigners and 15 for locals), some visited Kali temple or Victoria memorial, and some stayed in bed with rumbling tummies and/or fever, regrettably missing out on some of the excitement of the city.
On our “day off” from the Mother home, we scheduled a boat tour at the Sunderban tiger reserve (home to the largest mangrove forest IN… Read More
Hello again! I just want to say right off for everyone back at home that we as a group are high and dry, and completely safe here in northern Thailand. As you may have already heard on the news, parts of Thailand are experiencing some of the worst flooding its seen in decades. Since July, Thailand has been enduring a series of tropical storms. Due to the unusually long and… Read More
Good news: We all made it through the trek alive! Even the crew members of the metaphorical ¨sinking row boat¨ (Mariya, Abbie, Callie…)
On the first day we walked from dawn till dusk, and beyond. Night-hiking through foggy jungles with our headlamps was fun, however crossing over a raging river via two ¨bridges¨ consisting of a few unsteady logs was not. To depict how confident of the bridges we were:… Read More
Hello again from the Carpe Diem crew! It’s hard to believe that we’re already back in Chiang Mai, after our five day long stay at Sam Fan orphanage in Samoeng. The 2 and a 1/2 hour ride north to the orphanage was a long and windy one, but well worth the car sickness. We quickly settled in after the fist day, helping the kids out with many of their daily… Read More
Ozzy and Mike giving a quick update. Well, our time on the farm has come to a close. Over the course of the week we continuted doing odd jobs, such as building fences, more hole digging, and of course feeding and moving calves. Everybody loved the farm expereince, and we will take away so much knowledge. We appreciate the White family for hosting us for this wonderful week. While we… Read More
The last few days have mainly been R&R time outside of Arusha on the Usa River. We have been staying with Mze Pete and Mama Charlotte Oneal, both former members of the black panther party. They have taken us into their UAACC (United American Alliance Community Center) that they established in the 90’s to better the community through education. While here, we were able to watch movies, participate in Yoga,… Read More
Mambo! After our stay at the Maasai village we headed off for a three day safari. We began at Lake Manyara Park for our first taste of African wildlife. Here we saw zebras, elephants and giraffes. The next day after a treacherous three hour drive we reached the Serengeti. In the morning we saw the first human footprints at the Serengeti museum. In the afternoon, during the safari, we saw… Read More
Hello parents, family, friends, and anyone reading this!
The next part of our adventure was a wonderfully cramped train ride to Bodhgaya. We had ten seats reserved for ten people…and all of our bags. We ended up getting six seats for all of us and our things, but only after a dispute with other people about who was supposed to be where. Thank goodness the train ride was only a… Read More
