Yesterday we reached a milestone on this journey: we can now count the days we have left on our fingers. A whole lot has happened since my last post in Puno. We went from Puno to Cusco for a quick break before departing to the Sacred Valley for a week long yoga retreat. Each day consisted of 4 hours of physical yoga practice and two yoga lifestyle workshops covering topics… Read More
Hello everyone!
This week is our student directed travel week! The whole group decided to go to San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua. Which is known as a party city in Nica. Around San Juan there are beautiful beaches like Playa Hermosa. A really nice beach with perfect surf waves for beginners and advanced surfers. The surfing was really awesome but hard. The waves looked pretty big but not strong… Read More
The two bus rides were fun, however the real fun began the next day with a trip to the Amboni Caves. There were many cool things inside the caves including a chamber where a man hid during the Maji Maji rebellion. There was also a statue of Mary, a map of Africa and a natural mosque all made out of stone. The next day we went traditional fishing with local… Read More
We are proud to announce that the Carpe Crew is officially on island time! After 3 months packed with volunteering, travel, and fun, we’re all excited to be getting some beach time in Vietnam’s beautiful “Phu Quoc Island”.
Saying goodbye to Cambodia was definitely hard; over the past few weeks we fell in love with its rich culture, friendly locals, and beautiful scenery, and were lucky to wrap up our… Read More
Considering the amount of time left in the trip, it is natural to begin the whole “reflect on your experience” mindset. So here’s one of my reflection branches on my big-trunked tree of an experience. About a year ago I made the decision to spend my fall of 2015 with Carpe Diem, traveling, seeing the world, and all that jazz; which was quite a monumental decision for a young girl… Read More
Mambo warafiki na familia! What an amazing three months I have spent here in Mama Africa. I have had both an intense and a beautiful internal and external journey. While I have not yet been able to fully process and reflect on the lessons I have learned here, I can say that there have been immeasurable changes, both tangible and nontangible, that I have experienced in myself. I truly would… Read More
Please be warned, my inner poet is not all I have dreamed for it to be, but I really want to put out good vibes to all of the people who have helped me get where I am today. This includes people who are both pre-Carpe in the U.S. and all of the wonderful souls who I have met along the way. I want to thank everyone from all of… Read More
Thank you to all my family members who have done so much to put me where I am today. I couldn’t have done it without all the love and support you guys have given me in the months leading up to his amazing journey. I wish I could be home to celebrate the holidays and give thanks for everything you all have done for me over the years. Although we’re… Read More
First off I would like to thank my parents John and Susan as well as my sister Marge, for helping to shape the person I have become today, I’d also like to thank my grandparents Idea, Joe, Jim and Eileen for teaching me all the things a grandparent must teach a grandchild, also I’d like to thank all my Aunts, Uncles and Cousins, for everything they have done for me… Read More
From Eliza:
Mambo! Eliza Jones here reporting live from Bagamoyo, Tanzania. There are so many people that I have to thank that got me here today, my main influence has definitely been my family. Thank you so much for making me the lady i am today and supporting my expensive decision to take this year off. Also supporting every decision i have ever made really, i owe everything to yall… Read More
Dear Family and Friends,
I had a wonderful time in East Africa. I have met amazing wonder people on this trip. Everybody who I met on this trip has touched my heart in so many ways.
I want to give a big shout to my mom for making this trip possible for me to go! Your support has been amazing while I have been gone! Thank you for being on… Read More
Greetings from beautiful San Juan Del Sur! After two weeks of roughing it on the permaculture farm, Maya 2015 enjoyed five full days of group activities and beach days–and the luxury of not feeling the heat of 1,000 stewing poops warming our bums everytime we used the bathroom! Permaculture is fascinating, but I think we’ve all had enough hands-on experience with compost toilets! Anyway, on day one with Woo, we… Read More
A little over a week ago we left behind all of the luxurious and touristy comforts of Cusco and took an overnight cama cama bus loaded with la-z-boy recliners, movies, AC, questionable airplane food, and even our own flight attendant. It was quite the experience, but short lived and the pampering was over when we woke up in the sticky heat the Amazonian river town Puerto Maldonado. The town is… Read More
Mcleod Ganj is a suburban town in the northern section of Dharmsala, laying on the ever rising hills with miniature, breakneck curving roads that redefine traffic laws and pedestrian awareness. Mcleod Ganj has been an area of refuge for the Tibetan people living in exile and fear caused by the Chinese Government. After resting our bones for a couple days in a local guest house, our contact introduced our group… Read More
This week our family got seperated in half an we each went to different areas to do conservation volunteer work with the CVA (Conservation Volunteers of Australia). I think we were all in agreement that it was weird not being together with a huge group of 12 all the time. Just from the excitement and smiles and hugs when we finally reunited, it was clear how much we missed each… Read More
After our four hard days of work at the conservation project the fam reunited to spend 3 amazing days in beautiful Noosa. It felt so good to be back with the rest of the group. Time has been flying by and we cant believe theres only 2 weeks left. After being seperated from half the group for four days we all realized how much we are going to miss eachother… Read More
This week started off heavy when we visited S-21 and the Killing Fields in Phnom Penh. For those of you who don’t know, S-21 stands for Security Office 21 which was originally a high school but was turned into a prison during the ruling of Pol Pot and the genocide (1975-1979). The number 21 stands for the 21st prison out of 167 prisons that existed during the genocide. At the… Read More
Swag (adj): The new generations alternative word for cool. Anyone who thought they carried themselves in a cool or sexy way.
Swag (n): Canvas bedroll to protect oneself and belongings when camping in the outback. combination between a sleeping bag and tent.
Swags were swag, the outback was swag, we are swag.
We spent our nights sleeping under the brilliant southern hemisphere constellations and spending most nights trying to figure… Read More
There is no way to describe the feeling of travelling besides ecstasy. Driving through a new city on a rickshaw, dodging through crowded streets filled with cars, motorbikes, free-roaming dogs and holy cows. Sitting on an Indian hotel roof, looking at a different side of the same moon that you know so well.
The feeling of euphoria I get when I am experiencing something totally new, something completely out of… Read More
Susaday (Hello) families! For only being in Cambodia for a week we’ve already had a lot of new, eye-opening experiences. Our week started out in Battambang, volunteering at the Ptea Teuk Dong organization and then ended in Siem Reap, exploring ancient ruins.
We volunteered at an organization called Ptea Teuk Dong'(PTD) which in Khmer means ‘House of Coconut Water’. This is a non-profit organization that previously worked with sexually trafficked… Read More
