We have spent our last few days at Sheoak Ridge. This is a beautiful reserve owned by a couple named Marcus and Claire. Both are biologists and spend their time working various jobs, gardening, rehabilitating wallabies, and taking care of their large property in the Daintree Rainforest. This Property has many kinds of ecosystems. It is a lot of work to keep this land in shape. So they put us to… Read More
Last week, we got to experience life from a Buddhist perspective. Our group stayed at Chenrezig Institute, a center for Buddhist learning. We were hosted by a wonderful nun who oozed kindness and happiness at all times. Her name that she was given when she got ordained was Venerable Tsultrim, which means ethical rule. She aspired to live up to her name – and from the little that we saw of… Read More
Blog from Isabel S. Photos from Isabel, Peter, and Bria It is almost 9:00am as I climb the steps to the dining hall. Still a little groggy after three hours of early-morning meditation and yoga, I feel a nudge a little too forceful and hear in an excited Alec whisper, “Happy Thanksgiving”. My face slightly brightens as I realize what day it is back home in America. I think about… Read More
Once upon a time, 9 students and 2 educators went to India. They did many fun and exciting new things, but eventually they ended up in the cool little town of McLeod Ganj.
McLeod Ganj is home to a large population of Tibetian refugees, and the mixture of Indian and Tibetian culture is prominent and interesting. On nearly every street, there are stands selling scarfs, jewelry, momos, or sweets.
Unfortunately,… Read More
These tidings come to you from ya boy Peej, ya girl Ellie (aka Estelle aka Ellsworth), and ya homegirl and a half Cate the Great 8.
‘Twas the week before Thanksgiving, and all through the group, not creature was stirring, because 80% were dying from various stomach ailments. But no matter, we were off to Semuc Champey to begin our week of student-directed travel, harrah!
The groups prudent, fearless, and… Read More
blog and photos from Kyla M Taking a turn from cultural constipation, our group members were plummeting (literally!) Thanks to my bad luck, I got the worst of an amoeba invasion (a bacterial infection caused by consuming dirty water). It has definitely been a nerve racking experience having to go to the hospital in a foreign country, but it has taught me how to be brave and to always look… Read More
by Miki Lazowski
Hello blog readers!
Last Sunday morning, we finished packing our bags and had our last meals with our families in Ollantaytambo: a final breakfast. Goodbyes and see you laters were exchanged and everyone met in the square. A few people left their big bags at Awamaki and packed in their day packs while others took their heavy big bags. At 9:00 AM, we loaded into a bus… Read More
By Eli Karsh-Lombardo
With heavy bellies and full hearts we left the 26-acre permaculture farm that we had called home for the last nine days. We said adios to the giant caldrons of gallo pinto, friendly Bona Fide staff, and stunning volcano views as we began our crazy travel day extravaganza. The day started at 4:20 A.M. with 14 heavy backpacks slowly moving their way down the muddy and dark… Read More
Before I begin, I need to point out that some very important pieces of our Shanti family were missing during this adventure. Our long legged mountain man, Jake, was too sick to trek and our beloved Peter stayed back with him. On day 3, Isadora wasn;t well enough to carry on and went back to the resort. We missed you sitting around the campfires with us, girl 🙁 We were… Read More
Blog from Atticus Flannigan-Burt. Photos from Cari Our time at Dharmalaya was a good one. All the staff, architecture students, and workers were kind, patient and knowledgeable. We learned a lot across a myriad of subjects – from brick-making to vegan cooking and meditation.
Meditation was an important part of our time at Dharmalaya. We spent thirty minutes meditating every morning and on some days another half hour before bed.… Read More
By Jillian and Tori
The day began with the microbus ride straight out of a circus. 16 of us crammed into a bus for 14 for 3 excruciating hours followed by a short boat ride through mountains and volcanoes of lake Atitlan to arrive at the mystical yoga farm. As soon as we stepped off the boat, it became apparent that we were not in Kansas anymore. We were greeted… Read More
Hola!
This week we arrived in the beautiful, historic town of Ollantaytambo. After a few days of mental and physical relaxation provided to us in the form of the yoga retreat, it was time for a week of learning. On Sunday around 4 we arrived in the center of town to meet our host families. Upon arrival, the group took a moment to look around at the scenery beyond the… Read More
by Kate Cone
After a bittersweet goodbye to the all you can eat pancakes at Hostel Oasis and all of Granada’s luxuries like real flush toilets, smoothies at The Garden Cafe, reliable electricity and free internet, we strapped all 14 packs to the van, ready to face a week getting in touch with nature and all it had to offer on the island of Ometepe.
With all of our Spanish… Read More
By Hadley Hobbs We never thought we’d actually get this far in the trip but here we are…finished with our trek! After finishing up at SNEC we transferred to Lake Bunyonyi to spend one night at Edirisa’s Lodge before heading out. It was pouring down rain and the road was too muddy to drive so we ended up taking a very wet boat ride across the lake. LD’s yellow umbrella… Read More
By Siena and EmilySquatty When we first saw it we held our poop for days,
But then we became accustomed to its natural ways.
There’s no toilet paper so we drip dry when we piss,
It’s really upsetting if we poop and we miss.
We’re no longer scared when we see just a hole,
But we are always excited when we see a bowl. Fran’s Traveling Hair Salon,… Read More
By Nico and Oliver For those of you who emailed headquarters, yes we are still alive!
After a challenging two weeks in Fiji, we arrived in the beautiful city of Newcastle. The change in pace was dramatic but offered the opportunity to recover from illness. Much needed. Our evenings were spent eating familiar foods, watching movies, and relaxing. Many of us admired Australia’s strikingly beautiful landscapes and were excited to… Read More
By Sea Arriving at the Golden Temple in Amritsar immediately felt different from the rest of India.
A few of the main focuses of the Sikh religion are equality among all humans, generosity, selfless service, cleanliness, facial hair, devotion, and connection to God. This was immediately apparent with the marble tiles that made up the streets surrounding the temple and the lack of garbage littering them. The people were all… Read More
By Matt Harmon Hola a mi Carpe Diem Familia!
We started this week with WAVES (Water, Adventure, Voluntourism, Education & Sustainability) in Lobitos, and ended in Cusco with Eco Yoga Inbound. Our final two days with WAVES was full of magic and lifelong memories.
On Monday, we woke up at 6:00 am to go out fishing with locals. This wasn’t just any ordinary fishing, we were one with the line,… Read More
By Naomi Garcia Monday morning in Junín. High energy breakfast. Why? Biscuits, jam, AND cream cheese! A simple sounding breakfast for us back in the States but such a delicacy for us here (some even snagged jam-filled bread rolls in their pockets for later… Shhhh). After fueling up our bodies, we went on a five-ish hour hike through the cloud forest. Surprisingly, the clouds were so dense, we got to… Read More
By Eliza Patterson For about the past week, we have been exploring the cities of Siem Reap and Phnom Penh in Cambodia. These two cities have offered us two very different, but interesting, experiences.
Siem Reap is a city built for tourists. There were three different night markets within walking distance from our hostel and at least two fried ice cream roll stands on every corner. Chocolate croissants and even… Read More
