Hello and welcome to one of our final blogs as we enter the home stretch of this trip.
This week we came out of student directed travel through the wild city of Saigon and entered the most more relaxed tourist hotspot of Nha Trong. Surrounded by sandy beaches and full of shirtless Russians, Nha Trong reminds you more of a florida beach resort than a Vietnamese city. Here we got… Read More
Nestled on the southern coast of Cambodia lies the town of Kampot, a short walk through the town will find you more english text than Khmer script as foreign run bars and burger joints dominate the center of town. Stationed along the beautiful Kampot river that has provided the town with a steady supply of fish markets and seafood restaurants, it has also provided a living to the countless fisherman… Read More
Hello, everyone and all distinguished guest, it’s Martin Farias again, I well be the author of todays blog. We made it to Vietnam and are in the city of Can Tho; We crossed the border through a travel van from Cambodia to Vietnam. Everyone now happily resting. Furthermore, the most important activity we did throughout this week was our work at the Mangrove ecolodge. The Mangrove Ecolodge works to conserve… Read More
Hello blog readers, my name is Brenden and I will be the one writing the blog this week. Our last day at PTD involved watching a group of Khmer students test their English with a spelling bee. We then got recognized for our hard days of volunteer work by being awarded a certificate and then got to eat dinner with all the students. We have been traveling Cambodia majority of… Read More
This week was spent transitioning, we left from a peaceful yoga meditation retreat into the small city of Chaing mai Thailand for one day.we spent this day at a pool and for the first time during our stay in Thailand we experienced rain. That night we took an overnight bus to the capital city of Bangkok. The bus ride was long and entertaining due to the fellow travelers sitting near… Read More
What a mindful week we’ve had! We began with a warm welcome from Rompei and Peggy, our wonderful guides at Pun Pun Organic Farm. Rompei could teach you about virtually anything, from soap making to Thai massages to the uses of garlic and all the plants in Pun Pun’s garden to an intense organ massage Luke was able to experience! Each night, we would take on a job: We’d gather… Read More
Blog from Cooper After arriving at the Mirror Foundation and helping restore some of there rice fields, we got dropped of in the Lahu village. Right away we got greeted by friendly smiles and kids jumping on us already wanting to play football. Abooja, abooja saying hello in Lahu to the friendly people. We get into our home stay and get accustomed to our blankets for beds and the ground… Read More
Hello everyone. My name is Luke and I will be your guide this blog to the world of Thailand.
You may think that Thailand is a very homogeneous population and that everyone living under the Red, White and Blue flag considers themselves Thai. But alas as is the case with everywhere in the world, different populations will not consider themselves the same people.We started our three day trek through the… Read More
Hello everyone and all distinguish guest; I’m Martin Farias!. I will be the first author in writing our first blogs, as each week goes by, everyone will have a chance to write blogs. More than two weeks have gone by and our group, Martin (me), Brenden, Taylor (Malit), Cooper, Taylor (Nit noi) and, Luke have created a strong bond with each other as well our two important leaders. Also many… Read More
Who needs alarm clock when you have the Koel bird of Thailand. The 5:30 wake up to it’s screeching might take getting used to but it does allow you to enjoy a full day of Thailand. We enjoyed some free breakfast of Thai Omelet or Noodle soup, got some coffee, and prepared to make our first group agreements. Going around we discussed what each member of our community wanted to… Read More
After seven-teen hours of travel, our group of eight have made it to the magical country of Thailand. Its unbelievable to think after weeks of preparing mentally for this trip it has finally become a reality. After arriving in the city of Chiang Mai we find ourselves at our first hostel jet-lagged yet excited. We go over some of the basic rules and regulations of the trip and then go… Read More
I just heard from the OEs that the group has made it safe and sound to their hostel in Chiang Mai and are out to get their first official Thai breakfast. All is well and they are happy to have finally made it. Look for more updates in the next couple days!… Read More
The Southeast Asia group has found each other, all 8 of them are already getting to know each other, playing some shuttle cock (a vietnamese game) and about ready to head through security. Its going to be an amazing trip ahead and they are already vibing well!… Read More
Sawadee! (Hello!) Sabai Crew and all who will be following and supporting us on this journey!
Anya and Chris here, your OEs for Carpe Diem’s Spring Sabai Semester. We write from Portland, Oregon, where we are busy making all the final preparations for our trip to South East Asia. Can you believe in just two days we’ll all be gathering together for the first time at the airport in LA… Read More
Walking around Ho Chi Minh this morning felt quite different. Although we could still hear the incessant honking of horns, see the erratic van drivers and watch the millions of never yielding motorbikes, what we really noticed was how lonely it feels without all of you. Three months have come and gone in a flash, and as you all return to your lives back on the other side of the… Read More
We never thought this day would come. After all our crazy absurd adventures and experiences, we are actually down to our last few hours in Southeast Asia. Its hard to even grasp all that we have been through. From the amazing bonds with the many locals we’ve established, to the sights of Angkor Wat and everything in between, we have created lifelong lasting memories and friendships.
Our time in Vietnam… Read More
In Thailand we carried bulging heavy packs into the San Francisco airport, our day packs strapped across our chests and our hands dripping with sweat. We carried different backgrounds and unique stories to share, as well as the nervousness that clung to us as we arrived on the other side of the world with complete strangers. In Cambodia, we carried sweat stained shirts that never seemed to become clean, a… Read More
After spending the week scuba diving and relaxing on Phu Quoc, student directed travel has officially begun! As a group we’re responsible for booking accommodations, transportation, and day-to-day activities. It definetly hasn’t been easy for it to all come together but we’re so relieved that it has.
Yesterday we kicked off our newfound freedom by going to VinPearl Land, an amusement and water park on the northern part of the… Read More
The last week in Cambodia, before departing for Vietnam, we spent at a mangrove conservation project along the Kampot river. We stayed in a Muslim fishing village in thatched roof houses overlooking the water. We collected propagules, planted baby mangrove trees, and started the foundation to a walkway bridge over the water. We had a great time with SUP Asia stand up paddle boarding and kayaking along the river. We… Read More
