Save the Baby Turtles

This is Lillie and Rebecca signing in after a week in Playa Hermosa with the adorable tortugitas. When we arrived at Punta Judas, finding enough beds for everyone was our first challenge, but after the initial confusion we all found a place to rest our heads and enjoyed a delicious meal.  The first day of work found the group in an all too familiar situation of moving dirt as we cleared the invasive grasses that surrounded the turtle hatchery. Afterwards, we spent our afternoon blissfully relaxing in the waves or in the hammocks overlooking the beach. That night we went on our very first turtle patrol. We were excited to discover three mama Olive Riddley turtles and 5 nests. Each nest held nearly 100 golf ball sized eggs all stacked on top of each other.  In this way we spent our days working on digging a new hatchery and our nights releasing baby turtles into the ocean.

Adam and Allison introduced a new aspect of our stay with a game of Assasins. Each player received a mark and a method of killing. For example, Lillie made the first kill of the night when she asked Winnie to borrow her shoes hardly 10 minutes after the game was announced. Katrina was the clear MVP, tricking Jasmine into singing a song, Mary into performing her dancing skills, Shayna into making loud animal noises, and Rebecca into playing leapfrog.  As of now, it seems as if the game has ended in a stalemate between Katrina and Bridget.

Some of our readers may have been wondering how a Carpe Diem group celebrates the holidays. Well, Adam and Allison surprised us all with a lovely Thanksgiving dinner in town at a Carribean/Local restaurant. We enjoyed fish, coconut rice and beans, salad, and two delicious desserts of a brownie sundae and a banana split. During our meal we expressed three things that we were thankful for, and both laughter and tears were shared. After such an amazing meal we were further surprised by our token American friend who was kind enough to share her meal of stuffing, potatoes, and cranberry sauce. The rest of the night was spent relaxing before our first night of releasing baby turtles. It was truly a night to be thankful for.

For the next three days we are back in San Jose relaxing, catching up on journaling, and bonding. Afterwards, we leave for Roatan, Honduras the last stop on our epic journey. We hope that these last 10 days do not fly by too fast, but we are as always looking forward to seeing you all at home.

Signing out. Peace, Love and Happiness.
Lillie and Rebecca

Carpe Diem Presents Whitney and Will's Wonderful Words of Wisdom

Hi, Whitney and Will here. We're Wonderfully happy, and We made it to Costa Rica! But lets reWind the clock back to Granada.
Granada Was an aWesome, but very touristy, city. We Went ziplining Which Was Wicked fun. Whoever Wanted could go upside down, and superman style Which Was Wonderful! We also recieved free coffee Which We doWned because it Was Wonderfully delicious.

We also Went to Masaya, an artisans market Where We bought the rest of our gifts. We Were dropped off at the Wrong market-Where We could buy meat, shoes, or various vegetables. After trying to relocate everyone, We made the group decision to go to the authentic market doWn the road.
The next day We took a day trip to Lago de Apoyo-it Was Wonderful. We spent the day sWimming and kayaking in the Warm, clear Water of the crater lake. It Was a Wonderful day in the sun, highly enjoyed by all.
We also celebrated our tWo month anniversary (!!!!!!! WoW) Which was a simply Wonderful dinner at a Canadian-Mexican restaurant in the heart of Granada. Allison and Adam prepared us Wonderfully heart Warming appreciation cards that We then presented to each other. Each card had three adjectives Written on them, and We added one more of our oWn. It Was Wonderful. Everyone Was Wailing by the end. Wahhh.
While Granada was truly Wonderful, Ometepe Was Wonderous. It is an island formed by tWo volcanoes in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, With a boisterous ecosystem and a Wonderful climate. We Were able to choose our oWn activities, some choosing to lounge around and relax, and others (the self proclaimed Dream Team) climbed Volcan Maderas in the pouring rain. What a Wacky adventure! We also rented bikes and enjoyed exploring the island from our home base in the city of Moyogalpa. Some of the group members also enjoyed a Wonderful sunset boat ride on the lake, very romantic. Our other excursion Was to "Ojo de Agua," (Eye of the Water) a crystal clear pool of cold, fresh Water. It Was aWesome!
This morning We left bright and early on the Lancha (small ferry) back to the main land. We drove to the border of Costa Rica in the most Wonderful bus yet, and then hopped on a public bus to San Jose. But this was no ordinary public bus-IT WAS WONDERFUL. AC, reclining seats, curtains, a bathroom, and mucho mas. We loved it-didn't Want to get off.
We've arrived now at Hostel Galileo Which is a Wicked place to kick it. TomorroW We're off to Playa Hermosa to save some sea turtle babies- no big deal. It ain't no thang.

A few extra pictures from Nicaragua:

The clock is ticking and grupo maya is not wasting anytime. This radical group of motivated young adults have just made yet another transition. It is no secret that many of us left our hearts in san juan del sur either in the waves, the welcoming community, or parque maderas (a center for art, ecology, sustainability and natural medicine) itself. Its mary and hannah reporting here from our shnazy hostel oasis in granada. To say the least, our bus ride here was not exactly pleasant. Some would say we cheated death as we cruised down the highway dodging motorists and keeping our eyes peeled for the occasional loose backpack. Or, maybe we like to exaggerate a little. But sure enough, we´ve made it to this lovely city safe and sound. But let´s not get too ahead of ourselves, let´s talk Parque Maderas.
Not only did we experience our most organized, productive, and rewarding volunteer project, but we departed knowing more about ourselves and feeling inspired for the future. Tyler, the founder of Parque Maderas opened our eyes in more ways than one. He showed us that, in fact, dreams can become realities and that living a life practicing sustainability is possible. We were provided with three meals a day, each meal was a healthy balance of fresh locally grown food. A unanimous decision was made by the group that this was the most amazing food we´ve ever had.
Between catching waves and enjoying free time around the property, we worked with an organization called Comunidad Connect to construct composting toilets out of earth materials. The leader of the volunteer project, taught the group about natural building and carpentry.
 Now we´re free traveling and carpe-ing the diem more than ever, friends. There are plans to zipline as well as trips to markets, volcanoes, and lakes. We are all slightly apprehensive considering these last weeks on our journey, but are without a doubt soaking in the moment and loving every minute of it!

now a quick poem by hannah.

It has been years since I have seen the stars so bright.
Months since I have woken with the morning sunlight.
Too long since I have seen colors reflect off the Pacific Ocean.
Or even had the time to appreciate it´s constant calm motion.
It has been a long time since playing in the mud has sounded fun.
Or since i have spent a day splashing in the waves and soaking up the sun.
Never have i let the voice of nature speak louder then that of all else.
More then ever aware of more then just myself.
It has been a lifetime since I have realized how I want to live and be.
Finally the future now holds something for me, unwritten and free.

Dedicated to the staff and atmosphere at Parque Maderas.

Until next time...hannah and mary.

photos from Bridget's camera :)

Hola amigos! Greg and Bridget here with the word on the past week of our travels. We had our three day trek last weekend and celebrated Shayna's birthday on the second day with vegan chocolate cake that Bridget and Jasmine baked. The trek was AMAZING! We walked 24 miles total up and down mountains through rivers leaving blood sweat and tears behind.  We stayed in rural villages each night sleeping on the floor in each one, and we played Battle Hack with our tour guides and the locals.  Battle Hack is a violent game in which any number of players stand in a circle and juggle a hackey sack until three players have touched it and after the third person has touched it someone grabs it and throws it as hard as they can at the other players, if you get hit three times you stand against a wall and everyone else gets a turn throwing the sac at you :)... in ancient times they used a severed head instead of a hackey sack... so we considered ourselves lucky. Will received most of the throws.  This game was very popular with the locals.  On the second day of the trek we came across a raging river which we crossed with our 40 pound packs mind you on logs suspended about ten feet in the air.
 
We were all very proud of our work on the trek and also happy to arrive in San Marcos, the bellybutton of the universe.  We spent three days in Hotel La Paz which was surrounded by centers for yoga, meditation, several types of massage, and energy work sessions.   Greg attended a metaphysics and meditation class, a tarot card reading, received reiki, and also a sweedish massage. Bridget had a tarot card reading, and Egyptian massage, emotional chiropractic therapy, and had a session with a Dr./psychic/ physiologist/ numerologist/ teacher/ kabbalahist/ aura color reader... he was very helpful. We all enjoyed our time in San Marcos looking deeper into our internal paths. On our last night in San Marcos the group had dinner at Cafe Fe where we also listened to live music by a hippie group called Kun Kun Chaku.  Everyone was blown away by their talent, it made our last night in San Marcos a lot of fun.

We flew to Nicaragua on Friday and we are currently in San Juan Del Sur staying at an amazing hotel overlooking the pacific ocean.  Where all hanging out right now in the kitchen bar area after a long day of surfing. Were all very tired and some are pretty sunburned. We all radically shredded the gnar all day in the swell. Tubular.  Greg and Bridget both were naturals.  Were spending the rest of our time here surfing, hanging out on the beach, and volunteering at a local school building yet another bathroom and teaching English to the children. Were loving Nicaragua and chilling on the beach. till next time!