Rustic Pathways Reviews

After the painful 36 hours of flying to the other side of the world, I finally landed in the exotic lands of Southeast Asia. With swollen ankles and tired eyes, the Rustic Pathways groups split apart and were welcomed to Phnom Penh by the ironically named Mr. Thai and a young, shy Khmer man named Sokheng.

After resting for the night in a hotel that exceeded my expectations, the group embarked on the first day of the trip to Rabbit Island. A 3 or so hour drive to the coast, followed by a 20 minute boat ride brought us to the quiet, secluded bungalows and beaches of Rabbit Island. The rooms consisted of a mattress and a mosquito net, and the quietness of the whole scene made for a peaceful break from the developed world.

The couple days following we strolled through the French influenced town of Kampot. Massages from the blind and testing of traditional Khmer foods ensued. Just on the outskirts of town is Cambodia's tallest mountain, Bokor Mountain. We rode in open bed trucks to see the developing resort site, but further along the road was a trip into Cambodia's colonial history with a dilapidated French casino and church.

We returned to Phnom Penh after Kampot and this is where we delved into the dark recent history of Cambodia. We visited the S-21 Genocide Museum and The Killing Fields. We saw second hand the terror of the Khmer Rouge. Although the sites were depressing, seeing the rising skyline of Phnom Penh indicates a bright future for the nation in one of the world's fastest growing regions of the world.

The longest drive of the trip brought the group to Mondulkiri -- a remote town in the mountains of Cambodia. However, along the way our group got a taste of the infamous fried tarantulas -- taste a bit like terriyaki beef jerky, so I recommend taking a sample! In Mondulkiri we rode elephants through the trails viewing the less crowded side of Cambodia, and we enjoyed the tranquility of a riverside lunch and a show of elephants cleaning themselves.
A few days later we made our way to Kratie to see the dwindling population of river dolphins. While there were some hectic scenes of bumper boats, we still witnessed these endangered creatures in their homes in the Mekong.

The next stay of the trip was the most meaningful, we built the foundation of a library for an orphanage in Kampong Cham. We worked and played games with the orphans, and they even showed us their English skills by reading children's books. The orphanage is still developing, and Rustic Pathways has really started something special there!

The grand finale of our trip was in Siem Reap. Here we walked into the ancient temples of the Khmer Empire. While Angkor Wat is the most famous, the surrounding temples are just as awe-inspiring and made a fantastic last visit for the trip. After the temples, Mr. Thai took us on a surprise trip to a waterfall in the mountains surrounding Siem Reap. There were few tourists in the area and the beautiful falls also made a nice swimming hole underneath.
All in all, Cambodia: Off the Map helped make summer 2011 easily the best summer of my life. While the sites and food are fun aspects of the country, the wonderful, kind people make it a truly special place that anyone should try to visit!

I don't even know where to begin. I have loved the Rustic trips I've been on, they've all been different, but all great in their own ways (Costa Rica, Australia, Fiji, India). The people in Fiji are great--I became friends with a lot of the Fijian staff. The country itself is also breathtaking--literally. It's exquisite.
We were split up into groups and each day did volunteer (my group mostly worked in schools), and the weekend consisted of one day going to Koropita and the other day an optional trip where you get to pick between things like skydiving, going to the beach, island hopping, and much more. This was in 2008, so I know things have changed, but I'm certain only for the better.
I still keep in contact with some of the friends I met there and see them occasionally (living all over the country makes that a little difficult though).
Truly life-changing experience, truly unforgettable, and is definitely something different from the every day hustle and bustle of life in your town.

Who doesn't want the bragging rights of being a "Certified Elephant Trainer"?

Day to day life included waking up at 6am and trekking out into the jungle to grab your designated elephant and give him or her a morning bath in the nearby lake. As you scrub the caked on mud off of them, they squirt water all over you with their trunks and you can almost hear them giggling along with you. You and your mahout (elephant trainer) spend the rest of the day gathering food, cleaning, practicing thai commands, getting on and off the giant creatures, and building trust between you and your new best friend- your elephant. The mahouts are very very friendly and love to practice their english with you as well as help you with your thai! Each and every time we interacted, we were all sent into a fit of laughter, I miss each and everyone of them. They teach you how to make bamboo coffee mugs, harnesses for you elephant, and even how to make some traditional foods!

The atmosphere of the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre is unlike any other place in the world. I loved it so much, I went back twice! And now because of my weeks in the jungles of thailand I have realized my passion for elephants and plan on working with them for the rest of my life. A piece of me was left here- go leave a piece of yourself alongside mine.

I did the Volcanoes and Rain Forest program in Costa Rica - it was incredible.

The bus ride to the base house is a little rough, but only takes about 3 hours. The base house is beautiful - fresh water pools, soccer fields, ponds, and tons of rain forest.

For the most part, this is a community service program. I worked mostly with a school down the street helping to build a new classroom. The kids were adorable and always wanted to play soccer.

On the weekend, we went Zip Lining, rafting, and even had a big dance party at the house. Going into town was awesome, I only wish we could have spent more time there. Oh...and hot springs!

The staff were great. They didn't get in our ways, but were always around.

It was hard to say goodbye

I couldn't figure out how I ended up running through the streets of Dharamsala, drenched, during a heavy rainstorm, or spending quiet mornings meditating in Tashi Jong, but I knew I never wanted to leave. This program took me to McLeod Ganj, a center of political and social energy for Tibetan refugees, Buddhist monks, and Western travelers alike, as well as to Tashi Jong, a removed village in the shadows of the Himalayan foothills where shared meals, morning meditations, and vibrant locals make the fabric of the thriving community.

City life was starkly different from country life, and each offered its own plentiful benefits. The air in McLeod buzzed with a tangible sense of social commitment as my fellow attendees and I worked alongside Tibetan refugees, teaching English and working on physical labor projects for urban renewal purposes. An average day in McLeod Ganj promised breakfast cooked by my welcoming Tibetan home stay mother, a morning of labor projects (including painting a meditation room in a home for the elderly, picking up garbage, and planting trees), followed by lunch at one of McLeod's many local, affordable restaurants, and an afternoon spent in meetings with high lamas, important Tibetan activists, and influential community members. Rustic Pathways also allowed for plenty of free time, during which we explored the city, shopped at the market stalls along the two main roads, or ventured to temple to watch monks debating philosophy before dinner.

Tashi Jong provided a more relaxed, rural environment where the temperature, along with the intensity of our labor projects, increased. My group spent the mornings breaking ground on an ecological park space by the village's river, which involved leveling hills, weeding, moving large rocks, mixing cement, and picking up garbage. Lunch was always a highlight; the village women cooked a community meal for us every day that we enjoyed with all the members of Tashi Jong. In the afternoons, we took a short hike to a local monastery where young Buddhist monks attempted to learn English from our clumsy (but sincere) attempts at teaching. Evenings held pick up soccer games, hikes through the countryside, and impromptu English lessons with the locals.

The linchpin of this program was perhaps the home stay aspect. To be dropped in the middle of a family whose members spoke only limited English was a true growing experience; finding ways to surmount language barriers led to the realization that kindness is a universal property, and in both McLeod and Tashi, the generosity of my host families moved me to tears on multiple occasions. I felt like a traveler, not a tourist, when my "mother" draped a silky "khata" around my neck upon my departure, and I sometimes find myself still craving a hearty Tibetan meal of bread, soup, and the ubiquitous chai.

A note on food: Northern India is a vegetarian's paradise. While I personally eat meat,the staple dishes of dal, rice, bread, and steamed vegetables never left me wanting more. Local delicacies are not fancy, but they are filling, delicious, and provide the necessary sustenance for a day spent working in the sun. Enjoy what the families have to offer and supplement your diet with plentiful local options (in McLeod) or light Western fare by way of convenience store (in Tashi).

As a company, Rustic Pathways left little to be desired. Both the American staff and the international staff were phenomenal; they worked ceaselessly to abate the inevitable culture shock we felt on our first couple of days in India. Our leaders were knowledgable, engaging, and filled the roles of friend, parent and teacher simultaneously and seamlessly. Their careful organization kept complications to a minimum and ensured that we remained safe, healthy, and effective travelers throughout the entire trip.

I left India in July, and not a day has passed when the residual feelings attached to my experience have not surfaced. My work, teaching English and building communal spaces, endowed me with a lasting sense of accomplishment that surpassed other service projects in which I have participated; seeing a tangible product that stemmed directly from my efforts felt richly rewarding. In return, I enjoyed experiences unknowable to the average tourist. From circumambulating at the temple during the Dalai Lama's birthday celebration to riding down winding streets on top of a public bus and cycling through sun salutations on a rooftop dwarfed by the soaring Himalayas, my time in India afforded me innumerable opportunities that enriched me both as a student and as a global citizen. I never thought it was possible to be homesick for a place I only visited, but the attachments formed quickly and reached deeply, entwining themselves inexorably with my personal narrative.

Namaste.

We we working hands-on and together with the staff of the program,which included locals, each-other, and the people of the community. The work was interactive and rewarding, as well as fun. It was clear that we were really making differences for individuals as well as the whole of the community. I defiantly felt immersed in another culture and gained many new understandings of other ways of life then the one I am accustomed to.

I went to Cambodia, on an Orphanage trip during the summer of 2010, and I loved very second of it. Rustic was a wonderful program and offered a lot of financial aid which made my trip possible. They made it really simple to connect separate programs and go from one country to another. Travelling was a little mind numbing, but that is the only negative experience I had during my entire trip. As a young teen traveling by myself, I was nervous before I left, but I always felt safe and looked after while abroad. We stayed in a hotel, which offered a cool space to sleep with a television and a much welcomed clean shower. Internet was only a 5 minutes walk down the road and we always travelled with supervision. We worked at the orphanage each morning until mid afternoon; it was hard work but always well appreciated. During my trip, we built a stage of tile, so that the children could put on recitals to raise money for the orphanage; rebuilt roads that had sunk and flooded, worked in the rice paddies and also spent a lot of time bonding with the children there. We were also given the opportunity to visit some popular tourists sites and learn a lot about the Cambodian culture. It's a truly wonderful experience that I would recommend to anyone.

This was my first experience with Rustic and while my parents were skeptical at first they couldn't refuse after they browsed the detailed an comprehensive website and talked to the staff, all of which are enthusiastic and helpful. All of the pre-trip details were taken care of and a a first time international traveler, it made me very reassured and comfortable. Their airport staff members were amazing and made everything go smoothly, it was also a great time to start making friends. Once in Costa Rica all of the participants from all the programs went to a hostel for the first night and then we departed for our different programs the next morning. A typical day on Turtles involved waking up for breakfast and then a few hours of morning service. Afterwards was time for relaxing, swimming or showering before lunch. Meals were a mix of American and Costa Rican and were delicious even though I am a very picky eater. After lunch was more service which involved building a hatchery or a beach clean up. For the rest of the day we hung out and played games. Turtle walks occurred at night anthers were usually two groups. Everyone got to see a turtle laying eggs. And we each were involved in transporting eggs tithe hatchery. On the weekend we went into town and to the beach for zip lining and surfing. Overall, the trip was amazing with the best staff ever. They also make return trips possible with the Star Alumni discount.

I did this program going into my senior year of high school and it sparked all my interests and passions that I have today. Not only was the staff incredible, the itinerary perfect, the group incredible, and the locals hospitable, but the memories and friendships I made are everlasting. Rustic Pathways is an amazing program that did an amazing job. I had so much fun and loved traveling around Costa Rica and learning about its culture. Traveling Soccer and Service was a great mix between soccer, service, leisure, adventures and homestays. This was the beginning to my long adventure of traveling and culture exploring. It was unforgettable.

I am a very outgoing, personable and charismatic individual who loves being immersed in new and exciting cultures, and so embarking on a month-long trip to Lampang, Thailand to work directly with elephants was right up my alley! Landing in Bangkok after about 20+ hours in the air, and ready to board another plane for another unnecessary amount of hours up North to Lampang, I was immediately greeted with "Sawat dee, and welcome to Thailand" by the Thai staff leading my community service trip (The Thai Elephant Conservation Project). I was relieved at the sound of those words, and started to immerse myself in my new surroundings: the intoxicating smell of pad Thai and cashew chicken, the alluring sights of the natives and buildings, the familiar sounds of old Michael Jackson songs and plethora of 90’s music, and the overall sense that I was in an unquestionably beautiful and foreign country fully engrossed me. In every direction there was the perfect postcard and a smiling Thai: it was full of arrays of songbirds, stray cats and the occasional elephant, monks of various ages in their fluorescent orange robes roaming the streets, nestles of intertwining rivers and endless streets of temples. I wished that I could live there! The “Sensual City” and “Land of Smiles” far surpassed its reputations.

Throughout the extent of the trip, the weather fluctuated between beautiful and bright, sunny days to muggy and miserable days, and finally to days that were sweltering and difficult to bear. In Thailand, I would sweat my body weight on a daily basis. As the evenings progressed, the temperature became cooler, but the air was constantly fogged with mosquitoes. Spraying OFF! insect repellent and lighting citronella candles proved futile: I came home with countless bug bites from my legs down. (Note to self and to future travelers to Thailand: Bring bug spray.)

Though I began most days waking up to nice and sunny, yet humid, ninety-five degree weather, the most memorable was only a few days into our journey. It was the first day completely full of exploring and the first day I felt completely independent from everything. After our lavish brunch, costing about seventy baht per person (a mere two dollars), and with my adrenaline rush still in effect, we encountered a radiant, natural waterfall in the heart of the northern Thai jungle. The sun brightly shined through the clumps of trees, illuminating the water, which looked incandescent, as if it was untouched and preserved for hundreds of years. Meeting atop the waterfall with the rest of my friends, we stood by the edge and enjoyed unbelievable views of the entire base, as well as miles upon miles of tree branches encircling the area. The pulsating sounds of the water against the rocks along the base of the falls mixed with frog calls, cricket chirps, and sporadic song bird tweets were serene and the only sounds in the distance. I had no intention of leaving.

Later that night, the staff arranged “interesting” transportation for us to a night bazaar, the epitome of Thai nightlife—elephants. Standing eleven feet tall and weighing over four tons of solid muscle, See dor Satit (“Demonstration”), as my elephant was called, reigned supreme. Embarking on this trek from the middle of the jungle and on elephant, highly respected and sacred in Thai culture, was absolutely exhilarating. Traveling with a group of mahouts (elephant caretakers), I observed firsthand the intense and almost spiritual relationship exhibited between them. To me, it felt as if they were one person: they knew each other’s thoughts almost. It was entrancing. And they were extremely friendly and more than willing to teach us their very respected craft. After one month of living and working with my mahout, Sak, I am happy to call him my friend.

What made that particular night memorable was that it started to torrentially rain while I was on my elephant: no surprise to me as it was the rainy season. (I learned before this trip that Thailand experiences only two seasons: the dry season and the rainy season. I travelled during July, which is part of the rainy season so I was relieved to have packed a sturdy umbrella). Like at the top of the waterfall, I felt as if I was the king of the world while I was riding my elephant. I experienced this exact feeling every time I rode See dor Satit at the elephant conservatory I volunteered at for one month.

At the conservatory, I began each day waking up a 6AM, cutting down an entire branch of sugar cane along with a small batch of bananas and walking with Sak (also my mentor) about a mile from my hut, which I shared with one other person, to where my elephant was relaxing in the forest. I took care of this elephant with two other people, and the first task to complete each day with See dor Satit was to ride him down to the local lake,and to bathe him. We practiced the Thai commands our mahout had taught us, and it resulted in See dor Satit standing on his two back legs and knocking us all off his back into the warm water where we later encountered some “gifts” he and the other elephants had left us. We did our best to wash the parts of his back and head that he didn’t submerge into the water, and by the time we had finished, it was almost impossible to hoist ourselves back onto his back to exit the lake and return to our campsite.

Our next order of business was to feed them again, and clean up the feces they produced shortly after, which required that we use a large shovel and a wheelbarrow to carry it off! Then we trained with our elephant, which entailed each of us mounting our elephant in a kind of leapfrog approach, and then going to an obstacle course. After each of us completed the course, we took a 3-hour break to visit the infirmary and nursery on the premises. There we helped clean the buildings, we played with the younger elephants (under 1 years old) and then we met with the veterinarians on duty who elaborated on the injuries which some of their patients had experienced recently. We learned about an older, wild elephant, which was brought to the conservatory after receiving numerous bullet wounds to its legs. She was recovering by the time we met her. After this, we made a quick stop to another section of the conservatory where we helped produce elephant dung paper products! My friends and parents were not surprised when I brought sample products and souvenirs back home with me. After this outing, which we perform most days, we returned to the campsite to ride our elephants back to their respected places in the jungle and made the return trek back to our huts on foot. Performing this routine daily for 1 month seemed like it could be hard to maintain, but I loved every minute of it! It was even enjoyable when the weather was torrential downpours. In fact, riding our elephants in that weather was exhilarating!

Thailand is absolutely breathtaking—everywhere I looked there was such vivacity: the hustle and bustle of the armada of swerving motorcycles that took place in the streets, the liveliness of the street vendors and passersby, and the warped symphonies of music and conversation. The "Land of Smiles" seemed like a completely different world; I found every building, ancient ruin, and person there to be uniquely alluring.

I feel that this experience has made me a more worldly, erudite, and responsible person. I crossed many borders and survived without things at home that I took for granted, from toilet access to a bed not made of rock and television to those I left behind: my parents, my brother, and my three cats. I lived an extremely rustic lifestyle for thirty days, living in remote villages just as some of the natives do: waking up each day with a purpose and working in order to provide myself with both necessities and luxuries. This was the greatest, most rewarding, and most memorable experience of my life and, despite the awful jetlag, I am forever grateful for Rustic Pathways offering this trip.