Viva la Vida Travel with Carmen Schaffer

Part of what I love about traveling is learning about the people and culture of the destination and what makes them tick and stand out from the rest of the world. It fascinates me to discover that in a world of mass consumerism and egocentricity that there are still those out there who  are seemingly untouched by the commercialized world that we all live in yet thrive in ways unimaginable to most. This is her paradise. While hiking with our Ecoturismo Sierra Norte guides in the mountains that surround the beautiful town of Latuvi, Oaxaca, Mexico, we were introduced to a group of women. These women  supported themselves by growing and harvesting fruits and vegetables and then prepared them to sell for profit. We met "las senoras" in an apple orchard where they were harvesting apples with long poles that had 2 liter bottles of soda that were rigged up perfectly for pulling apples off of the trees. We tried our hands at harvesting apples and after a few good attempts and m...

Today I was interviewed by a college student who considered me to be a person who is living her passion. Needless to say, I was humbled that she considered me as "that" person. I've always considered  travel in any form as an integral part of my life. Dating back to the days of my youth in Grand Forks, North Dakota, when I befriended the refugee kids from Cambodia and Pakistan, intrigued by their culture and struggles. My "passion" for everything global came from a place deep inside of me that yearned to understand other cultures and traditions. It came from a place that craved something different ~ something profound. As a little girl, I fantasized of working the rice paddies of China ~ I longed to feel the authenticity of their culture. The feeling of "oneness" yet embracing our differences. At a very young age, I realized and felt the power of connecting with other cultures and have craved it and pursued it throughout my life. Sometimes we don...