change of travel plans

Talking with a friend a couple days ago, trying to get a better perspective on what exactly I am going to write about, not in the blog but my book.

I have many things written and a general path that I wanted to go. But it all seemed vague, unformed and unorganized.

Mainly I wanted to deliver a message to anyone that needed or wanted to hear it.

This is a year for change, for new things for growth and a great time for manifestation. In other words creating our lives how we want.

I talk to friends and family and I get something over and over... jealous of what I have or wish they could join me on my travels... I will admit that I do love traveling, learning new things and discovering new things about myself  that mirror the world. And I am going to show you how to get what you need as well.

I have had a few days, I wouldn't say doing nothing... but pretty close. I have updated my blog, cleaned up my computer files and organized my bag, my music, and my thoughts about my book. This is huge. When we want some clarity in life or we are done with something and ready to move forward... It seems like we need to surround ourselves by something fresh and clean... clothes, house, papers, everything... this is what we truly need in our mind so first we clean our surroundings.

It's not a huge surprise to most of you that I am quite a spiritual person. This is the bases of my book, but those of you who do not believe that you are spiritual don't worry. I will still be traveling and living and creating a blog based on all those things that entertain you as well as show you that spirituality lives in each one of us without changing our identity.
My path has hit a fork in the road.

This fork in the road is a new creation, something fresh that not many have attempted.

I have learned so much in the last 6 years about myself and how to create the life that I want. But something was lacking, it was all information and tests... Yes I tested everything I learned and I proved to myself that it all exists. But then came a problem. How do I show others how to run their lives smoothly and become something they know exists inside themselves. How do I prove that methods I have learned can be put in balance in everyday life? How... writing a book? Yes that feels right... my experiences have proved a lot too me... but I am not exactly where I want to be.

A lot of people have told me that I have helped them, inspired them and gave them something, even something small or something huge. I will admit that I never saw myself as the joke goes "kind of a big deal". I am just me, I have gone through all the same things you have and every experience I have had has changed me in one way or another.

This is a book I am going to write. I am now challenging myself to the full extent of my being.

This challenge is for me but the experience is also for you. I hear a lot that you want to live vicariously through me?  Well, lets take it up a notch shall we? How about ten notches?

An interesting way to write a book I will say but this is how its going to go (and I will love to have input and advice as I go along) :

I am going to be doing two writings at a time. 1 is going to be my book which will be separate yet will contain a lot of things that I will be posting here.
2. This is going to be the interactive part of my blog. (yay for you)  :) This blog is going to contain all the same things as before, Because of course I am traveling and I will be experiencing all new things all the time and it will be entertaining.

The new thing is this... I am making myself into an experiment.

What I have realized is that a lot of us have similar thoughts, beliefs and dreams.

Our dreams seem unattainable sometimes... off in the distance,  or that some day approach.

This is where it gets interesting. If we really take a look at ourselves... We can find that core... that picture of ourselves of where we see ourselves.

I am going to write on why I believe the things I believe and who I am. That is the easy part there are lots of stories in these beliefs... trials and errors that got me to where I am now.

What I am also going to do is write about where I will be. A challenge and huge form of manifestation. That you will be a part of. Interesting, yes?

Step by Step I am going to build my life on how I see fit. If you don't understand at this point... I will be raising the bar... very high. Some things will be easy for me, some things will be hard. But what is a challenge without challenge involved?

keep in mind this is my life and what I see fit for me, does not mean that you need to do exactly what I do. What it means is that I am challenging myself to new heights... its not my goals that you're going to want but it's the techniques I use to get there. If I can change my life to an where I need to be and attract those things in myself that I need using all the tools that I have learned... Why could you not do the same?

Of course you can! Let me be the example that gives you understanding that you can do whatever you need to do to get to wherever you need to be!

My first step (and of course not for everyone but I will give the reasons why I am doing it)

No more alcohol.

quit drinking... the reason...why?
Because I lack clarity when I drink, I focus on things that are fun and entertaining and there is nothing wrong with that, but there are other things in life that are important to me. How I see my life is in balance of my being. And for me my balance is not drinking. Yet, I will be dancing, partying and have a blast! (I told you I would keep it entertaining!) Because my balance is definitely going to be used in every day life. It is one thing to change in a place like Nepal, alone closed off everything... But quite another to do it while traveling surrounded by people all the time in hostels, at clubs and other places.

I have been thinking about this a lot, It seems to me that drinking is holding me back from doing many things that I need to do. I want a healthy life. Drinking is holding me in a state that I do not need anymore. I have quite for almost 3 years before ... in those times I went out to clubs, danced, met people and still had a great time.
I do not need a social lubricant,
I do not need alcohol to give me confidence,
I do not need alcohol to allow me to have a good time... I do that myself.
(again I will tell you that this is my step, not yours, You need to choose for yourself what exactly you need to do in your life and where you want to me.)

When I drink, I get sloppy, I waste my next day, I spend money that I could use on something else, not to mention that I do things that I wouldn't do normally.

Those are my reasons, they are my first step because they will coordinate with my other steps. which you will find out in good time.

The benefits to me for not drinking are this: I will have more clarity, I will have more control over my emotions and my thoughts (which is going to be important for this journey), I will be up earlier and have more energy to do other things that I truly want to be apart of. Let me prove that someone can quit drinking and live a socially accepted life, party, have fun and continue living in balance. Let me prove that it can be done!

Let me also say this is going to be one of the smaller steps of this process..

so what do you think? I am going to write a book backwards.. Im going to write it first and then become my writing...
you said you wanted to live with me... lets live!

animals!

This blog isn't going to have a lot of writing, just a majority of pictures.

I met up with Ty in Lima, went out a couple times and then proceeded back to Iquitos. I took a lot more pictures of the animals in the Zoo, the Monkey Island and the Butterfly Farm :)

enjoy:

I got to hold an Anaconda at the zoo, which was pretty cool, its a small one but still :)

Picture of Ty with a bigger anaconda... I really didn't like the way it was treated at this place though... felt like its soul was dead. 

This guy has an interesting story... dropped off at the butterfly farm when it was very young in a box because they poacher couldn't feed it... weak with worms and infected the poor guy couldn't even stand up. The woman that runs the butterfly farm got a vet to come in and nursed him back to health... still a very wild animal he didn't like me getting too close to the cage and growled quite a bit. very big Jaguar!

This one was at the zoo in Iquitos, chilling out and sleeping, got a glimpse of her opening her eyes... cool picture!

This is the lake at the zoo that a lot of people go swimming in, I caught this picture as the sun was hiding behind the horizon.

Tbis little guy was a bit shy but seemed pretty comfortable around me and Ty. He didn't want to let go out Ty actually haha.

This is an Ocelot at the butterfly farm, another rescue animal, She treats the animals with great care... but this one is not afraid of humans anymore which is a huge prevention of releasing back into the wild again. 

Pretty friendly monkeys on Monkey Island. This one got ahold of my camera strap, curious guy. The people that owned the sanctuary say that they get the monkeys that are confiscated from the Belen Markets by the police because its illegal to sell them... not too sure about it... I'd like to see them treat the animals better. 

Sloths have a really cute face, they move incredibly slow and don't mind if you pick them up. They always look like they have a grin on their faces.

I absolutely love this picture, great reflection on the water. 

hope you enjoyed. :)

Iquitos is full of wildlife, The butterfly farm started out just as that, but grew into a sanctuary for other animals. This is the best sanctuary I have seen. She takes excellent care of the animals as well as her staff, they are paid well and have health insurance. 

There are a lot other places that do not treat the animals well or do not know how to treat animals exploiting for tourist reasons and a few coins in the pockets. All the same I still believe they are better off in a poor sanctuary than being sold for skins or skulls. 

I have made my way up the Amazon river to a small city called Leticia which is on the boarder of Brazil, Peru and Colombia... But on the Colombian side, had my passport stamped and ready for Colombian adventure. A lot of people go to this place to see three different countries in one day. I had a flight the next day and had just ridden all day in a boat... exhausted all I really wanted was a meal and a good sleep for my flight the next day to Bogota, capital of Colombia, which would be my next stop over to somewhere warm and beautiful. And would give me a couple days to update and upload pictures. 

Even just across the river I could see how much more money Colombia had floating around. The streets were cleaner, the people were dressed nicer and the restaurants and accommodations were well painted and presented a lot nicer. 

I am now in Bogota, the air is chilly, most people wear light jackets and jeans. The colder weather has to do with the elevation. 2500 or so Metres much the same as Cusco. 

I found a hostel called Musicology, very unique place with a lot of funny posters and and stickers around the hostel. Music playing almost 24/7. 

They have Salsa lessons tonight in the hostel and I have already met some really interesting people here. I could find myself staying here for a long time, learning spanish and salsa... but my gut tells me I need to go North. 

Machu Picchu and Cusco

Sorry for not sending a post sooner, been caught up in everything over the last week... which means that I am really really behind on posts.

Ok here it goes... Machu Picchu although very beautiful and has some amazing history is depicted a lot more than what it actually is. But, still and amazing place.

Was in Lima for a couple more days for New years which was fantastic, one of the best new years parties i have been to. The guys at the hostel decorated the hostels bar with balloons and streamers all in yellow. a massive balloon hanging from the chandelier filled with confetti. 60 soles bought you a ticket to the party its about 20 bucks... a little steep yes... but it includes all the alcohol you can handle and then some.

The flying dog hostel chain is in Cusco, Iquitos and Lima. They give you a bigger discount if you want to stay longer... sweet deal! The hostel in Lima is located in Miraflores, which is a nicer area of Lima. The hostel is on the second floor and overlooks the central plaza. A huge park that is very well kept. Many people, couples and parents come to the park daily to play, talk, sit in the shade of a tall tree. There  are many vendors selling ice cream, sweets, pop corn and other delicious treats.

I should mention the large amount of stray cats... There is a church kiddy corner to the plaza that for some reason takes care of hundreds of stray cats... At night they close the gates to the plaza and the cats take over, lounging around, sleeping and just in general being lazy cats. Every now and then a small child will tip toe slowly up to one of the cats trying to touch it, the cat usually bolts for a new lounging area and the kid runs gleefully after giggling.

New years however, the Plaza was jammed packed with locals and tourist alike, shouting, laughing and drinking. With a clear view from the bar in the hostel overlooking the plaza was the place to be. Drinking and meeting dozens of new people from all over the world. The count down wasn't a huge thing... when it hit midnight a loud applause, people shouting and congratulating each other with kiss on the cheek, a hug or a handshake. Fireworks sounded in the plaza like gun shots followed by laughter and  happy screams of excitement.

Inside the hostel many people were wearing colourful and sparkly masks that covered their eyes. Someone popped the huge ballon and confetti reigned down on us bringing in a great celebrating of 2012. Loud dance music pounded off our chests. Everyone seemed to be smiling and happy, even the shy ones danced a little. I had a long night, met more people than I could count and got to sleep at 11... yes 11am the next morning... They do know how to party in the South :)

Ahmed had come back from a house party that he went to over New Years and told me that he wanted to go see Machu Picchu in the next couple days... Well I was heading that way anyways... might as well go with some good company. The following day we booked our flight and headed out. The morning of travel I met a friend that Ahmed had made in the other hostel. Paulina is a young very pleasant and happy girl from Mexico. The same as Ahmed only had a few days to see Machu Picchu before she was going to head to the next destination.

On the flight to Cusco Ahmed and I met an American that hung out with us over the next couple days... Although Adam the American was a good guy... But a few days I was kind of done hanging out with him. He seemed to find something negative in everything that happened... even if it was only a couple soles difference or something about tearing someone else down to make himself look better... very subtle but really unwanted and unneeded.

We had decided to do Machu Picchu in one day... I am not really recommending doing this. Here is why: Machu Picchu is about a two hour drive and hour and half train right to get to... not to mention the bus ride to get to the top and see the ruins. There are alternative routes as well, such as the Inca Trail which is a 4 or 5 day trek. So, given all the traveling we had to do... we had to get up at 3 am just to see Machu Picchu in a day and come back as well... that gave us about 4 hours to explore the ruins itself.

If I was to recommend someone that enjoyed hiking and had some time... the Inca Trail... for someone that just wanted to take the train and see the ruins... I would recommend staying over night in Machu Picchu and then hiking up to the ruins the next morning bright and early and later that day taking the train back to Cusco.

The altitude different can be felt in Cusco quite easily. Makes your head very light and climbing up a set of stairs feels as if you are out of breath from sprinting down the street... alcohol intensifies this. However what seems to help is Coca leaves... chewing on them or making tea. Yes the coca leaves are used to make cocaine. The amount of leaves it takes to make such a small amount of cocaine is astronomical you could drinking coca tea three times a day for a year and you wouldn't have a even a trace of cocaine from the amount of leaves it took to make the tea... so don't worry about it. But yes it does seem to help with altitude sickness.

Early morning we all headed to the bus station, a car gave us a decent deal to get us to the next town where we were to catch our train. Winding roads way too early in the morning, so not much sleep could be caught up in the car. When we arrived in the next town to catch our train a few of us grabbed some breakfast and some water and off we were. The view out to Machu Picchu is breath taking. The tracks follow the river for the whole trip. The water was muddy but an extremely powerful current was rushing through it from the high rain season. The mountains an hills were covered in dense green forests and plants. It was hard not to gaze out the window on the way there and back.

Arriving in Machu Picchu we arranged a bus to take us to the top where we payed gave our prepaid entrance to get in. (you must buy a pre paid entrance into Machu Picchu in Cusco they do not sell them in Machu PIcchu itself which can be really bad without this knowledge before hand which a lot of tourists are sent away)

We decided to pay 20 soles each for a guide to give us information about Machu Picchu which was an excellent idea because a guide book only goes so far. The natives there used the sun and the equinox to grow their crops instead of counting days for seasons. They have stone temples built that shine exactly in windows when the equinox is present. A lot of their stone buildings were so precise its hard to say that they were not advanced even as far as hundreds of years ago. There were also flats cut out of the mountain like big stairs for growing various vegetables and corn. Much stone work was developed to make the water run from plateau to plateau, most of the water would be at the top then the middle and then the bottom... so different vegetables were grown in different seconds depending on the sun and amount of water. The soil was also in layers, fertile soil on top, as well as clay and big rocks... so the water could be absorbed and keep flowing to other needed spots.

There were other really amazing things in Machu Picchu like this one stone room that looked like someone bricked up windows on the outside... but it was meant to put your face in and hum. HMMMMM and the sound would amplify and shake in your chest... we all had a turn to do it. Sacrificial alters, another stone that was perfectly carved to show exactly the time of year the sun would hit casting a shadow... kinda like a big sundial for the seasons. We found out that a local beer company shot a commercial there and dropped a big camera on it chipping it... so it doesn't work correctly anymore... thought they paid a lot of money for it... it can never be repaired. The stone work around Machu picchu was very impressive. They took many huge rocks weighing literally tons of weight and split them using different methods, putting numerous holes in a row and hammering wooden wedges into them making the rocks slip at a nearly perfect line.

The energy at Machu Picchu was quite breath taking and the view was amazing, after our tour around with more information that I can to write in a blog we chilled out at a high point and looked out for an hour at the amazing splendour that is Machu Picchu. The tall mountains, covered in thick green vegetation and trees. The smell in the air, fresh and rich. The clouds like fog floating around the peaks hiding the sun ominously. Taken in by the sight, smell and experience, sitting grounded high up in nature.

We stayed as long as we could before we really had to leave or we could miss our train back. Grabbed a snack at the train station that was ridiculously expensive even for Canadian standards... but its a tourist trap haha and we were hungry... they food was quite good though :).

After getting back to Cusco we set out to find a decent restaurant... which I decided it was about time i tried something new.

Alpaca, which is lama, small slices grilled with a nice red rich sauce and some cheesy quinoa. mmm mmm delish! Alpaca is very lean and tender but the meat has a rich tastes that seems to want to sit in the middle of your tongue. Quinoa is a bland food but the cheese they added is from the Andes and was such a good flavour and went perfectly with the alpaca. Although my drink didn't quite sit with me well... they had coca beer... which tastes like bitter ass... BITTER ASS hahaha ok ok it tasted like if a beer went bad and had 100 times too much hops in it. not a good flavour and I could only down about a gulp before I gave up and sucked up the 2.50 CAD it costed me and got a Pisco Sour.

Over the next couple days Ahmed, Adam and Paulina took off to their separate destinations and I was left to my own devices... Which turned out to be quite good, I went off looking for a Spanish School... which I did find... but was closed when I went. Haha on a friday which would mean I would have to go back after the weekend and sign up. Not a big deal considering that I wanted to spend a few weeks ther to improve me Spanish to a comfortable conversation level. I met up with a German named Inga that I had met on New Years in Lima and hung out for a few days. We hit up some of the local tourist spots and a couple local live music pubs. Inga is a shy tall blond haired German with once side of her head covered in dreads and the other shaved. Although she doesn't talk much and gets embarrassed easily at the simplest questions we had really good conversation and a great time at the local music functions. The music was great, classic rock but what really made it was the band, they were playing so well and making jokes and laughing as well as interacting with the crowd was an awesome night!

The weather in Cusco is cold... 10 degrees during the day... hahaha ( A shout out to all the friends and family at home... -38 with wind chill was it? :P) So I obviously needed a light jacket.

Cusco is a town built on rolling hills, all the streets are cobble stones that go up and down. There is so much character and the architecture is quite amazing. The atmosphere is relaxed as much as the weather is. There is many many tourists going to and from Machu Picchu though... so being bothered by the locals trying to sell, paintings, art work, pictures with Alpaca (which I totally did!) massages... which for some reason seem to be a lot of them... I'm just not sure if half of them are legit and didn't inquire.

I got some great shots of the buildings in the main plaza as well as Machu Picchu but will have to post them when I get to a place with better internet.

Next is a tribute to local animals and hanging out with Ty. Much Love more coming soon.

Belen Markets and Coconut Grubs Galore

lets start by something that Mieke had said to me before a group of us decided to venture into the Belen Markets.        

"How are you feeling? ... Not queasy from drinking last night are you?" 

Rules that the locals will tell you before entering the markets. 

1. Do not carry anything valuable on you

thats ... pretty much it hahaha. 

The Belen Markets are in Iquitos the city right off the amazon. The city itself has no roads that go to any major city. If you want to go to Iquitos you have to go by either Plane or Boat. Boat sounds like a good idea and a lot of fun, but on the third day you might change your mind about it... its a long boring boat ride. 

Iquitos is a cool city, the last few years though, crime has gone up quite a bit. Since there are not many roads that go to Iquitos the city has a lot of "Motocars" which are exactly the same as what you see in Thailand which are called "Tuk Tuks". A motocar is basically a motorbike that has been transformed with two wheels on the back with an open carriage. The city is over run with them they are everywhere and the traffic is crazy. But, its a cheap way to get around the city, I have taken many a motocar. 

hmm that was a nice piece of trivia... which has nothing to do with the post on the Belen Markets... because it was down the street from the hostel. :D

So... I have been to the bazaars in Nepal, Seen the Markets in Thailand and visited many places that have crazy markets. They got nothing on this one! 

We walked in, already people were busy going back and forth, lots of locals, shouting and bartering over fish and other random things... "Wow, this is pretty crazy!" I had said openly which was replied with "yeah we haven't even got into the crazy part yet". 

lets make a list of all the crazy crap you can buy in the markets. Fish, pig, chicken, beef (I should mention most are dead but you can buy alive if you wish) any kind of clothing, bracelets, jewelry, ayahuasca, medicines, turtles, turtle meat, cigarettes, machetes, radios, watches, purses, wallets, belts, fireworks, fruits and vegetables, grains, beans... then you can go deeper into the markets where they sell things that you have no idea how they got and are very much illegal. Monkeys, alligator meat or clothing, jaguar teeth/ skulls/ paws/ clothing, various different animal skulls. random random random shit!

I think we were approached by the local security police a 3 or 4 times asking to put away our cameras or not even bring them into the markets at all and to be very very careful. Pick pockets in Iquitos is very bad, however the Belen Markets amplifies this, there is so many people are jammed packed together, there are many parts where you can barely move.

Can you spot the turtle penis?

Its not uncommon to see a slab of meat or fish laying in the sun in the +30 heat of the day and people owning restaurants wanting to buy them... yeah I'm starting to eat more vegetarian hahaha. and right next to that someone selling herbs or spices or maybe fireworks or some other random thing, there is common sense to this chaos that is the Belen Markets.

sigh* ... now we must talk about the smell... if you have a queasy stomach? hahaha yeah the heat in the middle of the day is strong, hummid as hell and not a good place for any food you don't want to spoil. hmmm try to think of a huge room with many pounds of meat I couldn't guess what it is, fish and sausage as well as pork heads at 35 degrees Celsius... the smell of it, you cannot escape, you cannot leave, it does not smell fresh, it smells musky and dirty, it catches you in your throat and leaves you through your eyes. rotting meat and dirty socks... not socks that are just dirty, but have been worn for 3 weeks without being taken off, rubbed on bloody meat and fish and left in the sun for a few days and SOMEONE SLAMS THAT SOCK IN YOUR FACE!!!

ok now you get a good idea of what it smells like all over the place in the markets, I'm very happy I can share this experience with all of you!

Mieke said that she wished she could add smell to pictures for people back home... I told her I was decent at describing things. You are Welcome!

We wondered through the markets and got lost, saw so many random things. I will tell you that I went to the markets a few times, once for the thrill of something new, once to get to the floating markets and once to take some pictures, just for you. all of this is just for you. So I am blending all my experiences together for this one blog.

I didn't take pictures of everything, but I got some good shots.

We asked directions from one of the security dudes who brought us to an asian kitchen store... yeah... anyways we asked again because our spanish obviously wasn't that good. Then we got an "ohhhhhh si si!" Hahaha, I guess he was wondering what three 'whiteys' wanted in an asian local kitchen store. 

The security always go in pairs so they escorted us, one in the front in the rear... wow now that is service. They brought us to a man that had decent english and gave us a price for a tour in a boat around the floating village. The price was reasonable and the security came right down to the river with us. 

Three of us jumped on the boat and headed out, its not high season for rain yet, but you could see the marks on the stilts of some of the houses and shops where the water had rose to the year before, sometimes upwards of 4 metres. 

I shook the boat because Mieke thought we might tip and was a bit nervous and I grabbed Devin by the waist when he stood up and scared the crap out of him.... hahaha, yeah I know I'm bad. 

We got to see all the peoples houses, people swimming, bathing, fishing, even stopped at the boat drivers house and said Hello to his dad. 

A lot of the poorer people live on on the floating houses, they use a specific type of tree for the bottom on the houses so they float. The Logs need to be changed every couple years.

After the floating village we were escorted back up to the markets by the two people that gave us the tour in the boat, they were very friendly, showed us pictures of other tourists they had given tours for from all over the world and wanted to expand their small business and do more tours in the jungle as well. 

When we got back up to the markets... yes we saw it... The Coconut Grubs! (I feel there should be a cue for some sort of music that comes on when something great is presented right now!)

The coconut grub is a harmless worm type bug... a black hard head and a very squished big white body... the creature loves moist and warm environments as well as long walks on the beach and showing you pictures of their children and the often times goes to the cinemas... thats great right.... so we are totally going to eat them!!!

A lot of the locals eat them in the jungle near Iquitos, yet a lot don't hahaha! regardless Devin and I were excited to give it a shot... the only question is... do we eat them raw and moving around or fry em up?

I have heard of both... 

Anyways I wont ruin the surprise for you, I have decided to do more videos as well as pictures, videos give everyone a more realistic vicarious living through moment :)

enjoy this video (copy and paste into your browser):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-hY_oYGmPk&feature=youtu.be

And the winning picture of the day goes to this guy!

Ayahuasca and the Jungle: round two

So my experience with Ayahuasca wasn't what I had expected, I met many people in the hostel I went to in Iquitos. And most of them encouraged me to give it another shot and introduced me to a man that has a travel and tour company. Carlos, short man, half peruvian but has awareness that a lot of people don't have. He takes care of his body, and his mental health as well. Not only for himself but for others around him including the environment and endangered animals.

I will get more into the 'Belen Markets' later in the next blog, but in the Belen markets for one, you can buy anything... and when I say anything... its not a far stretch. You can even buy endangered monkeys and other animals if you look hard enough for them. Its actually quite sad when you hear how they do it and what they do to get them. besides the point Carlos helps out with a sanctuary to stop this from happening and takes these wild animals and rehabilitates them back into the wild.

Carlos views the earth and all the living things on it as a giant organism,  this giant organism has an electo-magnetic pulse almost like a heart beat, much like our own electro-magnetic pulse. He says that when we are not connected to the energy around us and are out of sync, our lives become out of sync.

He went on about these things. I was ify and trying the Ayahuasca again because of my bad experience, but decided to leave it up to fate, ask for a sign to do this again. On one night two of my friends at the Iquitos hostel the 'flying dog hostel" decided to head back to Lima, we decided to go out and have a drink with them. Devin and Ahmed, Devin I have mentioned before, Ahmed is a very insightful intelligent person with a very attractive energy and always positive and open. Although he doesn't drink and didn't partake in Ayahuasca he was one that was encouraging me to do it again. His main reason is that I came into the jungle for a main reason of doing it and other people have had good experiences with the shaman that Carlos knew, including Devon and I shouldn't leave unsatisfied.

At the club I was having a drink making jokes about Devin (we have a mutual unspoken agreement to have a laugh at each others 'expense'). Early that day an English man came up to Devin and told him that he had just arrived there, someone had beaten him up, broken his finger and taken everything he had. Devin felt bad for him and gave him a few Soles for his trouble and tried to get him a room in our hostel. Little did he know that this man has been living in Iquitos for a long time, many months at least. A con artist that scams tourists. It was even published in a local paper. When Devin had told others at the hostel, to his disbelief everyone including me had already heard of this man. Devin was to say the least a bit perturbed by the whole thing, not from losing the money, but for feeling bad for the guy.
Anyways, when I ordered a drink at the bar Devin noticed that I had paid less than him... infact everyone was paying less than him. The man at the bar was ripping devin off on his beer, not by much and it may have been an accident but it happened none the less. When someone local here sees you as a tourist, they figure that you have money and some will try to get a little more from you.
so the joke was "Hey Devin (the tall lanky white guy with blondish hair, blue eyes and glasses) You're sooo white... even the British rip you off!" ohhhhhh! yeah too much? I thought it was priceless!

When I looked up from my laughing fit, I noticed what kind of a bar we were in. The name of the bar was Osiris and there was a huge picture of Anubis on the wall with a full moon behind him... "hmmm..." I thought, that its literally a big 'sign'. That was good enough for me, I told Ahmed that I wanted to book a tour with Carlos to go out into the jungle to meet this shaman and partake... one last time... rain or shine... good or bad... I would take it.

I met Carlos and paid for the tour and would have to pay the shaman a fee for the Ayahuasca itself.

Bob came into the hostel with two people that he had met on the street. Came up to me and introduced me. This American couple sat down very apprehensively, Bob didn't explain much of why I was talking to them just that I might have some information about this trip I was doing. Well the story goes that they heard about Ayahuasca and were going to do it from a local down the street... I'm guessing they were going to have a similar experience of my first time. So I explained to them that I was going out to the jungle... 2 hours by car, 3 hours by boat down the amazon. Meeting up with the shaman part way and going into a lodge to preform the ceremony.

They were both interested in the Ayahuasca, I must apologize because for some reason I cannot remember her name, she is late twenties, very big brown eyes and a smile about her that makes you want to smile too. His name was Andreas in the army back home, chiselled body and covered in tattoos. They both had a great sense of humour and adventure about them. At one point I remember saying... "wow you guys are so cute" half sarcastically which was replied "why does everyone keep saying that" It looked like they were on their honeymoon and couldn't keep their hands off each other, all giggly and what not hahaha.... anyways.

She had had some experiences hiking up to Machu Picchu that were quite interesting as well as very intense dreams. I won't get into the details she shared because they are her own. But in my opinion she was drawn into the jungle to do this ayahuasca even if they both were apprehensive about it. They both decided to book at 6 day jungle tour in the amazon with Carlos.

5 am in the morning.... up before my watch hit 5 yet again. I got into the car and met my tour guide. Lucho, a small peruvian with a strong accent. Very fun and very informative about the wild life, the trees and vegetation as well as the the river. What I noticed is that Carlos and his crew would go out of their way to make you feel like you are having the best experience they can deliver.

The Amazon river is, huuuuuuge, it is as wide as a lake and the depth is 10 meters deep at some points and in the high rain season can be up to 50 meters deep. Chilling out in the boat we made pretty good time going with the current.

We stopped the boat where the shaman was staying. Him, his father and his apprentice got into our boat. The Shaman is a short man, but not much use of his legs, they still work but they are twisted and small. What I respected about him was that there was no pity with him at all, none. he has his crutches carved out of local wood and he used his strength in his upper body to pull himself in the boat. This was after the 30 minute walk in the rough path from the village he lived in. His eyes were always looking and watching and reading. His father would always make comments about something and laugh showing the few teeth he had left, But his smile still make me want to smile as well, something about him was overly happy. and the young apprentice would stare at you until you looked at him and smile and laugh shyly.

we turned off the amazon down a smaller river that would lead us to the lodge. I should mention that our boat is about 5 to 6 feet wide and 20 feet long. Not that big ;) with a small 10hp motor with a long stem that reached the 8 inch diameter propeller. we got a long ways before.... up ahead the thick rich vegetation that grows on top of the water stopped us in our tracks.... or wake if you will. Machete time, this is where our Warrior friend Andreas shines, he was really having a lot of fun, cutting threw the vegetation and creating a pathway for the boat. The shaman with his broken legs was doing more than other people in the boat, jumping out and moving the vegetation with his arms and legs, pulling himself back in and using branches and pushing. I really have the utmost respect for someone that doesn't let anything get in the way of living their life. I will take a note from this man and do my best with what I have.

After an hour and only moving a small amount we got to the lodge and unloaded our bags and food. Jungle Trek time! I foolishly didn't bring any long sleeves or pants with me, so its was shorts and a t-shirt for me. I did however have cream that had bug repellent in it. The American friends of mine... did not have any... and wouldn't borrow any even when offered. Well Andreas did once, but I think it was too late at that point.

MOSQUITOS!! hahaha wow, if you have not been in the jungle... you will never know how bad it is for mosquitos, uuaaahahhhhggh! other than that, I really did enjoy the trip out there. We hiked and saw monkeys jumping from tree to tree, jaguar tracks, all different kinds of cool and unique trees, Ants up close that would give you a fever if they bit you, termites on one tree that if you put your hand on it they swarm covering your hands, so what you do is you rub your hands together making a paste with them... using that as bug repellent, it has musky smell that keeps the mosquitos away, although it doesn't last that long. We saw lots of vines, some with water in them that is safe to drink. A tree that has this spikes coming off that the local natives used to use in their blow dart guns. Cutting through the jungle with machetes and plunging through the wet wilderness, musky wet smell of damp wood, the foreign smell of trees and vegetation that I have never smelled before, the excitement of finding a snake so poisonous and so far away from a hospital its not even funny, or running into an alligator or jaguar make my heart beat stronger.

When we finally made it back, lunch was prepared from the cook that lives at the lodge. We ate some pasta with some local tomato sauce and mashed lentils and fresh fruit. very good. I saw my mosquito bites... too many little red dots to count. I felt alright though, Andreas... I don't know why, but the mosquitos liked him most of all... he should be flattered haha. His body on the other hand.... most huge dollar sized welts from a reaction from the bites than imaginable and more than I could count and it was obviously a larger number than mine... Neeless to say that him and his girlfriend did not join on the next outing. We were to take a Canoe into a river near by with thick vegetation overhanging trees and vines deeper into the jungle until it was dark... I didn't understand why Lucho wanted to go into the dark but I was game!

The jungle is not a peaceful place, it is in the sense that its close to nature and that is awesome... but it is soooo loud, crickets, frogs, so many different kinds of birds, not chirping, making sounds that I didn't think birds could make, monkeys and other noises that I couldn't even describe. when the sun disappeared past the tops of the giant thick trees, everything began to turn into a silhouette and the jungle started to come alive! At this point, the canoe has me in the middle, the young apprentice from the shaman that wanted to come along in the back and Lucho in the front. What I found was the most beautiful thing that I have seen out there was these little bugs... they were not fireflies, they didn't move, they sat in the thick vegetation and glowed like thousands of little bluish stars ominously. Now, I realize that I have no idea which was is back to the lodge, I have my headlamp on that doesn't really see that far past the branches hanging in our way and the vines blocking us...

Lucho is looking out like a hunter in the night, I realized later through conversation that he was in fact a hunter... ah the world makes sense yet again.

He sees something, eyes... I saw lots of eyes... in the trees always watching... strange sensation of not being alone but not being able to see what sees you. Lucho shone his light onto a spot in the water... Yes, I saw the eyes he was looking at... A freakin' Alligator! he got closer and closer and drove his hands into the water to grab him! Splash! Hahaha, ok he tried a couple of times, but didn't get a chance to grab one, they are quick! So, I learned why he wanted to be out there, to catch an alligator in the dark! haha, we paddled back after a few hours in the dark, Me hoping that the boat wouldn't tip. When Lucho tried to catch the alligator the canoe nearly tipped over, I knew that this river is many many meters deep and I have no idea how to get back and what living things are in the water and jungle... exhilarating!

When we got back, dinner was being served. I was not to eat before the Ayahuasca and the American couple were on the fence about doing it, and were contemplating even staying because they had so many bites and swallowed so many mosquitos that it was interrupting the fun of their experience. They decided to do the ayahuasca at the last minute and passed on dinner as well. We were to go into my lodge and meditate on what we wanted to see in the Ayahuasca.

I meditated on the answers that I desired. and waited in the darkness.

We put a couple small cot mattresses on the floor and the shaman sat near us, his mixture was a creamy brown color in a bottle. He was not wearing anything different than his clothing he had on earlier. His father joined him and Lucho stayed in the room to make sure we were safe.

Each one of us took a cup of this liquid and downed it. We were passed a local 'jungle cigarette' to keep our stomach settled, we were not to talk anymore and not to touch anyone else.

I waited in the darkness after drinking, the taste of the Ayahuasca in my mouth still after rinsing. A bitter and creamy taste. Not great, but not that unpleasant either.

after about 15 minutes my head started to swim... I closed my eyes and almost instantly after that I began to see...

It is hard to explain everything that I saw, and impossible to convey all the details of even a short bit of the experience but I will try none the less.

So many colours, some that don't exist in day to day life. beams of light crossing each making patterns, my ears started to ring. the patterns became more intense and more bright and colourful, so many different colours interacting with each other. But the details... so many small intricate tiny complex patterns spiralling around creating animals and people and experiences. Voices talking to me making me laugh and entertaining me. My mind was clear through the whole thing, my physical body and head were swimming however, dizzy. I laid down and asked my questions. Many answers were given in very amazingly bright and cool metaphors, like a dream would be, but more intense and vivid. At one point I was standing in a desert, pink sand in egypt, egyptian and Pharaohs were around me, the Sun was a golden red colours, but I felt no heat from it. everything was lit up with no shadows. (I talked to the girl later and she told me she experienced much of the same egyptian things.)
I will say that a lot of the experiences were my own personal venture and I will share with personally if you want to know some things... but some of them are my messages.


The colours faded at one more and brought me to a very dark and disturbing place, black and dark, I remember no linear thoughts, just emotions, processing and hurting, but when I opened my eyes I was clean and clear and let go of so much. My face wet with tears. When I closed my eyes again the colours came back and it showed me many many things... all very beautiful, intertwining with my own soul...
One of the most amazing experiences that I have had. I didn't vomit and after 3 hours I was clean from the experience. so good. I got what I needed from it and I doubt I will take it ever again... I do not know how to write his name but Thank you Shaman Sagundo.

The next day we ate breakfast and went back into the boat, about 8 hours to get back to where we get the car to drive the rest of the way. A lot of strange dreams that night that might have been the left overs of the ayahuasca experience that I will also take to heart and learn from.

I met 3 spanish girls on the boat on the way back that were interested in the experiences that we all had on the Ayahuasca... the vine of life... the vine of death... connecting in a different way.

everyone has a different experience on Ayahuasca, some good and some bad, some dark and some colourful and light, some have experiences without seeing. It is not for everyone... but when the jungle pulls you, you might think about going?

Feliz Navidad!

It is traditional in Peru to celebrate christmas on the 24th but starting at midnight... technically it is the 25th, eat with family for a couple hours, then at 2 am... let the party begin!

a few people from the hostel decided to get together and make a christmas dinner because we were away from our families. Mika is a tall Dutch woman (Hollish) a very protective and relaxed persona, put the whole dinner together for about 7 people from the hostel, including a couple locals that work here.  Devin is a young american, very tall and lanky with glasses on, an independent attitude and a witty sarcasm about him. Then there is Bob... what to say about bob, older man from the States as well. Not many people understand Bob, he has a very intellectually and logically left brain way of viewing the world around and is starting to question his own belief system. There are a couple others that have come and gone like two Kiwis (New Zealanders) and a couple Russians, one of them that I had talked with has some amazing stories. He even looks like a typical Russian, tall, broad shoulders, square jaw and high cheek bones. After listening to some russian music he told us stories of his Ayahuasca experience where he went deep into the jungle and made his own which I thought was really cool. But what was more than that he was going on a 16 day trek deep in the amazon to see a tribe of Natives that have not seen any white people (Gringos) before.

Dinner was to be served at 10 pm because we believed midnight was just too late to eat... We ended up eating at midnight anyways because the power went out a few times throughout the night. Mika and a few girls that worked in the hostel (sisters of the owner) helped prepare chicken baked in the oven, peanut sauce, salad, fired potatoes and Dutch sausage.

Before dinner everyone was in a festive mood. Everyone was drinking a few people were smoking (get to that later) playing Russian trance, dancing and cooking. A few of us were sitting at the dinning table in this kitchen that is connected to an open terrance. A couple people drinking beer (me included) some drinking wine, another vermouth with ice and lime, as well as rum. Although it didn't feel like christmas with no snow and not being around family, we had created a community for the night that was fun and close. Local girls smiling and brightly proclaiming "Feliz Navidad" and a kiss on the cheek was traditional.

At one point the Russian brings out some marijuana and a couple people partake which was funny because those who smoked only lasted another hour before they were passed out and in bed hahaha. Apparently it was fairly strong. Bob surprisingly took part, as well as Devin and the Kiwi with a chinese background. The Kiwi was an extremely fast talker and most people had that damnedest time understanding him which we had openingly brought up in conversation with everyone including Bob... I guess Bob had a memory relapse from smoking because he forgot it a moment later.

Laughing, chatting about experiences we have had and drinking. You know those times when you have a pause after a laugh or a point has been made in a conversation. Well we had one of those moments where everything was quiet and Bob looked at the Kiwi and said "So... you're English then?" Before Devin and I could burst out laughing the Kiwi with a the chinese features didn't miss a beat. He replied back with a confused look on his face "Me-How?... Kung pow!" in a very convincing chinese accent. Devin and I were in hysterics because yes that was funny! But what triumphed that was the look on Bobs face. He was so confused I could almost read his thoughts, is this man chinese is that why I couldn't understand him? It goes worse from here out, the Kiwi started saying things found on a chinese food menu. "Sweet n' Sour!" or "Chow mien!" Bob started looking at him, trying to grasp what was being said... so he started to repeat the words in his american accent. "cho...mien?" Ok, I didn't smoke but that stuff much have been 'Good shit!'

After wiping the tears of my face and going to take a breather I came back and realized that Bob was gone. Yep Bob was the first one of the 'Green Rangers" to pass out. He was back to his old intellectual self the next day. Devin was hunched over the table still recovering from the laugh attack that we had as the Kiwi found a spot at the end of the table to sit. Dinner was being dished up the first plate was set down in front of Devin and Mika told him that the others would be here in a few minutes... He attacked his plate like he hadn't eaten in a week. Mika and I exchanged looks and shook our head. by the time all the plates were out and set Devin was done. The Kiwi on the other hand had already eaten dinner and didn't chip in with everyone to buy it. When a plate was put in his spot he was warned that it was Not his food and he was Not to eat it. He looked over at me and said "Of course I know its not mine" He must have forgot because 5 seconds later he grabbed the chicken leg in both hand and bit into it like a jaguar! Mikas jaw dropped and the Kiwi realized what he was doing... I guess... "I'm sorry, I feel really bad about this!" although you couldn't really hear that because his mouth was full of chicken! hahaha! Anyways the Stoners passed out I finished dinner with Mika and girls from the hostel and washed up.

After that the girls were trying to get me to dance with them as they cranked the music. Christmas here is a time for big celebration! I do like to dance, but the way the dance here is a mix between salsa and what you were see at a dance club. So needless to say I have a hard time dancing like that and it shows (there is a lot of giggling and pointing and talking in spanish from the girls, who always point out that I need to improve my spanish). Thats when Omed joined us Omed is an english guy from the hostel as well, although his spanish is very minimal, he gets by very easily by his body language and everyone knows him and loves him. Even some of the locals couldn't believe how many people he knew in the short time he was here. Omed was out with a family having a traditional dinner which he said was very cool and very comfortable. Omed doesn't drink but he decided to come out and buy a couple rounds for the girls. In Peru its very common for the man to pay for everything. On that note though, the girls don't make much money and couldn't afford it anyways and for me it is not too expensive and Hey! its Christmas!

I didn't realize how late we were going to be going out but walking back at 6:30am was exhausting, Dancing for over 4 hours the girls wouldn't let me rest! I was ready for bed by the end of it, very very hot in the bar too even that early in the morning.

I did have an interesting morning before Christmas started, but I wanted to start with the good. I decided to walk a couple blocks to the super-market and buy some food for the few days I had left here. They had quite a bit of food so I browsed around and found a few things for dinner and some for lunches and breakfast.

While at the cashier a man behind me, obvious local talks to me a bit. He had better english then I had spanish. A commotion started outside and people went over to the windows talking and pointing. I didn't really think much about it but more people went over to look and people were running in the streets. A security guard for the supermarket closed and locked the main door and told people to step away from the windows. Someone yelled in the streets something and everyone closed the big wooden shutters over the windows and locked them. The man behind me explained that a few men were outside next door robbing the place with guns... Oh yeah? ... cool... hahaha! what can I do? I was in a safe place with the doors locked... no problem. After another 10 minutes or so they opened the doors to the supermarket and I walked back to the hostel. The police had caught the men a few blocks down is what a man that works in the hostel told me.

Carry what you need for the day, leave everything else at the hostel, if you get mugged, give them what you have and go on your way.

Next post will be longer, Its about the Belen Markets (the crasiest markets I have ever seen on my travels) the floating villages on the Amazon river and Coconut grub! can you guess what we did with those... pictures and video will be uploaded for that :)

Love you all.

Welcome to the Jungle

So, I will start by saying that I found a bimbo in the supermarket and I do believe that it is a good way to start Christmas eve... but more on that later. 

My last night in Lima, I wasn't expecting so much but a girl in my room that was about to go back to Italy the next day to see her family and husband wanted to go out for one last Pisco sour. We searched for a couple places that was recommended to be the best. One place we couldn't find and the other was closed... when we realized this we were standing in front of a turkish restaurant, the same restaurant in fact that I had gone out with Quentin on my first day to have a Pisco sour and talk about spirituality. 

Why not, eh? we ventured in and ended up having the same seats... she chose them. Lots of more spiritual conversations on where are paths were and what we had learned. She was the second person to look strangely at me that I didn't have a master or a guru. I explained that I had many teachers from all corners of the world that taught me different things. One thing that we shared, that has been shared with me from not one of my teachers but from many is that this is the time to take responsibility for how our lives are and what we do and where we go and who we are. Everything. It was an easy conversation and the Pisco Sour was delicious. 

Tarot came up in conversation "You read tarot?" her eyes widened, I answered that I did and she clapped her hands excitingly. I gave her a reading back at the hostel... I guess I gave her some clarity in her life because she gave me a bracket with these beans or seeds on them, red and black for protection of evil spirits, Much thanks and a good energy exchange. Time to get a couple hours of sleep before my early flight to Iquitos the next day. I woke up a couple minutes before I was suppose to. Paid my Hostel and left. 

I flew into Iquitos on Wednesday to see what kind of an experience ayahuasca is. For those of you who do not know what ayahuasca is I will give a brief explanation. 

Basically Ayahuasca is a black liquid from a vine that is found in the Amazon rainforest. Shamans have been using this liquid to put themselves in a different state of mind, battle their inner demons, reach high connections with God or the earth, some even explain experiences of seeing their whole life from birth or seeing how the world was created. Most people or books refer to the process as rather... unpleasant, I will go into more depth later. 

Picked up from the airport and driven right to the centre, not sure where it is, Percy who is the "shaman" with apparently 15 years of experience... which is interesting because he doesn't look more than 30 said in his broken english that its about 35-40 minute drive. The lush green of trees and shrubs are tightly packed together and everywhere. We arrive after about 35 minutes and he gets one of his helpers to grab my big bag and we hike into the forest. I didn't realize that it was going to be that long of a hike, but turned out to be a good half hour. The hike was wet and a bit slippery, the ground was made up of mud and hardened clay on the beaten path. Overcast skies shielded the sun, but the hot humidity that seemed to always stick to the skin. Smell of wilderness and wet musky wood was in the air. Bugs, mosquitos, crickets all around. We finally arrived to the centre, tall huts on stilts were everywhere, and stumps of thick trees lead the way to each of them. 

I payed the money for the week I would be staying there. Talked to a couple others that were there as well, very kind, smiling, hippie type people. That oddly enough didn't have a lot to say about the ceremony that they are already taken. I had signed up for 3 over the course of a week. 

I was led to my room, which was my own hut with a hammock, how cool is that, right? No electricity, no running water, an outhouse style toilet was connected to the hut for more convenience. A black stray cat had taken a liking to me and always came around. After waiting for a while in my hut I heard a knock on the door and was given some lunch. All the meals were mostly vegetarian, sometimes with a boiled egg, usually served with a vegetable soup. after more waiting I had a wonder around the place, very calm, peaceful and very alive, got to see a sloth moving in the trees, heard many birds, lots of insects everywhere.  Later on in the day it was time for the flower bath. We were to meet at the small river that flowed through the centre and under the massive hut that was for the ceremony itself. we washed in the river. Percy blessed the water with flowers from the amazon in it by blowing smoke from a ceremonial cigar and poured it over our heads. 

Now, I had thought! this is where the fun begins, We were asked to wait in the ceremony hut with our blankets and a flashlight. We waited and waited, finally percy arrived in ceremony dress, which was pretty much that, a patterned thin robe and a hat. A single candle in the middle of this octagon sat lighting the place. about 30 feet in diameter and 30 feet at the tallest point in the centre. 

Coming to each of us we were to cup our hands and a perfume was poured, to rub on our skin. after that each one of us went up to Percy to take part, a mixture of ayahuasca was made... which stuck in my head because I always remember ayahuasca being of one plant... anyways to that later. the goblet of ayahuasca was blessed with smoke again and given, each one of us drank from the goblet and went back to our blanket and thin mattress and our personal bucket (yes, bucket). The candle was blown out by the translator and Percys' helper. 

Darkness filled the room as Percy began to sing and whistle. Dark is one thing, in the amazon it is true darkness. No moon, no stars, no light! I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. Blackness. I waited, building up with anticipation. This was it, this is what I came out to the jungle, Hoping that a vision with some clarity would come to me. I waited. 

I was also very tired having not slept much the night before. I drifted in and our of sleep, my dreams of travellers smiling at me and reaching out their hands. I open my eyes again, not much has changed in the hour i had been sitting there, didn't feel much different, it should have kicked in by now. A while later, I was asked if I wanted more... Why not? 

I took another goblet, this time much fuller... and waited. 

I could hear people throwing up in their buckets, I felt queasy and my stomach was clenching itself. I still didn't see anything. My body started to feel funny, same feeling you get when you get a buzz from drinking. A light would flash every once in a while, while people headed for the toilet I couldn't comprehend why at the time. Finally I knew... yep have to get to the toilet now! standing up everything hit me. much like drinking while sitting and then standing and forgetting you just went through a case of beer. once I hit the toilet everything came out of me... Both ends... fast! If you have ever had food poisoning you will know what I mean. Except I learned later that that is what is suppose to happen? Not from what I read or heard... but from this place... 

I lay back down on my mattress, completely sober at this point... My mind began to wander and think... Why did I just pay a man that I don't know 500 dollars to make me sick? I began to think of all that I wanted to accomplish there... Middle of the amazon, Shamans, Ayahuasca... This was suppose to be a new beginning. A fresh start and clarity of what exactly was my true purpose. Did i really just leave all my loved ones in Canada to be sick in the dark with strangers trying to grasp some sort of "enlightened" experience? I felt sad for the things I left behind. Sleep. I just needed sleep... I slept and waited for the ceremony to come to an end. 

At the end, Percy came to each of us and did a final blessing and we were allowed to go to bed in our hut. I got back, groggy for I just slept for 2 hours. pulled my mosquito net around the bed and tried to sleep, Oddly enough I couldn't for how tired I was. 

My mind was unsettled, I realized that I wasn't just coming for an experience. I was coming for answers... I remembered Nepal suddenly and shook my head at what a fool I was! Nepal did bring me to new heights spiritually... but in unexpected ways. I went to Nepal with dreams of meditating on a mountain top with a great sage or guru! What happened... I meditated with a man that owned a bookshop in the middle of a very busy tourist street in Pokhara. I made an strong effort with very little direction in Nepal and that is why I got what I needed from that experience. I didn't rely on anyone else, I did my own thing and tried! why was this any different. 

2 More ceremonies and 6 more days... nothing to occupy myself with but meditation, writing and reading... doesn't sound half bad... Christmas! I realized again through doing ayahuasca and not receiving what I needed from it I remembered life is about enjoyment, pushing forward and most importantly balance... Balance was definitely missing from this. I need to go back to Iquitos and celebrate Christmas and enjoy myself. 

And so I waited... the next day I slept long, breakfast came, more vegetables and soup. Percy and the translator were no longer there... the other helpers didn't speak english. I talked to a couple people that were there. A woman from Canada, originally from Poland told me that Percy would be back the following day. She said that I should give the healing plant another chance, it had helped her a lot. She blonde hair and blue eyes... tired eyes, exhausted eyes. I told her that it wasn't more me. although she was open she was meek. She said that it has very good medicine, she said it in a way that made me smirk... She had no idea what was in it, not a clue.(seemed lost to me... but hey, so am I) It reminded me of what Michelle had said about a friend that told her that a bracelet had "energy" in it... but had no idea what kind of energy when questioned. 

Finally the next day after reading quite a bit, writing my thoughts and thinking... Percy showed up with the translator, crossing his arms he wouldn't look in my eyes. Explained that there is a policy here and he won't refund any of my money even partially. The translator was looking at me sympathetically. I realized Percy does have a business and he has to make money but ever so misleading about ayahuasca until he had to explain... of course after money had been exchanged. So, you are apparently suppose to nearly shit yourself and making your body feel like someone beat you with a bat in your mid section... its not just ayahuasca it has other cleansing effects... right! thanks buddy! you tool!  

Yeah, needless to say I wasn't too impressed with my experience. It did... by not doing anything bring me to some conclusions, in that aspect I guess I did gain something from it. Back to mediation and Balance. The hike back was ... muddy, slippery and I was slick with mud from my knees down, got to love the wet season, it had just rained before I left. 

So, I said screw it! I had dedicated that money to the ceremony and I did learn something about getting back to myself, follow my own path with balance. Try not to let this bother me. 

I waited at the main road, he said he wouldn't be long. Well, I waited some more... When he arrived, I could feel the hot energy coming off him. He wasn't all full of shit, but I definitely wouldn't call him a shaman, I truly believe there aren't that many left in the world. I wasn't too surprised by the fact, but I had hoped it would be a better ceremony. 

So, no visions other than the dream I had before Ayahuasca had kicked in. No seeing my life from birth or past lives. No seeing the universe made. I didn't get any more clarity on what to write about or what to do about this life of mine... But I did get a sense that I should keep pushing forward and take time out to meditate. 

Below I will leave a picture of that Bimbo I was telling you about. 

                                mmm tall and bubbly... Hey! I never said I wasn't a geek!

Next post will be about Iquitos, christmas and armed robbery keep reading ... :)