Buenos dias, my friends and family!
As I sit here writing, in a cyber-cafe on Plaza de Armas, in Iquitos, there's a lot going on around me. I'm enveloped by tranquil, slightly cheesy latino acordian sould music, while outside motocarros (think tuc-tucs, 3 wheeled motorcycles with rickshaws on the back) whizz past like continuous swarms of ants. There are many languages being skype'd all over the world, whiloe my head slightly aches from a combination of loud city energy and my own stupidity of not srinking enough water yesterday. As well... there's coffee in my veins.
That said... today's a pretty awesome day!
I'm currently in Iquitos, the slightly-manic jungle town smack in the middle of the Peruvian Amazon. With about 300,000 people (probably more if you count the various shanty towns), this is the largest city unreachable by road in the world. It was initially settled by Jesuits as a mission in the 1750's, and saw a major boom through the rubber industry, and more recently through oil exploration. It's reachable by boat from the atlantic, while smaller lanchas ply the waters constantly. Nearby, there are scores of small communities, especially for the local indiginous people. The archetecture is widly divergent, with many old colonial buildings juxtaposed to simple, mud-brick peruvian structures, as well as many in the more modern, western-style.
I arrived here by plane on the 4th of February, opting to fly simply due to time constraints (I was due to start volunteering here on the 4th or so, and wanted to have a bit more time in Cusco... you know how it is...). The flight was quick, beautiful, and gave me the experience of disembarking on the tarmac, and walking into the airport, which was admitedly pretty fun. I spent 2 days in town, soaking up the heat (while sweating it out!), eating all manners of jungle fruit, wandering through the markets, and watching the river float by. Iquitos isn't actually on the Amazon, but sits right next to the confluence of several rivers, which form the Amazon. And it's a fast river!!
The city is a major hub for tourism, especially for jungle tours, ayahuasca retreats, and people looking for healing in the jungle. You can arrange to visit small villages, meet shamans (I prefer the term ´curanderos´, or 'one who cures´), and generally explore this region. Obviously, the locals have picked up on this, and (sometimes aggressivly) sell their wares in tourist areas. It's sometimes quite difficult to go anywhere around Plaza de Armas, and not be pressured into buying something. However, I've found a few really amazing Shipibo women in the small art market, and have bought some *beautiful* shipibo textiles.
The city is reachable by plane (1 1/2 hours from Lima), or by river (4-6 days on a river boat). Although I flew in, I plan to lazily move up-river on my way back... swinging in my hammock the whole way :)
Several trips through town have found me in Belen Market... which has to be one of the biggest I've seen. Imagne almost 10 city blocks of market, with everything you could possibly imagine, from shoes, industrial equipment, and knick-kncks, to fruit, vegetables, and food vendors (mmmmmm.....), to traditional medicines, arts and crafts, auto parts, and psychotropics. The so-called ´shaman's market´is particularly interesting, where you can buy preparations of jungle medicines, different herbs, incense, lots of heavy, black tobacco (called ´mapacho´), and other medicines. Quite the sight... every time I go, I find new things to check out, and am developing a slight familiarity with some of them.
Google 'Iquitos' online for picutres, and more info :)
After two days, I managed to arrange a pick-up, and made it out to the Hummingbird center. It's about 14 km from Iquitos, near the village of Valilllar. Run by an Australian woman and her American business partner, the place is a haven for people coming to the region to experience healing from addiction, stress, and depression, using the sacred Ayahuasca medicine. I met a whole bunch of really amazing people upon arrival, and have spent my days cleaning, holding space, taking care of guest's needs, reading (a LOT), and swinging lazily in my hammock (a LOT, too). It's been a great place to spend my days, and through connecting with some of the guests and volunteers, as well as through ceremony and personal processes, I've learned a lot more about living in the heart, taking care of my needs, and enjoying the simple pleasures of life. Among the most profound experiences has been simply lying in the moloca, and listening to the symphony of sound emanating from the evening orchestra of frogs, insects, birds, and crickets. Completely out of this world... yet so in it. An amazing lesson in being present...
more online: http://www.ayahuascaretreats.org/
Yesterday, some friends and I cruised up-river, in order to see a local curandero. As he was not in, we stayed the night (and got eaten alive by bugs), then returned to Iquitos. Tomorrow, my friend and I will return to Don Luis', and begin an 8-day plant dieta. Low calorie intake (only lentils and quinoa), no sex/sugar/oil/salt/pork, lots of sleep, lots of water, meditation, light yoga, contemplation, and prayer, all the while drinking plant preparations. The idea is to learn from the plant directly, in order to approach it as an ally, and be able to call on it in times of need, for protection and aid. Although I'm not sure what plant I'll be dieting, I feel called and moved to participate. Here, I dive into the unknown, with an open heart and mind, ready to listen to and learn from the plants. Humbling, when I think about it...
I plan to return to Iquitos around the 1st of March, and then spend 10 days volunteering at Hummingbird, before moving on. I'm feeling the slight desire to get moving now... but I figure that's actually an unconscious part of my ego resisting the process of deep work within myself. I trust that this is exactly the place I'm meant to be, at exactly the right time. As the sign at the Hummingbird reminds us: 'you are NOT an accident! The universe needs you, right here, right now'. Awesome :)
Through this whole process, especially in ceremony, I'm reminded (constantly), about the amazing people in my life. You're too many to name individually, but I feel incredible gratitude to each and every one of you for your gifts of presence and light in my life. It takes a village to raise a child, and I´m so thankful that you folks have been (and continue to be) my village, my allies, my friends, my family. Bless you all :)
Until next time... paz, luz, y amor
Chris / Nagdeo / Gnome
As I sit here writing, in a cyber-cafe on Plaza de Armas, in Iquitos, there's a lot going on around me. I'm enveloped by tranquil, slightly cheesy latino acordian sould music, while outside motocarros (think tuc-tucs, 3 wheeled motorcycles with rickshaws on the back) whizz past like continuous swarms of ants. There are many languages being skype'd all over the world, whiloe my head slightly aches from a combination of loud city energy and my own stupidity of not srinking enough water yesterday. As well... there's coffee in my veins.
That said... today's a pretty awesome day!
I'm currently in Iquitos, the slightly-manic jungle town smack in the middle of the Peruvian Amazon. With about 300,000 people (probably more if you count the various shanty towns), this is the largest city unreachable by road in the world. It was initially settled by Jesuits as a mission in the 1750's, and saw a major boom through the rubber industry, and more recently through oil exploration. It's reachable by boat from the atlantic, while smaller lanchas ply the waters constantly. Nearby, there are scores of small communities, especially for the local indiginous people. The archetecture is widly divergent, with many old colonial buildings juxtaposed to simple, mud-brick peruvian structures, as well as many in the more modern, western-style.
I arrived here by plane on the 4th of February, opting to fly simply due to time constraints (I was due to start volunteering here on the 4th or so, and wanted to have a bit more time in Cusco... you know how it is...). The flight was quick, beautiful, and gave me the experience of disembarking on the tarmac, and walking into the airport, which was admitedly pretty fun. I spent 2 days in town, soaking up the heat (while sweating it out!), eating all manners of jungle fruit, wandering through the markets, and watching the river float by. Iquitos isn't actually on the Amazon, but sits right next to the confluence of several rivers, which form the Amazon. And it's a fast river!!
The city is a major hub for tourism, especially for jungle tours, ayahuasca retreats, and people looking for healing in the jungle. You can arrange to visit small villages, meet shamans (I prefer the term ´curanderos´, or 'one who cures´), and generally explore this region. Obviously, the locals have picked up on this, and (sometimes aggressivly) sell their wares in tourist areas. It's sometimes quite difficult to go anywhere around Plaza de Armas, and not be pressured into buying something. However, I've found a few really amazing Shipibo women in the small art market, and have bought some *beautiful* shipibo textiles.
The city is reachable by plane (1 1/2 hours from Lima), or by river (4-6 days on a river boat). Although I flew in, I plan to lazily move up-river on my way back... swinging in my hammock the whole way :)
Several trips through town have found me in Belen Market... which has to be one of the biggest I've seen. Imagne almost 10 city blocks of market, with everything you could possibly imagine, from shoes, industrial equipment, and knick-kncks, to fruit, vegetables, and food vendors (mmmmmm.....), to traditional medicines, arts and crafts, auto parts, and psychotropics. The so-called ´shaman's market´is particularly interesting, where you can buy preparations of jungle medicines, different herbs, incense, lots of heavy, black tobacco (called ´mapacho´), and other medicines. Quite the sight... every time I go, I find new things to check out, and am developing a slight familiarity with some of them.
Google 'Iquitos' online for picutres, and more info :)
After two days, I managed to arrange a pick-up, and made it out to the Hummingbird center. It's about 14 km from Iquitos, near the village of Valilllar. Run by an Australian woman and her American business partner, the place is a haven for people coming to the region to experience healing from addiction, stress, and depression, using the sacred Ayahuasca medicine. I met a whole bunch of really amazing people upon arrival, and have spent my days cleaning, holding space, taking care of guest's needs, reading (a LOT), and swinging lazily in my hammock (a LOT, too). It's been a great place to spend my days, and through connecting with some of the guests and volunteers, as well as through ceremony and personal processes, I've learned a lot more about living in the heart, taking care of my needs, and enjoying the simple pleasures of life. Among the most profound experiences has been simply lying in the moloca, and listening to the symphony of sound emanating from the evening orchestra of frogs, insects, birds, and crickets. Completely out of this world... yet so in it. An amazing lesson in being present...
more online: http://www.ayahuascaretreats.org/
Yesterday, some friends and I cruised up-river, in order to see a local curandero. As he was not in, we stayed the night (and got eaten alive by bugs), then returned to Iquitos. Tomorrow, my friend and I will return to Don Luis', and begin an 8-day plant dieta. Low calorie intake (only lentils and quinoa), no sex/sugar/oil/salt/pork, lots of sleep, lots of water, meditation, light yoga, contemplation, and prayer, all the while drinking plant preparations. The idea is to learn from the plant directly, in order to approach it as an ally, and be able to call on it in times of need, for protection and aid. Although I'm not sure what plant I'll be dieting, I feel called and moved to participate. Here, I dive into the unknown, with an open heart and mind, ready to listen to and learn from the plants. Humbling, when I think about it...
I plan to return to Iquitos around the 1st of March, and then spend 10 days volunteering at Hummingbird, before moving on. I'm feeling the slight desire to get moving now... but I figure that's actually an unconscious part of my ego resisting the process of deep work within myself. I trust that this is exactly the place I'm meant to be, at exactly the right time. As the sign at the Hummingbird reminds us: 'you are NOT an accident! The universe needs you, right here, right now'. Awesome :)
Through this whole process, especially in ceremony, I'm reminded (constantly), about the amazing people in my life. You're too many to name individually, but I feel incredible gratitude to each and every one of you for your gifts of presence and light in my life. It takes a village to raise a child, and I´m so thankful that you folks have been (and continue to be) my village, my allies, my friends, my family. Bless you all :)
Until next time... paz, luz, y amor
Chris / Nagdeo / Gnome
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