The last two weeks have been an amazing and intense experience which is going to be hard to put into words but I'll try anyhow...After a long and sleepless night on the bus from Arequipa we arrived early in Cusco. Cusco is a beautiful town of cobbled streets and perfect Inca stonework on the eastern side of the Sacred Valley at 3310m. It is the base for exploring the surrounding sites including Machu Picchu and, although very touristy, it's a great place to stay and chill for a few days.
We began our tour of the Sacred Valley with a visit to Moray, three colosseums used by the Incas as a kind of crop nursery or laboratory, before visiting the impressive salt pans that are still in use after thousands of years. Following a scenic walk down to Urubamba for lunch we drove back to Cusco along the valley where the views were spectacular.
The next morning we began a two day excursion down the Sacred Valley towards Machu Picchu (we decided against walking the Inca Trail due to time commitments but also due to the fact that it's closed in February for maintenance, something we really should have found out beforehand). We visited two superb Inca forts at Pisac and Ollatanytambo and then took an early evening train to Aguas Calientes, a quaint village at the base of Machu Picchu itself. Although, we arrived in the dark, we could sense that this area was special but nothing could compare to the sense of awe we felt when the following morning, after an hours steep climb through the jungle we first witnessed Machu Picchu at sunrise. Everyone knows the classic view of the site from photos but what takes your breath away is the awesome backdrop of jungle peaks with the fast flowing Urubamba river snaking it's way through the valley floor not to mention the snowcapped Andes in the far distance. It all feels quite mystical. The ruins themselves are amazing and the stone carving has to be seen to be believed. We spent the whole day around the site including a very interesting guided tour and a short but tough climb up Huaynu Picchu (the large saw toothed mountain that is shown towering over the ruins in all the photos). We also trekked up to the Sun Gate, the entrance to the valley, where we saw condors and met up with some alpacas. We finished off this amazing day by a trip to the thermal baths in Aguas Calientes where we soothed our sore feet and drank wine. Pics of the day here.
The following morning we returned early by train to Cusco where we relaxed whilst we planned our next step. Mel had decided she would like to spend her birthday in the jungle so as her prezzie I booked us a few days in EcoAmazonia, an ecolodge in the Amazonian rainforest. On the day of her birthday we flew to Maldenado deep in the jungle and from there took a canoe 1.5hrs down river to the lodge where we were welcomed by the manager and a pair of very loud macaws. The lodge itself is beautiful and the wooden cabins are spacious and each named after a different animal (we were in Otorongo which is a type of cat). What with it being rainy season we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves including use of their pool.
After settling in, we were taken to Monkey Island by canoe where we fed bananas to an assortment of cappucino, squirrel and spider monkeys. In the evening we celebrated Mels birthday with a big cake!
The next morning was the Lost Lake tour, a beautiful walk/canoe through the jungle including our first tarantula!
One of the main reasons for coming to the jungle in Peru was our interest in medicinal healing plants, the most powerful in it's effects being Ayuhuasca, a vine found only in certain parts of the jungle and a plant used for thousands of years by the indigenous people of Peru for it's healing and cleansing energies that manifest themselves as visions. It requires the drinkers (one drinks athe distilled juice of the vine) to be accompanied on their journey by an experienced shaman. We had decided to drink Ayuhuasca for one, maybe two nights (depending on the outcome of the first) so after lunch we met up with our shaman Edinson who discussed with us what we wanted to get out of the experience. We had been told to expect something powerful so were both a little nervous as to whether we would have a good experience or not, but the chat with Edinson assured us that we would be fine.
So, after sunset, we made our way into the jungle to the log cabin that would be our location. We sat down on mattresses, and with only a single candle for light, Edinson gave us the drink. It tasted absolutely disgusting and I had to wash the bitter taste away with water. So, we both sat there and waited. We were to await for the first signs of any effects then close our eyes, the whole experience lasting up to 4 hours. When after an hour had passed with no effects Edinson gave us more to drink, as equally disgusting as the last. Another hour and I started to feel the effects. They were mainly visual (but with eyes closed) and auditory. I began to see patterns of colours and shapes and every smallest sound had such clarity. Accompanying this was a feeling of wellbeing and connectedness to everything around me and a sensation that everything was just energy; the static buzz of the insects around providing the perfect soundtrack. During this time, Edinson would be chanting or whistling, keeping us aware of his presence as a guide.
The effects lasted for a few hours although there were no real visions or revelations as such. Another effect of the Ayuhuasca is that it cleanses your body. This means vomiting and diarrhea which both of us experienced during the journey.
The effects wore off leaving us feeling a little drunk and we made our way back to our cabin. The next morning we decided to drink again as both of us did not really feel that we had got as much out of it as we could.
So, we found ourselves back at the cabin the next evening with Edinson and repeated the ritual. This time it was an awesome experience. For a few hours I felt completely at one and as one with everything. It was so much cleaner than the night before as this time the analytical part of my brain was not interfering with the process allowing the feelings and visions to flow freely without hindrance. I was experiencing ideas and visions being produced in front of me as visions as though they were on a conveyor belt. With each one that presented to me I could discard it or chose to spend more time thinking about it. It was extremely impressive and was akin to an advanced kind of therapy that enabled one to focus on ideas and issues in a totally objective way uncluttered by fears and prejudices. There was no vomiting this time and when we returned after a few hours I felt, unlike the night before, infused with energy and positivity. We finished off our experience with a swim in the Gamitome river in the morning.
All in all, I would recommend Ayuhuasca to everyone but the mind 'set' and environmental 'setting' are very important as is a prior intention or intentions before embarking on the journey.
We left the lodge and returned to Cusco the next day for a relaxing massage before our next meeting with a different medicinal plant called San Pedro.
This was a completely different experience, much milder but earthier and less confrontontational in it's effects. We were taken by our hippy guide Miguel to a beautiful house, owned by our hostel, and next to some fantastic pre-Inca ruins called The Temple Of The Moon. Here, we were given a bitter liquid distilled from the San Pedro cactus. We sat outside on the patio in the heat of the sun and waited. After about an hour we began to feel quite silly and a little bit high. At 4hrs was when the real effects began when everything started to feel fluffy and take on an extra significance. The plants, trees and clouds expecially seemed to throb and alomost burst at their seems with their isness, like a cosmic showing off. Surfaces appeared to take on an extra dimension such as they gave the impression of being alive but at the same time highly structured and complex. One could spend an hour staring in awe at the same small area of rock or grass as they offered the same amount of information as the whole. Miguel took us to explore the ancient ruins nearby and we spent what seemed like an eternity wandering amongst them and soaking up the vibes that they emitted. It was a very spiritual place and one that I'd love to go back to some day.
As the sun disappeared behind the horizon, we made our way down into town and back to our hostel. We were still feeling the strong effects of the cactus and it was quite difficult to talk to the people there when we were still in a different place visually but as the evening wore on the effects slowly wore off until we were able to sleep.
We left Cusco reluctantly a couple of mornings later and headed towards Bolivia and Lake Titikaka. Our last stop in Peru was Puno (dirty place) and an excursion to the floating islands of Uros. These islands are built solely from the reeds of the lake. Each island is made from a layer of reeds 2.5m thick with half above and half below the waterline. It's hard to believe that the people of Uros have actually lived in this way for hundreds of years. It remains to be seen whether the influx of tourism (it can seem a bit zooish) will be a help or hindrance to the communities that dwell here.
After a scenic bus journey we now find ourselves on the Bolivian half of Titikaka in the very laid back village of Copocabana.
I have been looking forward to Bolivia for the whole trip. Something tells me this will be the most fascinating country so far. Let's hope it lives up to my expectations...
Stuff:
Casa de la Gringa 2, S40
Casa de la Gringa $26 per room but great vibe
EcoAmazonia lodge $230/4 days
Cusco to Puno - 5.5 hrs by bus
Puno to Copocabana 3hrs by bus
Films:
Little Miss Sunshine - quaint and amusing road movie, good sunday night viewing
