It was the big day, the day that I joined my fellow adventurers to go to the Andes and the jungle of the Amazon basin.
In the Miami airport I connected with the diverse and interesting group with whom I would spend the next three weeks. They are my fellow students, Art, Pam, Joyce, Joel, and Bonnie; all of us are in a two year internship in Shamanism. We were joined by Tom, Mia and Roberta when a flight from Boston came in, on time, with Wendy from England, Ed and Susan, a couple who are consultants for the Nature Conservancy, now stationed in New Guinea, and Christina, a Victoria's Secret model. Also joining us was another Wendy who would be a co-leader with John and Art, and is a movie producer from San Diego, and Juan Gabriel, our Ecuadorian co-leader who will be able to translate from the Shuar language of the natives of the Amazon.
John joined us as we were buying Sucre and we boarded the plane for Quito. From there we boarded our chartered bus for a 2 hour ride to the 16th century Monastery where we would spend the night. John talks to us as we travel filling us in on local customs and politics and tells us the plans for the next day. He first experienced Ecuador and the Amazon when stationed there in the Peace Corp 30 years before. He was then stationed in another area in Indonesia and was again exposed to shamanism there where it is also still practiced. He is an economic consultant for the U.N, and besides running his own energy company, leads these and other trips to shamanic areas, and gives workshops on conservation, and this form of spiritualism.
I sat with the British Wendy who is also middle-aged, has been on this trip with John before, as well as trips to shamanic areas of India and the Himalayas. She and I decided to become roommates. We found the monastery wasquite lovely and filled with antiques: beautifully carved chairs, chaises, and framed portraits. Wendy and I went to our suite, which she seemed to take for granted but I found quite elegant. We both had slight headaches from altitude sickness. The place is supposedly haunted, and the following day, Wendy said she had sensed something.
The next morning, we had a hearty breakfast which included the Ecuadorian coffee, which is like a thick syrup to which one ads water and milk, to taste. We then had a meeting in the parlor, a gorgeous room, and thankfully had a fire in the fireplace as the entire place was cold. We introduced ourselves. I found that both John and Art have well developed facilitation skills; that some are on the trip for healings from the shamans we will visit, and others of us are along for adventure. Roberta is also a psychotherapist.
That first full day in Ecuador, we traveled to a compound where one of the Andean shamans, Alberto Taxo, was to host us and do healings. John presented him with a quantity of CDs of Alberto's teachings which he and the producer, Wendy, had put together. We also did a Quechua fire ceremony there, which consisted of finding a burnable object that appealed to you, camaying (spraying a mist of rum from your mouth) onto it along with a wish, and throwing it into the fire. One is sending the wish to the Great Spirit in the smoke of the fire. Several participants received healings from Alberto.
The next day we were flown, in two shifts, into the Amazon basin in a small plane. I was scheduled for the 2nd flight and while waiting, went into town with Juan and others to get Traygo and Ayahuasca . This latter is a hallucinogen that some of the shamans use to get into an altered state for their diagnostic sessions, and many of us took to do our "journeying" after our individual sessions with a shaman. Then it was our turn to board the plane.
I was surprised once we landed in a clearing and deplaned. There was not the oppressive heat that I had expected, and I found later that there is also not a mosquito problem. Members of the tribe we were there to visit, the Shuar, were there and helped to carry our bags to the dug out canoes that were used to transport us down the river to the settlement. They were very pleasant to us, and they laughed and played among themselves while working. My initial impression of the jungle was of lushness and richness, and of being surrounded by gorgeous flowering plants with butterflies wafting about them.
Because John brings visitors here frequently, he and an engineer that joined us later, designed and supervised the building of basic but comfortable adjoining rooms raised a few feet from the ground, and surrounded by walkways with railings. It includes a central area where we could meet and converse while lying in hammocks. There, we would be visited by Harry, a pet Tapir, and a pretty, little Wawa bird, which is like a prairie hen and makes a gentle purring sound. The earlier arrivals were bathing in the river, and we soon joined them. There are showers, but no hot water. This gringo living area is about a three minute walk from the small village of our Shuar hosts who live in round structures made from myriad poles standing vertically side by side with thatched roofs.
A day or two after arrival, we were scheduled to do what was the highlight of the trip for me; the hike to the "sacred" waterfalls. We were warned that it would be very difficult and dangerous. Only about half of us went, five of us eco-tourists plus three of the leaders and 3 or 4 Shuar as guides and helpers. We followed the river most of the way and this involved climbing over big, slippery boulders, up steep, vertical slopes with only mud foot holes, and crossing the river several times. Sometimes the water would be waist or chest high and with a strong current, and again we would be teetering on the slippery rocks that made up the bed of the river. At one point one of the Shuar lifted me on his back to get me through a deep place. At another place, we were confronted with a wide, deep pool to navigate that had a very fast current and it took me quite a while to gather the courage to attempt it. There was no easy way for anyone to help me, (although I learned later that Tom probably could have used a life-saving carry to get me across because he had been a world champion swimmer); but all waited patiently until I -literally - took the plunge.
Watching these small but well-built natives propel themselves in this turbulent river filled me with wonder. At difficult places, one of the Shuar would take my hand and help me along, showing me where to step. He was sensitive enough to do this only when he sensed I needed help. Another would stand at the base of a steep slope and bend his knee, indicating to us to use it as a first step up. All of this speeded things up considerably, but while we kept up a brisk pace, the hike was still 3 hours each way.
Once at the waterfalls, the effort of the hike seemed worth it as it was such a serene place. This was the mood that was created when one looked at the gentle, smooth flow of water from an impressive height, and yet heard only a slight splash because the falls so gradually entered such a deep pool. And the water was hot so there was a lovely mist of steam around the base of the falls. We got our only hot shower in the Amazon, and could drift in the warm water as if in a whirlpool.
We also ate our lunch while there, and recuperated with a rest in this healing spot before starting back.
While on this hike we were walking on land with me walking with Susan trailing somewhat behind the others, when I spotted a small snake that the others had walked past or over. Susan identified it as a Fleur de Lance. This is also known as a "ten step snake," because if bitten by it, that's how far you're supposed to get before you drop dead. I had also spotted a small snake hanging from the roof of our lodging and called the attention of the others to it.
While at the falls, Ed of the Nature Conservancy found an impressive fossil and gave it to me. And when we returned and talked of our exploits, Roberta gave me an Iguana bracelet because it is supposed to guard against snakebite.
Xmas in February.
