AN AYAHUASCA EXPERIENCE

AN AYAHUASCA EXPERIENCE

The following experience took place in this cocamera.
"The shaman put down a groundsheet, which we sat on. He then lit a pungently smelling cigarette, absolutely horrible, and then breathed the smoke into the liquid we were going to drink. He then started chanting in Quechua, beating time on a paper bag, and after a few minutes he gave me about a third of a cup of the fairly thick liquid to drink, then followed by Jorge and himself. The 'cocamera' was only lit at that stage by a single 'lámpara', so it was quite dark.
"The shaman had said that I wouldn't need to go to the toilet, but would feel like vomiting - or would vomit - and that it would begin to work after about twenty minutes. So we waited. I felt the same but could see what appeared to be a film or a TV programme aimed at children, sometimes with real characters, sometimes cartoon characters, going up and down on theme park rides, then traffic. It was all emerging to turn left, with some overtaking on the right to turn left. Then it switched to the open road, with a black Jaguar police car following the traffic. Normally the traffic was driving on the left, but sometimes on the right. Then there were animals that seemed to elongate, but if I opened my eyes they disappeared.
"By this time I was lying on my back, as I had begun to feel dizzy and very tired, but I still wasn't feeling sick. Then my fingers began to twitch, and then my arms, but I still didn't feel sick.
"All the time, the shaman was continuing to chant, asking for my stomach to be healed, as I had mentioned that I had IBS. 'Is anything happening?' he asked. 'Not much,' was the reply. He wanted to know when we saw the Virgin Mary and Jesus.
"Then, at last, I began to feel sick, but not very. However, over the next hour or so, as the hallucinations continued - in the same vein as before - I began to feel worse and, in the end, had to go outside. But the twitching was continuing and I could hardly stand. The first time, I collapsed back onto the groundsheet. However, the next time, I managed to stagger outside, but I was hardly sick at all, so I stayed there for about a quarter-of-an-hour just in case.
"Settled back on the groundsheet, I lapsed back into the same hallucinations, which gradually diminished until, finally, a traditional picture of the Virgin Mary, followed by a picture of Jesus.
"I felt immensely tired and desperately needed to go to the toilet, which I did with Jorge's help. As I reached the toilet, I thought I could see lots of little animals running around in the torchlight, but as soon as I switched it off they disappeared, so I realised that it was another effect of the Ayahuasca.
"For some time I felt it was a bit of an anticlimax, but looking back at it now it was an interesting experience and I shall definitely repeat it. It didn't give me a purge, but I realise now that I need to take more if I want that to happen."

Ayahuasca is a medicinal tea prepared fromBanisteriopsis Caapi, a jungle vine, found in the tropical regions of South America, often combined with other plants, commonlyChacruna/Rainha (Queen); Psychotria Viridis.

Ayahuasca has a rich legacy of associated traditions, myths, therapies, rituals and aesthetics, spanning from the primordial roots of the indigenous tribes of South America, to diverse syncretic spiritual movements emerging across the planet.

Tambo Jaldar

This is the lodge, right on the water and built on stilts for when the water

rises.

Here's a view from the landward side.

 Inside the lodge

This too

 A sleeping area

And here are all the mattresses for the dormitory.

The bathroom

 Crossing into the other part of the house

And villagers selling their wares

And more

And here am I at home with some of them.

Outside the lodge again

The village from the river

 Going out in the canoe

The river

 More to follow tomorrow

Curaca - Amazon Chief

Here I am dressed as a Curaca - Amazon Chief - in the depths of the Peruvian Amazon.  The traditional clothing is made of palm fibre, which is extremely comfortable and ideal for the heat.
We have - or rather had - a wonderful traditional hut, or cocamera, in the depths of the Peruvian jungle, in the upper reaches of the Amazon.   and this is the hut, the first of many that we intend to build if there is a demand.

This little village is just a 15 minute walk from the main camp 

The problem is that the camp, cared for by the locals, has been destroyed by termites and  needs to be reconstructed.  And for that we need volunteers, 10 of them, who would stay in the local village.  It will take about a week or ten days to complete our tourist village, and then they'll have a wonderful holiday.  This - below - is the Casa Grande - big House - which needs to be rebuilt.

There were also other cabins in reasonably close but secluded proximity to the Casa Grande.

 The idea is for people to stay in the main lodge, which has running water, flush toilets and showers, but to have the opportunity of living the way Chief Michael - that's me - lives when  in residence. There are jungle walks that can be done with bare feet, and more traditional houses will built.  The cocamera was  built off the main trail leading from the lodge complex, thus giving it complete authenticity.  

Visitors, therefore,will be able to live like the Amazon natives and experience life as it has been lived for thousands of years. Or if this is a little too much,  stay at the main camp at our Amazon lodge and just visit people - like me -who are living the traditional lifestyle.  My hut is just a 15 minute walk from the main camp, and I look forward to living the natural life with a group of others.

 All the huts will be like the Chief's: two doors which when shut make the hut completely dark inside with either a hammock or a ledge to sleep on. For sheets you will use tree bark and you will rise at dawn and go to bed when it gets dark, as there is no electricity.

This is me with a local lady, Maria, and her son.

The toilet is natural and I wash in the river or stream, the same as  in the shower at home.  I use natural soap and shampoo and  have a wardrobe of grass skirts.  Here is my canoe to use for checking the fishing nets every morning.

Below are views of the inside of the cocamera:

There is a choice of either a ledge or a Hammock to sleep on.

Below is the path back to the main camp.

How would you like a  banana?

I said I had a wardrobe of traditional clothing and here it is:

Complete with staff!

This is very practical as it's short, so I use it for working in.  I am displaying various artisanía or craft work at home.  No, I don't normally dress like this when I'm not in the jungle, but I should be only too happy to put on a display if required, and give a taster.

Everything I was wearing previously was for the Yagua tribe, but this skirt made of tree bark is from the Bora tribe: also short and practical, and here is another.

And here I am fully painted up.  It takes days for it to wash off completely, but when I'm there I am expected to immerse myself in the lifestyle so visitors can see what it's like.  To be honest, people prefer to look at me rather than join me, but the huts will be there for those visitors who would like to try the lifestyle for a day or two.

I really love it in the jungle and can't wait to get the working party together so we can go and help the people there to reconstruct the camp and help them get their livelihood back.  And they really love it too when I adopt the traditional lifestyle.

If you are interested in helping with this reconstruction and/or taking an Amazon holiday please contact us:

+44 ) 2380 366 114

info@peru-experience.com

Please pass this on so we can get the camp reconstructed as soon as possible.