Colca Canyon...flight of the Condor

February 27, 2011

On my way to Arequipa, I stopped in Nasca to visit Sky´s resting place, bring flowers and sit in memory with my beloved companion. There is not a day that goes by, that I do not think about him. Yet the energy around his death had evaporated for
me and I was able to look at Nasca with clear eyes and an open mind.
Arequipa, although a beautiful city, did not hold much interest for me, other than it was on the way to Colca Canyon.
It is still the rainy season in the Highlands, but once again, I got very lucky on the 3 day Colca Canyon trek with sunny, warm days and cool, rainy nights.
We had barely entered the Canyon, when two Condors flew by in arms reach. I was so stunned by this magnificent sight, that at first I did not even comprehend, these were Condors. The first one was an appx. 5 year old Juvenile, whose colors had not yet completely changed, but already had an impressive wingspan. The second one was an adult who eyed us curiously. There are a good number of villages within the canyon, all of them are small, and only reachable on foot, horse or donkey.
We stayed with a local family, of the Cabana culture, enjoying Chicha and the ongoing Fiesta, dancing the night away in the village plaza. Most of the houses are made out of the tipical mud/clay and straw bricks, which are very common all over Peru, especially in the indegenous villages. They hold the heat of the sun very well and don´t seem to be as cold at night, as the cement brick buildings. We spent a comfortable night on our cots and awoke to brilliant sunshine, although there was no water in the morning for showers or anything. I am not really sure where or how they received the water. I could see no pipes anywhere and guessed that the donkeys are hauling it from a source above the village. We did enjoy warm water the night before. The watertanks are solar tanks and warm up quite nice. There is some electricity, but a lot of locals do not want to pay for it and make due without it.
At 7 am the band already started playing. By the time we got to the plaza the Fiesta was once more well on it´s way, with locals dancing and drinking large bottles of beer. We got invited to eat and drink, something you can not turn down, or it would be very impolite, but opted for the Chicha drink instead of the beer.
Colca Canyon is a well known destination, but there were few tourists to be found at this time of the year. We hiked back out of the Canyon and spent the 2nd night in Cabanaconde. Before leaving on the 3rd day, we had a visit to Calera Hot Springs for a soak. I love Hot Springs and enjoyed every moment we had there. The road from Cabanaconde to Arequipa leads over a 4900 meter pass, which was snowed in on our way back. Honorio and I lost hands down to the Austrian/Italian combo in the ensuing snowball fight, but we were top sliders on the icy road.
The next destination was Puno. Along the route I saw many herds of Vicunas and even some Flamingos in the high Lakes and Marshes. Arriving in Puno, I was greeted by music, dancing and much drinking in the streets. The fiesta de la Virgen de Candelaria was in full swing, which lasts 2 weeks. It appeared more like a Carneval celebration with all the different costumes and only an occassional hint of the religious icon. Later I learned, that the masks of the Diablos and Achachis make fun of the Spaniards, or that the Morenados represent the chaingang of black slaves and that the rattles used by all dancers represent the sound of the chains. My favorite groups were the Waca Waca and Tinkus, indigenous communities from Peru and the Bolivian highlands.
Inspite of the amount of participants, fiesta revelers and tourists..the festivities were peaceful and very joyful. Well, after 4 days of dancing and drinking, the crowds got a little more rowdy and the participants more drunk and sleepy. I enjoyed the Fiesta and loved dancing through the streets, but was looking forward to the islands of Lake Titicaca.

Aimless wandering........

February 8, 2011

It is a strange sensation when life comes to a halt. When what you knew and the things you relied on are no longer so. Most everyone on Earth has had such a moment or two.
For me the shock of loosing Sky left me in a hace. At first you still try to do the things you had planned or what seems logical, but a part of myself wanted to stop all activity, needed to figure out how to be now.
It felt like entering an ocean of emotions, filled with grief and pain, but also seeing incredible beauty all around me and expiriencing a heightened awareness of so much love and support comming from friends, family, spirit and Pachamama.
Noga and I left for Pisac in the Sacred Valley to participate in an Ayahuasca Ceremony, shortly after my return from Machu Picchu.
The medicine was very strong for me. I was sure I would die that night. There were moments where I felt and saw Sky in his death throes, but then it was my own body being swept away. I told myself not to fight it, but surrender to whatever might be, wondering at some point, what my friends in Alaska will think when they find out, both Sky and I had perrished in Peru. The physical process was anything but easy.
The visual scenery however was amazing, with three dimensional lights, shapes and forms. At some point I entered a library of symbols, knowing the meaning of each glyph. I also received instructions on how to direct and control energy. After the second time of purging, a great peace came over me. Some ancient memory had left my body, as the little people carried off a fosselized large piece of ivory.
Although the effects of the halucinogen lasts appx. 5 hours, it took me 2 days to come fully out of it. The plant had also strongly told me to avoid consuming sugar, salt and coffee from now on.
Next I set off for a 4 day trek to Choquequirao ruins. The hike was streneous, descending from 3300 meters to 1900 meters and climbing back up to 3300 meters, the site of the temples. A curious puppy joined our trek on the 2nd and 3rd day. Aside from the coloring and the big ears, the puppy reminded me very much of Sky, when he was the age of around 6 months. I thought, maybe Sky is comming along in this puppies body and was grateful to have her along. We wandered through spectacular country, a deep canyon sliced through the mountains by the Apurimac River. The ridges looked like someone had taken a knife and carved them with very sharp, exact lines. We were a small group of four. Francois, another tourist, Guido our guide and David was in charge of the Mule and cooking and camping equipment, which was carried by the mule.
There are no villages along the trail, but a few dwellings here and there. Some deep in the canyon, others high up on the side of the mountain. All of which are 5 to 9 hours riding distance from the next village, where supplies can be found. There is no electricity. People live by the schedule of sunrise and sunset, cultivating maiz, potatoes, fruits and vegetables. The Choquequirao ruins sit on top of a mountain with wide views of the surrounding peaks,ridges and valleys. The trek was well worth the pain of reaching it.
Upon returning to Cusco, although I felt pretty good physically, all I wanted was to rest in a peaceful place and just be without schedule or intinerary. I decided to head back to the Sacred Valley, to be in the soft, soothing energy of the fertile valley and it´s majestic mountain terrain.
Without thinking about where to go or what to do I found myself back in Ollantaytambo, spending my days exploring the ruins and celebrating the full moon high up at the templo de la luna. My mind was very peaceful, but my body felt exhausted and low on energy. I still had not figured out how to be, without Sky by my side. There were many thoughts passing through my mind in these days, but they seemed kind of random, depending where my focus was directed at the time. I spent many hours listening to the river flow, walking aimlessly through the Valley. Before I knew it, ten days had passed. The aimless route had taken me to Urubamba, Pichingote, las Salinas (Salt Terraces), Morray, Calca, Tampay, Quisacocha Lagunas and back to Pisac.
It seemed like the San Pedro plant had been calling me to her. So it was no surprise running into Javier in Pisac, the second day there and discussing to join a San Pedro Ceremony.
From all I had heard, San Pedro is supposedly not as hard on the body as Ayahuasca, and I wanted an easy journey this time.
Even though, Javier had given me a very light dose of the medicine, what was to normally last 8 to 10 hours, turned into a 24 hour journey for me. It was physically not as taxing, but I felt like I was being dissembled and reassembled over this period, with the first three Chakras pulsing at an unbelievable frequency.
Somewhow all this was tied in with the heart of Africa. The pain of the people and the land of Africa. The beauty of their voices singing and their bodies dancing to the rythm of drumbeat. At other times I was flying, leaving my body behind, to the far corners of the Universe seeing a lot of things. My mind had long given up any attempt of interpreting what was happening, allowing me to be taken wherever the plant wanted to take me.
Again, my recuperation took a few days. One morning I woke up and felt very happy, delighted to be alive and be here. I also knew, that I was now ready to continue the Ruby Road to it´s conclusion at Lake Titicaca.

One Moment......a life lost, a life altered

January 20, 2011

I have been trying to write this blog for the past 14 days, but I could not bring myself to do it.
On January 1, 2011 my dog ¨Sky¨ died in my arms, due to internal loss of blood.

We had arrived in Nasca 4 days prior to see the famous Nasca Lines and Figures in the desert. The airport was a zoo, when we arrived there, with people backed up waiting to get on a flight, because the airlines had been out of fuel all morning, not able to make their schedule. I had a reservation, but the price had gone up to $ 100 and higher, as I found out later. The companies were trying to recuperate their morning losses from the eagerly waiting tourists, knowing that many only had that day to make the flight. It was a nasty scene. I debated to wait, but one of the vendors told me this had been going on for days. So I paid the price to be done with it.
Seeing the lines and figures was impressive. One wonders how and why were these created over miles and miles of sprawling hot desert.
Before I could leave the airport, some Shaman looking guy decided to vent his anger over the commercialisation of the Nasca culture, to which I had to listen, since he had me cornered. The town was nice enough, but I wanted to leave the next day, feeling ill about the price gauging. We found an overpriced and undersized room in the center, but then got rescued to a nice and reasonable Hostal by a man who had been looking for us, because his cousin, who I had met in Huaca China, had told him we were comming to Nasca. Things were improving before they got worse.
That evening, Sky fell off the roof terrace through an opening, which serves as ventilation, onto a tiled floor below. It happened so fast.
The Veterinarian gave us coagelents for internal bleeding along with other meds. He seemed to be doing well, had no broken bones, consumed soft food and water and was able to walk, although I kept him quiet at all times. I sat with him, doing everything I could, hoping he would come through. Mysteriously, the Shaman, who I had encountered at the airport, showed up at the hostal, offering his assistance, because he had heard about a lady and her dog, but had no clue it was me. New Years eve, Sky was getting weak and the next morning he stopped eating and drinking. I knew he was leaving. The meds were not working and Nasca has no emergency veterinarian services.
I sat with him all day, sang to him, brushed him, we talked about all the people he loved and what an amazing dog he was. When his heart started racing, I prayed for mercy, to let him go. He died shortly thereafter of a heart attack.
The next morning I brought his body into the desert, a place I had seen from the plane, with the help of one of the guys from the hostal. He had brought pick and shovel to dig a grave and left quietly when it was done, so I could be alone with Sky´s body. I decorated all of his paws with my bracelets from the different countries we had been to, put food, his blanket and a coral stone with him. When there were no more tears to be shed I sang ¨Amazing Grace¨, because that is what he had been to me. The Shaman arrived, pointing out, that Sky´s grave was next to a Nasca Line. We built a stone tower, to which I attached the Eagle feather, I had carried with me from Alaska, so Sky could fly like a bird ...to all his favorite places.

I left Nasca that evening on a bus to Cusco. The images of the past 4 days kept circulating through my mind not allowing for any sleep, nor had I slept much the days prior. There was a friend from Israel in Cusco that I wanted to meet up with.
I needed company. However, on arrival at the hostal in Cusco, Noga did not seem to remember me. We had met in Israel the year before and spent several days together.
I was stunned, but too tired and in deep shock over the loss of my dog, to give it any thought. The next three days I drifted all over Cusco, walking, looking, but not really taking in anything. Noga and I were also getting acquainted again.

Cusco is a beautyful city, but very busy and full of tourists. The Shaman business is big business in Peru. There are Ayahuasca and San Pedro Ceremonies offered in every other store, or you can buy the brew in the market and do it yourself. Peru is going through a spiritual revolution/evolution and people from all over the world are flocking here to feel the energy. I had been wanting to do a Ayahuasca Ceremony, since I had arrived in Peru, but this spectacle in Cusco was way to confusing for me. On one of my walks through the city, a group of young Peruvian students shared their aspirations with me. They all wanted to study tourism, because that is where the money is. When asked, what they needed so much money for, the answer was...a house, a car, a good wife/husband....simple. Who can blame them, they want things we have enjoyed for a long time. Noga, who had been in Peru for the past three month and who was working with the plants, knew a trustworthy Curandero (healer)in the Sacred Valley and invited me to come along for her next ceremony, which would take place in a few days. I used this time to travel to Ollantaytambo to visit the pre-Incan ruins there and then on to Machu Picchu.
It is kind of crazy at Machu Picchu, there are at least a thousand visitors daily.
I caught the second bus at 5:30am to go up to the entrance, which was already jammed with the early bird hikers. Only the first 400 people are allowed to climb Huayma Picchu, which is a good thing, as the trail is steep and narrow. The Gods were with me and I got entrance to climb the mountain. Since it was still foggy at this early hour, I decided to descend to the Temple of the Moon first, hoping the majority of people would be gone later. The temple of the Moon was a long way down, but what a site. There was not a single soul. I used the peace and quiet for prayer, meditation and a journey with Sky. His collar was in my pocket. The trail up to Huayma Picchu was beyond steep, but the first view of the entire Machu Picchu site was breathtaking. By now the sun was out with only a few low clouds moving around.
I spent the rest of the day wandering around Machu Picchu, planted the Ruby crystal at the Temple of the Condor, hiked to the Inca drawbridge and layed in the grass amidst the giant stone walls.
One re-curring thought kept circling through my mind, since I had lost my dog companion. I am done looking, looking for something outside of myself, looking to others to give me something, that they can not give. Even connecting with all these amazing sites can not give me anything in addition, if I do not already have it inside of myself. I am done....

Peru..........on the road less travelled

December 30, 2010

How many countries can you travel through in 9 month. I just counted the countries we have visited. We are in Peru, the 9th country, in the 9th month of our journey.
When I received this travel plan, back in Mexico last February, I was told, it would be a 9 month journey. I have known all along, that the end of the Ruby Road is at Lake Titicaca. Then we can do, be and go wherever we want. Maybe a new plan will follow.

The road to Balza, the Peruvian border, was unbelievable. A continuous steep climb on a dirt road that got smaller and smaller until it was just a single dirt track to Zumba, where the busline ends. I had met a young Israeli on the bus, together we continued on a pick up truck to the international bridge and entered Peru. Sky just ran accross the border and in to the Customs building, while we had to get several stamps from immigration and police, located in different shacks. There are no bus services from Balza. A little Moto taxi arrived, to take us to the next village 3 km down the road. When Sky heard the taxi, he came out and jumped on. We travelled by auto, with 4 adults and a 6 year old child in the rear seat, 2 passengers in the front and the driver for 4 hours. Sky was in the back and probably the most comfortable. At some town we switched to a Micro bus, thinking it would be better, alas it was not.
Jaen, the first major town, where we spent the night, appeared chaotic with hundreds of moto taxis buzzing through the streets and very few cars. We finally arrived in Chachapoyas after another 5 hour ride in a car with too many occupants.
I loved the country side we had come through, but would probably never again want to endure that much physical discomfort getting somewhere, when there are other options available.
A visit to Kuelap, a pre-Inca citadel, high in the mountains (3000m)let me forget soon, the road less travelled. Karajia and Pueblo Muerte, where whole mountain sides are full of tumbs, mostly unearthed, are amazing places. I spent Winter Solstice walking among our dead ancestors. Most of these sites have little protection, or just a small portion of it is included. It is very common for farmers to find bones, vessels, painted masks while clearing a hillside and keep the goods in their house. It took me a couple of days getting used to the roads in this part of Peru, where they are generally dirt, steep, narrow, far and very curvy. The trails to the sites or hiking anywhere match the roads, leading along steep cliff sides and over rickety foot bridges. Peruvians are manic drivers, who will pass other cars in the dead of a curve, but I got used to it. Gocta, a 771 meter high waterfall (3rd highest in the world)was another highlight near Chachapoyas. There are great treks in the area, but the rainy season started, so I opted to head to the northern coast instead.
I wanted to see the Moche Temples of Las Huacas del Sol y de la Luna, famous for their beautiful polychrome friezes. This time we booked a comfortable overnight bus to Trujillo and arrived rested in Huanchaco, a small beach and surf village.
At first I was not too excited about the coast. There are big waves, undercurrents
and the village is surrounded by dessert, with hardly a plant sticking out.
After a couple of days there, the village started growing on me. It had a really good local feel, the people were very nice and there were relative few tourists.
I decided to stay for the Christmas Holidays.
On Christmas Eve, about 6 pm, a procession arrived in town. Apparently the procession had left a few days ago, carrying the Virgen de Socorro and San Pedro 13 km to Trujillo for the Blessing in the great Cathedral and was now returning back home to their own church. This was not anything I had ever seen before. From the outside it looked more like a carneval parade, with people in costumes, except for the Saints and Virgin being carried. Soon I learned, the first group of dancers were the black mask beings, representing the evil existing in humans. The second group were the demons and devils of the other realm. The demons had these amazing headmasks and very colorful costumes, dancing all the time while making deep growling sounds. They represented the dark spirits on Earth and around humanity. Infront of the Virgin and Saint Pedro, who met up with San Jose in town were a group of girls in angel dresses. All this was accompanied by great fanfare, fireworks, poems, speeches, music and gifts of flowers being presented to the Virgin.
It was amazing to witness the love and devotion of the people to their Virgin, so much beauty, joy and love. I felt half drunk in this flow of hightened energy and continued with everyone else to the church for the midnight mess. After church the families share a sumptuous dinner and exchange gifts. At 2 in the morning you could see lots of kids out in the street playing with their new toys. Christmas day business is as usual, except the beach was packed with families from Trujillo comming for the day.
My next stop was Lima, but when I arrived there, I wondered why I wanted to be in Lima and instead continued on to Ica, to an Oasis nearby, called Huaca China.
That place was great. A very small community of 200 people living around a lagoon, surrounded by huge sand dunes stretching far out into the dessert. Sky and I hiked a few large dunes in the evenings. He especially enjoyed the run down. I also tried out sandboarding. Great fun....!
Nasca and the great Nasca lines are next on our itinerary before turning back inland to Cusco.

Fire...Water....and Ash

December 22, 2010

Not having my own laptop with me anymore makes writing a little more of a challenge.
There are plenty of internet cafes everywhere, but the connections are often soooo slow. Not to mention, when the whole system suddenly shuts down and all is lost.

Amazonia, Ecuador has left a deep impression in my psyche. Every time I close my eyes, I can still smell the Jungle and see the plants and forest in vivid colors.
The thought, that some of these plants can kill you, if touched is mindboggling and leaves me in awe of nature and the amazing synchronisity in which nature is arranged.

Leaving the Jungle behind in a westerly direction, the road climbed slowly back up into the mountains to Banos. A tourist destination, well known, for it´s thermal waters, spas and bungy jumping adventures off high bridges.
I opted out on hurlying myself off a bridge, but enjoyed the soothing hot springs after a strenuous day´s hike, or had a steambath. The Volcan Tungurahua was belching out huge clouds of ash almost hourly. I felt the Earth shake, the first night I spent there and realized in the morning, that this was from the volcanic eruptions. One of the hikes led me up high above Banos to Casa del Arbol,from where I had a clear view of Tungurahua. That day, the volcano seemed to breath very deeply, which sounded like a gas camping stove turned on high. Each time, the earth shook, then large glowing rocks spilled high in the air with the release of ash.
It was a bit unnerving to be so close to the Volcano, yet at the same time fascinating to hear and feel the amazing power of the fire deep within the mountain. All this energy messed with my sleep cycle, that I could only manage to sleep a couple of hours at a time and at the most got 5 to 6 hours of sleep, which lasted for another week after leaving the area behind. While I was there, I was convinced, the Volcano would erupt more seriously within days. I thought it best to be on my way out of there. Later on I heard the news, that Banos indeed had to be evacuated due to pyroclastic gases released 2km down the mountain.
Sky and I had reached the highlands by then turning south to Riobamba and on to Alausi, near the famous Nariz del Diablo. The weather had been changing quickly from nice sunny days to more frequent rain and thick fog. I had to scratch the Devil´s nose. It was just too foggy. The trainline is being repaired and will not operate again until February. The next adventure led to Chunchi and Santa Rosa. Although the fog continued to be thick in the region, I needed to climb up to Punay Hill.
The mountain is covered, but Archiologists have confirmed the existence of 3 pyramidic structures. The shape of the mountain is that of a Guacamaya (Scarlet Macaw). The 3 platforms are frequently used for sacred traditional ceremonies. Until very recent, local farmers have found vases, shards, gold and jewelry, while cutting grass for their animals. Now, the locals are fiercely protective of this mountain and will watch anyone visiting closely, to be sure they have no digging devices with them to unearth ancient goods.
Danita, a local girl, came with me up the mountain. Her parents felt, I should not go alone in the fog. It was a 2hour hard hike up and well worth the pain, but the sun only cleared the clouds partially, for a quick peek of the whole terrain.
I sat down for a meditation, intending to speak with the Ancient Ones. Instead I was given a crown of feathers, that was being adjusted and decorated to my head. In the front it had a gold triangle, covering my forehead. On each side feathers extended reaching to the back, where the largest feathers reached a height of almost a meter above my head. I also was given large gold bracelets for each wrist and something around my knees and ankles. The beings that were helping me with the crown seemed to be of a pre-Incan civilisation. Even today, I can still feel the crown of feathers on my head. I kept thinking, that I must have had a previous life in that civilisation, but can not recall anything specific of it.
When we returned to Danita´s house, a lunch was waiting for us, prepared by her mother. I was plenty hungry and gratefully accepted the invitation, since I still had a 3 km hike back up the dirt road to the Pan American Highway.
Next stop: Cuenca, probably the most beautiful colonial city in all of Ecuador. Each house seemed to tell a story, beautifully crafted and with ornate decorations. And the best of all, I found brown rice to eat. Something unheard of in Ecuador. From Cuenca, a 7 hour bus ride south, took us to Vilcabamba. A lush, pleasant valley at about 1.500 meters above sea level. There are plenty of expats living in the region. Some had some interesting phylosophies to share, like do not own a cell phone, or you are being watched....etc. It was fun, maybe even true, who knows. On the bus I had met Kent from Homer, Alaska. We spent 4 days together hiking around Vilcabamba, laughing a lot and trying out the different restaurants in town. One day, all the planets seemed to have lined up correctly and I decided to take the long trek south to the most remote border crossing of Peru...Balza. Sky needed a new health certificate to enter Peru and I sort of had dropped the ball on that, as there were no Veterinarians in Vilcabamba. It is a very small town. My hope was, that either they would be happy with the paperwork I have for him, or Sky would have to kind of walk himself accross the border.

Chicha.....Yucca.....and Rubber Boots

December 14, 2010

Many people had told me to go to Tena and to plan a jungle excursion from there.

After my return from the Galapagos Islands, I quickly fetched Sky from my friend Maria in Otavalo and we were off to Tena...via Quitos and La Mitad del Mundo for some fun and games along the equator meridian. I was able to balance the egg on a nail, but failed miserably to walk in a straight line with my eyes closed, swaying like a drunk.
We spent Full Moon on the Equator and hiked the Pullulahua crater the next morning, where about 100 families make their life inside the crater, growing fruits, vegetables and raising sheep and cattle.

The route from Quitos into Amazonia leads through breathtaking beautiful mountainous terrain. Distance in Ecuador means nothing, where 50 km might take 2 hours on a paved road, descending and ascending on steep curvy roads, dropping from one valley into the next. We arrived in Tena after 5 and 1/2 hours on the bus. Sky had for the first time not been allowed inside the bus, but had to ride below with the luggage. Naturally, I was worried about his wellness, but the driver had assured me he would be fine....and he came out alright. Tena, a sizeable town of 28,000 inhabitants near the Napo river was a pleasant enough place to hang out and get oriented.
I was a little concerned about going into the Jungle with Sky, not knowing if he would be welcome, if it was save for him with the wildlife, or needing to spend a ton of money on a hosted tour. While pondering my options over a glass of Guanaba juice, I was approached by a Canadian woman wondering if I lived around there anywhere. This happens often, people think I live in Ecuador, because I have my dog with me. At the end of the conversation with Elizabeth, who has been living in a Quichua community down the Napo River for the past 3 years, we had an invitation to come and stay with her. The next day we caught a bus to Misahualli and a canoe down the Napo river to Pucahurco. Her place was directly above the Napo river in a tiny community of 68 people. We spent our days there helping Elizabeth with whatever needed to be done. Fetching the horses up in the jungle, doing laundry, giving the school children rides on the horses, going down the Napo with the canoe to fetch fruits and some plants from the jungle to prepare meals for ourselves and her workers, swimming in the Napo and exploring communities further down the Napo River. Sky and I loved it there. The 28th of November was Census day in Ecuador. The whole country was shut down for the day with a curfew until 5pm, which was enforced by police and the military, foreigners and tourists included. Imagine that....!
We just hung out that day on the river with the women and children of the community. The following morning we continued our journey further south to Puyo. I had been dreaming about visiting a Shuar village. But while in Puyo, a gritty town, I lost all courage, because I could not really find good information on what I was looking for. To go into the jungle would require rubber boots, mosquito net etc., all of which I did not possess. In Pucahurco I had been lucky and was able to borrow boots from Elizbeth and her accomodation had not too many insects.
I moped around in Puyo for a day, wondering what to do next. In the morning, I was about ready to scratch the whole idea when I came by a stand that sold rubber boots. On a whim I purchased boots and long socks. With that in hand I decided, I was well enough equipped to visit the Shuar. After all, the Jungle people should know what plants to use against insect bites. We hopped on a bus that took us further south toward the Pastaza River. A small, unmarked trail lead off the road into the Jungle near Arutam. After a short hike uphill I encountered the person I was looking for...Enrique. I told him what I wanted and he brought me to his mother´s house
for a welcome drink of Chicha, where I met 5 more brothers, 2 sisters and some nephews and nieces. Their family consisted of 11 children, mom and the children and wives or husbands of the oldest children. Their father was living for the past 10 years with his second wife and there were 12 more brothers and sisters in another community further southeast in the jungle.
In the past Shuar men could have up to 15 wives, often they were sisters, and they all lived together in a Longhouse peacefully. These days, many Shuar families tend to live in wood houses clustered close together, with only a few wives, but still many children in a communal setting. The children sleep with their parents unil they are twelve, then they are moved to shared quarters with brothers and sisters.
We stayed with the family for 3 days, drank lots of Chicha, ate yucca, platanos and tried Guanto (jungle rodent)among other plants and roots from the Jungle. The Shuar always make fun of each other and of course of the foreigner, laugh easy and often. We hiked for overnight camps into the Jungle and I learned a lot about the use of plants for food and medicinal purposes, including how to protect yourself from insect bites. The other half of the week was spent with the father´s family, where the ages of the children ranged from 3 years to 25 years. At the mother´s family the age ranged from 10 years to 36 years old. The young children were amazingly loving, climbing all over me, whenever I sat down somewhere. There was more Chicha to be had, strange foods to be tried and another overnight trip into the jungle on the banks of the Pastaza river. We walked for hours in the hot, steamy jungle seemingly effortless. Ernesto, the father, convinced me that Chicha makes you strong. Thus, drink more Chicha. I like Chicha!!!! Good stuff. The Rubber boots were all we ever wore. A neccessity in the Jungle. It protects you from toxic leaves, sticky or thorny plants, vines, possible snake bites and mudd.
Arutam is the name of the great spirit, who lives in a Kapok tree. You can climb up the Liana de Oro into these great giants. Trees can be up to a thousand years old in original growth forests.
It was phantastic to watch the Shuar, how gracefully they move through the jungle, hardly leaving foot prints and how quickly a meal was supplied from the jungle. No meat was served, since the family is protecting their nearly 3000 hectar reserve and only hunts on a fringe of their land. At night we could see and hear the monkeys move through the forest. I did not sleep well in the forest. It is so loud....beautiful.....but loud all night long, even though Enrique and I had ingested some tabacco water for sweet dreams. We tried to fish on the Pastaza river, but failed to catch anything. The river was high and fast since the rainy season had begun, but the swimming was most welcome and refreshing.
Sky loved all the smells of the jungle, running wildly back and forth. Occassionally he disappeared among the plants, sniffing furiously. I prayed, he would stay away from snakes or other harmful beings.
We all made it back out safe, filled with the sounds and smells of the jungle. It was an amazing week. I am so glad I did follow through on that dream...!

Galapagos.........a living laboratory

November 18, 2010

Just got back to the mainland where the ground feels very solid, compared to the Galapagos Islands, where everything seems to shift and change constantly.
I spent so much time on boats and in the water, that at times, my head was spinning
while walking on tierra firma.

Even though I had prolonged my stay at the islands to 12 days, it still seems like I just got back from a whirlwind trip. My mind is full of impressions, images and the sensory overload at 25 meters below the surface.

Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island is a fairly large city for Galapagos standards, with paved roads and a host of tourist shops, restaurants and hotels/Hostals everywhere.
The Charles Darwin Station and Research Center are located a short walk from town,where one can glimpse the first Giant Turtles, Land Iguanas and a host of Marine Iguanas roaming along the coast.
No one knows exactly how old these Giants can get, but one story tells of a captured
Turtle back in 1832, which died in 2005 in captivity. The life expectancy in the wild might be somewhat shorter. The islands are windblown, arid, rocky and seem harsh in nature. Due to the different currents arriving at the islands, there are always sizeable swells and waves, yet there are few big storms.
In the highlands of Santa Cruz, where it is more green with vegetation due to fog, the giant Turtles roam freely. You can have your own backyard Turtle, but you are not allowed to corral or feed it.
I opted for diving on Santa Cruz and was rewarded with 2 caves full of Whitetip Sharks. We also saw a Hammerhead and Galapagos Shark, but kind of in the mist. The visibility was not that great, until you caught a cold current, then everything looked very clear and magnified. The temperature drop from 20 degrees to 16 degrees was a very sudden and frigid experience however, but I loved every moment in the deep.
From Santa Cruz I set sail on the Angelique for 4 days. We visited Genovesa in the North, Bartolome, Santiago and Baltra Island. Each Island is very distinct. Genovesa is home to appx. 70% of all Marine Birds found in the Galapagos. Every day we stopped at different sites of whatever island we visited that day, walked for up to 3 hours amid birds nesting, feeding their young and feeding themselves. The second part of the day was spent either snorkeling or swimming, often with Sea Lions, Fur Seals, Sharks, Marine Turtles and large schools of fish. The Angelique is a relative small ship with only 16 guests capacity and had a great crew and food onboard.
One night the passage we were travelling through was so rough, many passengers got sea sick. It felt like the ship was falling into deep thoroughs and barely was able to climb out of it again, while also rocking and rolling from side to side.
After returning back to Santa Cruz safely, I headed off to Isabela Island with a speed boat. Puerto Villamil is a small city with unpaved roads, few services, a few shops, no Bank or ATM, but plenty of Guest Houses.
I fell in love with Isabela on first sight. One day I hiked up to Cerro Negro and Chico Volcano, which have amazing views of the lava flows, lava waves, parasitic craters and the other Volcanoes on Isabela. We had a clear view of Fernandina to the east and Santiago to the west. In the afternoon I went snorkeling with the aquatic life. The next day I took off on bicycle along the coast, to see the wall of tears, mangrove lagoons and the beaches, which are inhabitated by giant marine iguanas.
Along the way I also met 3 giant land Turtles, lots of lava lizzards, birds and the biggest marine iguanas I had yet set eyes on. I watched two males fighting over territory rights. Arranging a diving trip was a bit of a challenge on Isabela at first, as at least 3 divers are needed, because the sites are at a distance and they do not want to go out with only one or two, or they have to charge you an arm and a leg. Through a series of synchronistic events, I ended up receiving a discount and was able to go to 2 dive sites, that are normally not done together because of distance from each other.
The dives were magical. We came around a bend and started seeing Sting Rays, first one or two, then 4 or 5 together. Pretty soon they were all around us. I had never seen Sting Rays this enormous. They were so gentle, gliding through the water with such Grace or resting on the ground. I felt so much joy comming from them. In turn I was totally in love with them and would have stayed with them, if it was not for lack of air eventually.
Before I had come to Galapagos, I was told a Ruby Seed needed to be planted there. On the flight there, I heard, it needed to be on Isabela, thus I had planed my time on Isabela. In my mind I thought it would be somewhere on the Volcano, but up there, I saw a turtle in the ocean instead and was told to prepare the ruby seed until I would know where the site is.
Our dive sites were called Quadro Hermanoes and Isla Tortuga. It was at the second site where we ran into the giant Sting Rays. Right after the Rays I saw a snow white coral in the shape of a human head. All I heard was...now!
Back on Santa Cruz I had to go for one more dive location:"Gordon Rocks"!
I had been dreaming of seeing Hammerheads cruising above us. Well, they came and visited. It was awesome!!!!!!