Welcome

Two and a half years ago I walked in to the heart of the Amazon jungle and never walked out. Under the support and guidance of a master shaman I drank a sacred brew called Ayahuasca. As soon as it hit my tongue there was no possibility of turning back. I spent thousands of years in various dimensions of hell beyond anyone’s imagination. After begging for death to come I finally let go and died, only to be reborn again, clean and pure. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do but it was the single most beautiful point in my life. It was so powerful that even now as I type these words tears of joy roll down my cheeks. It took over two years for me to process and integrate all the experiences, or gifts really, I was given in those five Ayahuasca ceremonies. I was not just a new person but I was in a new world.

It was time for me to continue my exploration and growth, this time with the sacred plant San Pedro. San Pedro is a cactus like Peyote, in fact they both contain a natural psychedelic alkaloid called Mescaline. San Pedro grows high in the Andes Mountains so I would be returning to Cusco, Peru to meet some old friends from Blue Morpho.

Everyone has their own opinion on this and that’s ok. I can only share my experiences with plant medicines and let others decide what they want to do or do not do with them. We are divine energy existing in physicality for brief moments in time. These plant medicines are the keys that unlock the doors allowing us to understand the true energy that we are.

In fact, that is were the name San Pedro comes from. After the Spanish conquered the Andean tribes they tried to suppress Huachuma (what would eventually be called San Pedro) as the Roman Catholic church feared losing the keys to heaven and thus losing control over the people. If everyone had unrestricted access to the keys in nature then there was no longer a need for the church. The church preached that only St. Peter holds the keys to heaven, so the natives in protest began to refer to Huachuma as “San Pedro” (or St. Peter). I knew it was going to be hard work but I was ready to again unlock the doors. [Begin the San Pedro Journey]

Home
Whistler

Previous Destinations
Australia
Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam)
The Alaskan Wilderness
Peru
Africa (Tanzania, Zanzibar, Kenya, South Africa)
Northwest Asia (Bhutan, Myanmar)
Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, South Korea)
Africa (Namibia, Uganda, Botswana)
Ayahuasca in the Amazon (Peru)
Mayan Cosmology (Belize, Guatemala)
Philippines
Jordan

Next Destinations
Mongolia
Indonesia

- phynntravels@comcast.net

Reflections

"We are not the avatars we create, we are the light that shines through, all else is just smoke and mirrors, distracting but not truly compelling."

- Jim Carrey

With San Pedro being a very different experience then Ayahausca many people have asked if they need to experience Ayahausca first. But I can not answer that for them. I can tell you that I needed to have Ayahausca kick down the door first, otherwise San Pedro would never have gotten in, just how my mind works. However there were a handful of people here for which San Pedro was their first plant medicine and they got a lot out of it. Just listen to your heart and deep within yourself you will know which plant medicine would be best for your first journey.

The other question I get a lot is if I have any so called "flashbacks" or how do I stay grounded in this reality or illusion. Well, I have never had any waking flashbacks. I think this is because I have always experienced plant medicines with a well trained master shaman. Once he closes the ceremony it completes my experience. So while the plant medicine is always with me I'm in control as to how it guides my journey. True, things can get confusing sometimes with all this new knowledge as it will change your perception of this illusion. But it's like learning anything new, it just takes time to understand and integrate until it becomes second nature. I find that when I no longer feel grounded in this reality all I need to do is slow down and focus on my breath. All you have to do is breathe. You will know in your heart when you are ready to journey with plant medicines and you will feel which place is right for your experience. Again, I think Jim Carrey said it best - "You cannot connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future."

"Free yourself and see the world"
- phynntravels@comcast.net

Devolving Back to Modern Society

I got up today and for the first time all week got to enjoy some breakfast. We then headed out to the bus to say goodbye to the lady's who were waiting for us to try and get one last sale in. Two short hours later and we were at the Cusco airport saying goodbye to everyone and exchanged emails. Some of us were flying out while others were spending a day in Cusco. Those of us leaving headed to our respective gates. Apparently everyone else read reviews for the airlines as I was the only one traveling on LC Peru. But it got me where I wanted to go and this time without the local National Geographic videographer with his $40 Sony capturing the clouds outside. We were two hours late but it was fine as my connecting flight did not leave until 1am.

For those of you that have not had the pleasure of experiencing the Lima airport it's a complete zoo, in fact "zoo" is too kind of a word. It's always loud with lots of people running around and there basically is no place to sit. There is a back window sill that is "bench" like however they are packed in tight and finding a space is next to impossible, plus it's pretty dirty. They also offer a single row a chairs at each end of the terminal but you really have no chance of securing a seat there either. Which is good because if you come within a five foot radius of them you have a good chance of going home with a venereal disease. So instead I walked across the street to the hotel that I stayed at on my way in as it had a nice quiet bar to sample the local beer.

I needed a beer because it was depressing to think about how tight of a grip society has on me. I was learning, growing, and becoming whole. Instead of continuing to evolve I was letting it slip through my fingers and devolving back to modern society. I was returning home to remain trapped behind the screen of a computer shackled down by the endless requirement of more money. Change would have to come.

I did find some humor when I returned to the airport. I had forgotten this but no matter what airline you are flying they all follow this silly pattern. They don't open the check in counters until three hours before departure on international flights.

This would not be a problem if they would only open up the gates as well. Instead they force everyone to queue up outside creating a mob of people that is almost impossible to pass when trying to get to your airline.

The time finally came and I has happy to snuggle in to my seat on my way back to the states.

Of course that was after I ordered my meal.

Once I got to Atlanta I was excited to use my new Global Entry. It took over 10 years to get due to a Cuban cigar misunderstanding at the Canadian border when I had my place in Whistler, but that was all in the past now. A quick scan of my right hand and of my face and I was back in the U.S. It was around 6am and I was feeling pretty dirty from the Lima airport. So I headed to the Delta lounge to take care of the three S(s), Shower, Shave, and well yeah.

I then grabbed a quick breakfast before boarding my flight to Seattle.

Back in Seattle I got my bag and then went to my car. I drove home and started some laundry. I checked my email and then went to throw up. Not sure if it was from being in disgust in rejoining modern society or the fact that I ate red meat on the plane after eating vegetarian for the last few weeks. Or maybe it was just the San Pedro reminding me that it's time for a change.

Ceremony #4 - Apprenticeship

Today was my last ceremony and I wanted to really try and work with the medicine. So after burning the back of my eyes and getting my cactus sludge / juice I began to set my intention on working with the spirit of San Pedro. It was at this point that I also understood the word "spirit". Spirit is just a way for us to frame or define the energy, when I say the "spirit of San Pedro" I mean the energy of San Pedro. However when I frame it by using the word "spirit" then it becomes more of a single identity, creating a channel in my mind with which to communicate with.

I got comfortable and started to explore this a bit more as I waited for the San Pedro to sneak it's way in. I soon realized that when I talk about spiritualism it's really not any different then talking about something like Christianity. They are just two different ways to frame the same energy. For example if someone is sick, a person who believes in Christianity might send them prayers, where someone who believes in spiritualism might call in different spirits to help them heal. They are both sending out the same energy though conscious thought, it's just that one defines it as "prayer" and the other defines it as "spirit". With my left hand starting to burn I changed my thoughts towards working with the energy of San Pedro.

I slowly let the energy rise in me, feeling amazing, feeling love. But just as I was reaching a point where I would explode in to a race across the universe in exploration I began to calm the energy and come back a little. I rested for a bit and then again began to let the energy of San Pedro rise in me, this time going a little bit farther before calming it again. I was testing my limit and abilities on how much energy I could handle before losing control and being lost in different energetic realms, nothing more then begin along for the ride. I, for the first time ever, was truly working with plant medicine instead of just letting the medicine take me. I felt Scott's energy watching over me as I would amplify the energy, flying high, laughing, and crying with tears of joy. But I was still being cautious and backing off before I got lost in the endless possibilities before me. It was hard, the temptation to go explore was overwhelming as all the answers were right there. As I started to again calm the energy I realized something that is hard to explain. I was looking for answers but there were no questions, ever. That is only a concept born out of a human construct. I was not a human having a spiritual experience but rather a spiritual being remembering who I was. I didn't need to search for any answers because it didn't matter. I was, or rather I am just energy, the energy of the universe, the energy of you. The only difference between you and me is that the energy is framed using "Chris" verses framing the same energy through your consciousness.

As the ceremony was winding down and the cacao was being poured Malcolm came over and said good work. He also said that if I felt up to it I should have another very very small dose to really strengthen my connection with San Pedro. I was growing in ways I never could have imagined. And in that I mean that my conscious mind was awakening to what I already knew. I told Malcolm yeah if this is last call I might as well have one last small one. I spent some time just sitting there with the cup in my hands smelling the San Pedro and connecting with it though conscious thought. I knew I would be resetting the clock with this second dose but I also knew I could handle it and calm it without a shower at 2am. I then tossed it back and began to feel it in every nook and cranny in my body. However, this time is was a welcome feeling instead of a strange new experience. I continued my exploration until dinner at which point I calmed the energy. For the first time all week I was able to enjoy dinner with a clear head, felling I was completely grounded in my body. There was a feeling of completeness.

After dinner I returned to my room and started to pack as we would be leaving in the morning. These four San Pedro ceremonies, while separate, all made for a single complete experience. While nowhere near as intense as Ayahausca it was still just as profound. The medicine would continue to be working in me for the foreseeable future and I knew it was going to again take years to fully process and integrate.

Ceremony #3 - Understanding the Plant Medicine

I woke up this morning and decided that today I wanted to understand the medicine. I have a logical mind and in order for me to learn something I have to understand how and why it works. I can't just memorize something and then regurgitate it for some test. It's not worth my time and you gain no real knowledge this way. I went through the normal procedure with tobacco and then took a slightly larger dose then yesterday but still much smaller then my first one. I went to my mat and got comfortable, setting my intention to explore the medicine and how it works.

Before I go any further I want to say that this is only my understanding, this is my way of framing the energy. It by no means is the absolute answer and you might think I'm full of shit but that's OK. Either way I'm just happy to be able to share my journey with you.

I felt the San Pedro work it's way in, and when my left hand started to burn from the prickly cactus I started to focus my thoughts. I quickly understood that everything is energy. Our eyes observe light, which is nothing more then energy. With the longer wavelengths representing the colors towards the red end of the spectrum and the shorter wavelengths representing the colors towards the purple end of the spectrum. Our ears observe sound, which is nothing more then energy. With the longer wavelengths representing the lower sounds and the shorter wavelengths representing the higher sounds. It's all only energy. Even the chair you might be sitting on right now is nothing more then energy. It's made up of millions of atoms that when broken apart are nothing more then energy. We only perceive it to be physical through our consciousness, it's really just an illusion.

There are many other dimensions of energy besides the "physical" one we are all familiar with. We are already connecting with them all the time through other "organs" much like our eyes and ears. They influence us and we don't even know it. For example we might see a car about to crash into us so we move. Our eyes receive the energy which then influences us to get out of the way. These other "organs" are doing the same thing. They receive energy and influence us to act one way or another. We just don't consciously know it is happening. What San Pedro does is restore a connection from our conscious mind to these other "organs" so that we can again observe the energy they are receiving, just like our eyes and ears are doing. I felt another five to seven of "organs" making these connections depending on the ceremony and dosage.

I began to further explore this. The more I traced it back the more I came to the realization that we are not evolving as a human race but rather devolving. The further back I went the stronger I found the connection to these "organs" were in our ancestors. As we have so called evolved we began to lose these connections over time. Our ancestors had a connection to nature, they understood this world and knew their place in it. Consider what the news was like ten years ago and then look at what it has become today. People have become incredibly insecure and the ego has taken over. It's that voice in your head that is trying to convince you that you are not as good as that other person. It's that voice that is judging others in order for you to feel superior. It's that voice that has you wanting more then everyone else. The only way we can overcome this to let go of individual survival. If we all still had these connections accessible we would know this and remember who we are.

They say that when you lose one of your senses the others become stronger, such as a blind person being able to hear better then a person with sight. This is what happened, we lost these other "organs" which gave us connections to each other, the earth, and the entire universe. So the remaining organs like our eyes became stronger to compensate. To quote someone who no longer exists "Our eyes are not just viewers, they are also projectors that are running a second story over the picture that we see in front of us all the time, and fear is writing that script." All you have to do is choose between fear and love. So many of us choose a path out of fear disguised as practicality. When you use San Pedro to remember you have these other "organs" you will only ever choose love.

Hiking to Pumamarca

Today we had the day off and would enjoy a hike to a lesser know Incan ruin outside of Ollantaytambo called Pumamarca. When the bus originally picked us up at the hotel in Cusco there were two ladies who were there to sell us things. An hour later when our bus driver stopped to get a Chicha beer those two same ladies were again there to sell us stuff. Later that day when we got to the resort there they were again. They were putting in lots of time following us and while a few people purchased some things I can't imagine it was worth their while. As we left the resort today to board the bus they were again already waiting for us.



While I can't prove this I'm pretty sure they were in contact with our bus driver. We got to the site and began our hike crossing ancient terraces.



It felt great to stretch my legs on the roughly one hour hike. The fortress that once served as a check point for the sacred valley appeared on the horizon.

I had my doubts on if the structure was up to code but decided to proceed anyway.

Looks like they had plenty of shelf space.

Back in the day this must have cost a pretty penny as the views from their front patio were breathtaking.



After exploring for a bit we began our way back.

I was not surprised to find that when we returned to the bus the ladies were there with all their trinkets, and it looks like they brought their friends this time.

Looks like they could not find a babysitter today, or perhaps it was take your daughter to work today?



We then had a great lunch in town where they offered free Pisco Sour(s), however we were not allowed to partake. But I don't remember liking these anyway. We returned to the resort and got off the bus. The ladies were already there waiting for us. We all enjoyed dinner that night with a fairly clear head and then turned in for bed to get some rest for another journey tomorrow.

Ceremony #2 - Totality

I was still a little unsure I was making the right choice in drinking again, but that was my physical body speaking. Energetically I wanted to find out more about where I went yesterday. After burning out my sinuses with a little tobacco I was back in the ceremony room in front of Malcolm to get my dose. I pinched my fingers together leaving about a 1/8 inch gap and jokenly said I'll take about yay much, in fact maybe half of yay much. Malcolm laughed and poured about 1/8 of a cup before whistling an icaros in to it. Once everyone was served we again toasted and then tossed back the brew. I'm sorry to say that the taste does not improve with age nor did I ever get used to it.

I put on my eye mask and got under the covers. With the smaller dose it turned out to be true that it would in fact take 30-60 minutes for you to feel the effects. Everything was pretty calm and then around 30 minutes I slowly started to feel San Pedro sneak its way in. I knew it was in me as again my left hand had the sensation of holding a hot prickly cactus. It was much more gentle and I found that this time I was able to focus on my thoughts. The shaman were working the energy again as I began to focus my intention on understanding yesterday.

It was hard and I was starting to understand what the shaman meant when they said "holding the space". I would see or feel that there was some energy over there that I wanted to go understand. However, the closer I got the smaller it became, and just as I would reach out to touch it, it would disappear before I could fully understand what it was. Other times I would "see" a group of energy that I wanted to explore, however I was not quite in line or in tune with the right vibration. So I could not clearly tell if there were three patterns that made up the group or if it were eight patterns. I could not hold the space long enough to explore what I wanted or I was not holding the right frequency in order to clearly align with it. I was very frustrated. The harder and longer I tried the more difficult it became. All the information was available and I knew where it was, I just could not access it.

I then "felt" that Malcolm's energy was near and somehow he was communicating that I can't explore it because "it" does not exist. That if I try and consciously observe the energy then it collapses out of the energetic dimension. In a strange way it was starting to make sense and I no longer felt his energy present. I first thought that I had to become the energy I wanted to explore but that was not working either. In fact, I didn't really have to do anything other then to understand that I was already the energy I wanted to understand. It was just another part of me. What I'm seeing in the universe is what I am seeing in me. I then realized that in physicality everything we see in each other is us seeing ourselves. We are all looking for something we already have.

That is what I was shown in the first ceremony. I was not just a fragment of the universe but I was the universe itself, it was my totality. The rapid experience of this overloaded my physical mind and body and it needed time to process and integrate everything. That's why I felt so energetically drained for over 18 hours yesterday, my energy was fragmented across the universe. That's why now I was feeling complete again. I had collect all the fragments back together to understand my totality. I had to experience what I was not in order to understand what I was, it was balance.

As the ceremony ended I sat up and looked and Malcolm and smiled. I said "I know where we went yesterday". After a nice warm cup of cacao I got up to enjoy some fresh fruit. I was more balanced today, relaxed and focused. I headed out to enjoy some time in the gardens.

I was starting to become more comfortable with the new energies I was receiving. I can only imagine it is like a blind person seeing for the first time. There are all these amazing experiences available and I was finally able to awaken new organs to explore them. I joined the others for dinner that night and then headed to my room to drift off to sleep. As I was processing the thoughts of the day I came to a realization. All suffering, sadness, and depression is based on a simple illusion that there is an individual in the environment.

Ceremony #1 - Fragmented Across the Universe

Today I would be meeting San Pedro for the first time. I woke up and made sure I did not drink or eat anything. I headed down to the fire pit to meet everyone. We would start by working with a different plant, tobacco. Tobacco is a wonderful plant medicine in it's natural form. It's only when you add all the other garbage found in cigarettes that is becomes bad. I quickly found tobacco to be a kind of shotgun approach in that it goes directly to the problem or issue you want it to go to and it does not mess around. At first you might think this is the result of emptying everyone's bathroom "trash" bin, however it is really just tobacco leaves soaked in water.

Malcolm would squeeze some of the juices out of the leaves into your cupped hands and then you would snort it up your nose. I love the smell of tobacco but my sinuses were still bothering me so I was a bit unsure how this would go. I exhaled, tilted my head down to my hands, and then in one motion inhaled through my nose as I lifted my head and hands up. I was instantly lit up, the back of my eyes burned and I was disorientated and dizzy. With the spirit of tobacco in me I was open in a way I have never been before. Once I found my legs to be steady again, we all headed to the ceremony house to let the spirit of San Pedro in guided by the spirit of tobacco.

I'm here in this amazing fairytale garden between two powerful mountain ranges getting ready to travel to and connect to other energetic dimensions and the tool that I am going to use for this is served in an old two liter bottle of Coke.

To be fair this is the same way I was served Ayahausca. In fact, it not only looked like Ayahausca but it was also sticky thick like Ayahausca. And while not quite as bad tasting as Ayahausca it was still pretty bad.

Like other ceremonies we went up one at a time and Malcolm would pour our dose and whistle an icaros in to it to communicate with the spirits. We would then go back to our mat and wait for everyone to be severed before drinking. Malcolm has gotten to know me and my energy quite well over the last three years. When it was my turn, I went up and mistakenly joked "I'm ready for take off". Malcolm gave me a full cup and I could not help notice it was larger then what others were getting.

We toasted and then I threw back the brew. My connection would become so strong that even as I type this I can still taste it in my mouth. We were told that it could take 30-60 minutes for us to begin to feel the effects. Malcolm and the other shaman began the ceremony by using the sound of their voices, drums, and rattles to begin to shape and amplify the energy, holding the space for us.

Within five minutes I began to feel small popping in my legs, almost like there were all these tiny air pockets that were exploding so they could be filled in. Ayahausca comes in kicking down the front door and is a full on assault on your psyche, where San Pedro sneaks in the back door and fills in all the nooks and crannies. So you are in the medicine space before you even know you are in the medicine space. I got under my blanket, put on my eye mask, and then let go.

My heart took me to a place I had been before, and while I have always had it with me this was a chance to touch it again, a chance to integrate with it again. I went straight to the source of creation, not the word, not the emotion, but the energy, the only truth, love. I was home and it was so beautiful. I laughed out loud and started crying beautiful light drops of tears. So strong and so pure, but it was also different. Last time I was here I was an outside observer seeing how the universe worked. This time I was the universe and it was me. I was the creator, I was love. And everyone else was the creator and they were the universe, but they were their own universe, the same, but separate from mine. I was writing my story by observing and framing the energy in a way that made sense to me, and they were writing their story by observing and framing the energy in a way that made sense to them.

And then I felt Malcolm near me. I would not fully understand this until the following ceremony but he had things to show and teach me. Or rather I had things I wanted to see and learn. I was a young child starving for information. A drug addict who got a little taste and now could only focus on getting more. I was on fire and followed him as far as we could go, screaming "Yeah, this is so awesome, yeah show me more, let's go". At the time this is all I could recall or feel that is what happened. The specific details were not yet available to my conscious mind. But something major was happening to me.

After two hours the official ceremony slowed down and they calmed the energy in the ceremony house. We then drank warm cacao, or what is known as unsweetened chocolate and is also a powerful plant medicine in it's own right. The spirit of cacao filled me and I felt like I was back in the physicality of a loving mother figure, safe and protected. The effects of San Pedro continue on for hours afterwards. At this point we were allowed to have some tea and fruit and could hang out in the ceremony house or explore the gardens. The property was fairly secure so there was little chance of anyone accidentally getting out. I was exploding with energy and went up to Malcolm and gave him a huge hug thanking him for the experience, not yet even having a grasp on what happened. I told him "I need to go frolic in the garden and continue my exploration while this lasts", which was weird as I have never used the word "frolic" before.

I would not understand the various energies I was feeling until my third ceremony but I was connected to everything. With Ayahausca your consciousness is out of body and in other dimensions but with San Pedro you are very aware of your physicality in that you can move, see, and talk. However, you are receiving different energies and it is a very foreign feeling the first few times. I would "see" the flowers but I would also "feel" them and I would "know" them.

I found a place to sit down and start exploring my new connections. I was alone in one of the many secluded areas of the garden. I was "talking", or exchanging energy with everything, the ground, the sun, the spider 20 feet away, the bird flying overhead, everything. And then things started to change. I felt very weak, I felt the energy leave my body, I felt as though I was dying. I was sitting, however I no longer had the energy to hold myself up and was now lying on the ground. A few moments later and I could no longer move. I was breathing and could look around with my eyes but my physical body was too weak to move. There was no energy to move it. In my left hand I felt the burning sensation of squeezing a hot cactus with its needles penetrating the skin on my palm.

I started to panic, but then calmed down. I first tried to send out thoughts to the shaman, Malcolm, Scott, Loretta, please come help me. But then I realized what was going on. We are beings of energy who exist in physicality. I was working with a medicine that works on the energetic level. All my life I have been conditioned to think I'm a physical being. So when something is wrong I need to take some manufactured pharmaceutical to fix it. But that only attempts to address the symptoms without any understanding of the underlying cause. I had to let go of my conditioning and completely trust the plant medicine, just as I have previously trusted medication given to me by my doctor. It was very hard and very scary but I knew I would be ok. I just had to remember who I am, I just had to breathe. A little over an hour and I started to be able to move my arms and legs again. I could walk but something was still not familiar, I was not in a place that I knew. So I made my way back to the ceremony house.

I collapsed on my mat and Scott came in. He was a welcome sight as I was failing quickly. I started to purge. I was not producing anything physical but I was letting go of energy that was no longer serving me. I had two great releases but there was one thing that I was not yet ready to let go of and would not find out what it was until a few days later. And that is when I started to vibrate. It was kind of like when you are cold and you get the shivers with your muscles contracting in an attempt to produce heat. However, I was not cold and this was not muscular. I was truly vibrating as the energy was working its way through my physicality.

Malcolm came in and said that it was fun today. He was laughing at how far I wanted to go and how far we went. I said I can't stop vibrating and I'm worried. He said not to worry and that I was plenty strong enough to ride this out. He then said that I would understand in time and that my energetic being exploded in growth and now it was just my physical body trying to catch up. He shook my hand as I could not sit up and smiled and said amazing work today.

I continued to shake and started taking cold showers after cold showers to try and calm the energy. While this helped for a little bit it was only a matter of time before I started shaking and vibrating again. I read and was told that San Perdo could last up to eight hours but as dinner came there was no way I could eat. I was now well beyond ten hours and still in the San Pedro space.

Blue Morpho is so supportive and loving, and I'm so honored to have been a part of it for the last three years. Scott brought me some bread and soup that night. He also stayed with me that night as my first dive into San Perdo would last over 20 hours. The energy finally calmed down after yet another shower around 2am. At that point I was done and told Scott I was going to sleep in and skip tomorrow's ceremony. But that would soon change as I was understanding that this was something I had to experience and suffer through. I would soon understand what a great first ceremony this was.

Fairytale Gardens

I woke up this morning with a slightly clearer head having adjusted to the altitude. I checked out of the hotel and met the rest of the crew in the lobby. It was great to see some old friends as well as make some new ones. Just like the Ayahausca group these people were all professionals from all over the world. The western mind tends to think of this as just going to Peru to do drugs and see pretty colors. However, that is not what this is about at all. All of these people are on a journey, some self-exploration, some healing, but they were all beautiful people. We boarded a bus and headed off to Willka Tika where we would be staying for the week. The views were amazing as we worked our way through the valley.



I then saw a familiar site, the infamous "red" flag to indicate a home brew called Chicha Beer was available. Or what I call Spit Beer as they use their own saliva to start the fermentation process.

Yummy! For the first time I was glad I could not have a beer, having sampled this years ago with somewhat devastating results. But our driver was thirsty and enjoyed a cup before we proceeded on.

We got to the resort and I unpacked. My room was awesome.

Here is a fun fact for those of you who may not have traveled slightly off the main path in South America. You might be thinking that little bin under the toilet paper is a trash can, and I guess you would be kind of right. The septic systems around this part of the world can only handle human waste. So that bin is where you dispose your soiled toilet paper. Anther reason I was glad I could not have sampled that Chicha Beer.

I got a welcome glass of tea as they gave us a tour of the resort. I would be eating a strict vegetarian diet with everything grown locally on the property. We would only have one meal a day, dinner, as it would allow better interaction with the plant medicine.

It's impossible to capture the beauty of this property on camera and much of it comes from the dreams of fairytales.









After wandering through the maze I stumbled across the ceremony house.

I went inside and was pleased to see there were no buckets to vomit in. I was told San Pedro was much gentler then Ayahausca and that most people do not purge with it. I would later find out that I am not like most people.

The property has all kinds of little secluded areas you can spend some time and get lost in.









I then found the plant itself, San Pedro. I guess they scrape the top thin layer off and then dry it out in the sun for three days before boiling it to create a thick "tea".



The property sits in a valley between two large mountain ranges.







We were told that this is a thousand year old tree that inspired the creation of this resort.

There was also a fire pit where we would open the ceremony tonight.

And if you wanted a bath afterwards under the stars you could do that as well.

I passed on the bath as I've never been a fan of sitting in a tepid pool of my own filth and instead headed off to bed hoping my sinuses would clear before morning. I was no longer allowed any medications. I was reading the resort guide as I drifted off to sleep and found out that this resort is not actually open to the public. It can only be booked through a local approved vendor. I think this is good because it is a very special place and you only want people who care about keeping it a very special place.