This morning I am leaving Cusco a city that was much more diverse and interesting than I had originally imagined it would be. Quite a week taking in the culture taking a crash anthropology geography course in the history of the area.  Now I'm heading to Iquitos. The largest city in the world you can't get to by road. Only way there is boat or plane. The one person whom I know who has been there says this is one of her favorite places in the world and described the city as "slutty". Looking forward to this and to being in the middle of the Amazon jungle.

so today I went with our host and with a shaman by the name of Caesar LaGusto. we first went into market place to buy the necessary things for the ritual then we drove out of town to a place called Saqsaywaymen. this place is famous for a battle between Pizzarro and the last Incan emperor. we got out of the car and walk through a field into the woods which was an arboreal forest with pine trees that reminded me a lot of home. The shaman wore traditional looking clothing of an Andean shaman. Colorful beaded hat white poncho black pants. Later he was to explain the significance of his clothing.  He stopped at various points to tell us of the meaning and philosophy of what we were doing. I confess that though my ability to speak and understand Spanish is OK when dealing with mundane concrete matters the degree if his abstraction was very difficult for me to follow.  The gist that I got was  that there are three essential elements that are brought together by a fourth. The three are represented by animal deities the serpant below us the puma on the earth and the condor above us. These Also correspond to father son and holy spirit.  He had 4 flowers of which there were 3 colors  white cleansing red love yellow balance.  We walked to a place we were told was a sacred space in the forest. The shaman prepared the space with opening the blanket he carried on his back. The ceremony was about 2 hours in length.  It was called a 'despacio' I believe. A cleansing ceremony.  It involved quite a few items. Sugar, suet, rice, garbanzo beans, coca seeds and coca leaves, the colored carnations, incense, wine, Ani's, candy. He used bells and light a fire in a potterybowl where he put flower water (high in alcohol content) . he chanted repeatedly in Spanish and later I was to find out Quecua . his chants basically went like this "listen to my supplication Guadalupe pauchamana mother of the earth helps protect us" he named many christian saints and repeated "hampfwei" ( phonetically spelled meaning please and "huepewayko" help us between and during chants he made a flower like shape out of the green coca leaves and red leaves of the carnation. When finally he was done he poured the spices in a deliberate way around the flower then folded everything together. We carried it to a cave and an altar where we   burned it as an offering.  There are so many details I'm leaving out this is the gist of the entire ceremony. Joseph Campbell spoke about the difference between shaman and priests he said that priests were functionariesthat sure would had a direct experience with the transcendent did they created their own myths and carry them to the people their new truth. a priest on the other hand turns out the rituals and ceremonies of a people by this definition Caesar was priest not a shaman. perhaps when I get to the Amazon jungle I will find a shaman. But I take this as a sort of benediction and protection spell for the rest of the journey.  Tomorrow I leave the mountains of the Andes for the jungle of the Amazon.  I have finished my packing. Tonight I hope I can finish my book so I don't have to carry it though it is very enjoyable and I will have to get another copy at some point.  I will also try to post a few pics from today. I was able to make some brief movies also but I don't know how to post them here. Perhaps in the future.

Today  heading to meet with a shaman. Will report back later.

Today went to the thermals and am reading Guns,Germs, and Steel :the fates of human societies. By Jared Diamond. About to get on a train back to Poroy and Cusco. Fairly easy and relaxing day.

When you see the southern cross for the first time you understand now why you came this way. Because the truth you may be running from is so small ...

First time below the equator first time seeing these stars. Amazing to look to the sky and see something totally different.

the town of aqua calientes this is just about completely fabricated city around Macchu Picchu  everything is geared to the higher spiritual purpose of relieving weary travellers of their dollars in the most expedient way possible. our hotel hostel is the last one before the thermal hot or lukewarm Springs at the end of a gauntlet of restaurant bars and hotels. walking by them the weary traveler is relentlessly assaulted with menus held by cheerful people (who are not currently walking up or down the endless stairs ) enquiring amigo come here or happy hour our food.

The malaria medicine meflafloraquin has clearly started working as my dreams have become substantially more vivid.

right now drinking tequila at inka wasi bar reading Hiram bigham's -shout out to Yale peeps white male colonialist mofos- and authors of Lost City of the Incas.

Yesterday I climbed Putucusi. This was the most difficult climb since Angels landing at Zion last year. The view from the top and the solitude were amazing. It is across from Macchu Picchu. Went from jungle to rocky upper hill side. I was exhausted upon finishing.

view of Putucusi from Macchu picchu

In Ollantaytambo now heading to Macchu Picchu train ride is luxurious hard riding in luxury through communities of poverty.

Up at dawn the people we met yesterday from Cusco met us at 7 am.  Drove us to poroy . there at a beautiful train station and an old fashioned looking train awaited us.

by Julio x from Cusco

Why don't metro North trains look like this?

Hostal Cusi Wasi

A small miracle happened. I think it wasn't altitude sickness it was caffeine withdrawal! Irish coffee totally brought me back to life.   Today went around the city. Cusco is a beautiful little city filled with shops of indigenous craft makers.  Bought some art from a man named Julio and his wife. Spent a f great part of the day with them. Tomorrow their grandfather will take to the train station in Poroy from there a train to Aguas Calientes and the next morning to machu Picchu.

Today feeling much better. Figuring out the tech stuff. Wandering around the city did a yoga class not too difficult but the air is thin. Walked some including to the coca museum...funny in Amsterdam we visited cannabis college and in miami the sex museum gotta love how everyone enjoys their vices. Bought a Pancho and some art today. The artist Julio may be able to provide a ride to the train station tomorrow.  Food has been great so far and everyone is beyond friendly.
I have to figure out how to post pics with my phone... Well see.

So after 24 hours of travel arriving at Cusco spent the day securing travel wandering but I got altitude sickness making me a bit less tolerent of... Well never mind.  Went to bed then too altitude medicine ibuprofen and Tylenol. Sleep well.  Feel better maybe yoga this am.

at JFK waiting to be able to check infor the flight to Lima than Cusco.  Packing was challenging I will be going from  winter in south america and a high elevation where the low last night was 34degrees to the jungle at the equator. That and my desire to travel as lightly as possible but needing to carry a tent and sleeping bag and camping gear Made packing very challenging. I'm not going to be warn enough given what  I have to wear but I plan to buy clothes in Cusco or at least some sort of wollen blanket or coat.

I woke up today acutely aware that i have less than 24 hours until I leave. And it looks like still a bunch of stuff to do.

I realize that I had intended to be blogging quite a bit already about the preparation for the journey and I haven't done so.  As I woke this morning it occurred to me a possible reason why that is. For the last 6 months or so as the reality of the journey really began to take hold friends, family, loved ones came out of the wood work to tell me the various ways that I could or would be killed on this trip.  I received  You Tube videos about various animals, spiders, fish, snakes,  and larger animals that could kill me. The lonely planet guide reminds readers of various things and places to be cautious about including being robbed and various things to do and not do (I will get into that in posts to come).  One friend even thought it prudent to point out that there are pirates on the Amazon River along with an image and story of a rather bloody  incident  with some wealthy tourists. Now let me say here that consciously I see the various risks that are there but I do not believe they are as  overwhelmingly significant as they are described, Not that they are not real. They are. But that 1) people live there 2) people visit there 3) people return unscathed.

About a month ago I was sitting here at my desk in my home where the thought passed through my mind, "What would I do, how would I live if I knew I had only a month to live?" Or  if I thought  that the reality was that what I would be doing had a much higher risk of dying. How would my life and living change?  What choices would be different in how I spent my time. And I decided to embrace this idea. Blogging took a back seat to cleaning  up my house, getting rid of things, putting my affairs in order, thinking about what would the people I love find of mine, How would I want them to find my things, who would I want to find them. I prepared my will and took care of my business affairs.

Also let me say I have spent significant time thinking about what were the various risks that I might face and have attempted to prepare for them. Of course I have  got all the vaccines that seemed  even remotely reasonable. Rabies, Yellow fever,  Hep A/B, Tetnus, Typhoid, I am going to start anti malaria medication today, I am bringing various antibiotics and medical supplies. A friend  patiently gave me  suturing 101 in case I injured myself in the jungle  and needed to suture a wound myself.  I have obtained several water purification systems including my primary which is a solar powered / charged  UV light water purifier, back up filtration systems and lastly the classic iodine tablets. I have a solar battery charger so I will have batteries for my camera. I have sewed into my various clothing on the inside pockets. And am carrying 4 fake wallets and one real one to give to potential robbers (which will work fine unless of course they just strip me naked and take everything which would suck to be in the jungle and have happen).

So today I am off to what will likely be my last yoga class, I have to drop off my motorcycle, and I'd like to see if I could find one more set of rechargeable batteries for my camera/ flashlight etc.

Today after 3 PM I will have an "open house" as I am packing so if anyone wants to drop by a to say good by I would love to raise a glass to you.
More later,
Rob

Less than two days before I leave. Trying to tie up as many loose ends as possible.