Just as important in getting the Peru trip off the ground was Jason Frahm, yoga teacher, spiritual guide, healer, beloved friend and Peru expert. I didn't realize how invaluable all his advice, connections, suggestions and information was until I arrived. The hotel in Cusco was perfect, the path to get me to Machu Pichu, even the packing list he had emailed was incredible. I packed everything listed and I was covered for heat, cold, bugs, rain and sun. Genius. There wasn't anything he didn't prepare me for, including and most importantly, the spiritual journey I embarked on while there.
I had spent some time researching Ayahuasca before leaving LA but decided to stop fairly quickly as it seemed that many people had just taken Ayahuasca randomly, not part of a ceremony, and had strange experiences as a result. Their recollections didn't put me at ease or prepare me, they just made me uncomfortable. Some people got sick, some dealt with their mortality but they all focused mainly on the vomiting. And that wasn't what I was really interested in so I decided to forget about all of that and just let my ceremony unfold without any expectations.
Erik, Nilda & Andres
A day after my Machu Pichu adventure, I met Erik and Nilda, my guides for the Ayahuasca Ceremony. When they talked about Ayuhasca, they always referred to it as "our work," "the medicine," or "the plant spirit" and that made me realize that Ayuhasca is not something that one does lightly, or for fun. It's work. Hard work. Spritual work. Spending time with them, it also became clear to me that for this experience, I was with the right people.
The view outside my door
We travelled to the Sacred Valley of the Incas for a three-day retreat with Andres, a friend of theirs from Santiago, Chile. The drive was beautiful, and we arrived at El Huerte Paraiso - a beautiful retreat center - and rested up before the ceremony was to start. The surroundings were peaceful and serene and any anxiety I had felt earlier was immediately gone as I settled in.
Unfortunately, I have to disappoint you all now. Because like Fight Club, the first rule about the Ayahuasca Ceremony is "you do not talk about the Ayahuasca Ceremony." At least not for fifteen days after, and then, just if it feels right, and to people who respect and honor the medicine and its process.
The serene "after" Marika
I will tell you about a couple of my adventures after I returned from the Sacred Valley, feeling happy, at peace and very grounded. Sometimes, I come upon things in my travels, or in life in general, that make me so happy that I tear up from joy. Having returned to Cusco from the Sacred Valley for a few days of relaxation, I came across Marqueta San Pedro in Cusco which was a place like that.
The craziest mix of clothes, meats, vegetables, fruits, flowers, carved items, spiritual things, knit caps, leather purses, beans, insences, jewelry and nuts that I have ever come across in my life.
In the fruit and vegetable section of the market...still moving
It would never have passed a health inspection in the US, but nonetheless, I spent hours there discovering fruits, veggies and other foods I've never tasted before and that I couldn't name in English or Spanish with the biggest grin on my face.
Also in the aftermath of the ceremony, a day in Lima, where Christian, one of the local police officers insisted on escorting me around town with his dog and Star Model-30 handgun. For my safety of course.
I saw the beautiful Convento y Museo de San Francisco which had the most magnificent church and below, catacombs where over 75,000 bodies had been found. Hundreds of skulls and bones were still there and I smirked and walked tall as everyone else was told to mind their head because the ceilings were so low.
All in all, a fantastic trip that I will cherish for a lifetime. And without any sort of illness or altitude problems whatsoever (thank you Jing Master Jay.) Big deal for someone who had asthma and chronic bronchitis for many years. "Snaps for me," as Gill Mills would say. I'm proud of myself for having completed this task and completed it in a part of the world I've never visited before, on my own. Big journey for little girl from Suecia.
Muchas gracias Erik y Nilda para todos. Gracias mi hermano Andres por las conversaciones. Gracias William por la deliciosa comida. And most of all, thank you Jason for sending me on this journey.
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