Today started with a bang…literally. I turned on my hairdryer and it burst into pieces! Apart from the shards of plastic flying around the room and pure embarassment for not checking the voltage first, I’m fine. I took this as a sign that this trip should not be about hairdryers but rather the raw experience of the Amazon jungle.

As Corey and I walked through town we stopped at a hostel and talked to quite a few travellers about ayauasca. They had all just gotten back from their jungle experience. One of the men trekked on foot for 3 hours to find his Shaman, would work for 3 hours a day and paid 50 soles for the ‘experience’. When asked how it was, he said “it is a very personal experience and that it is a tool. If you are ready for it then it can assist you in healing and if you are not ready for it then it is a tool that would hurt you, so make sure you are ready for it”.

Another guy sitting beside him with long dreads and a beer in hand spoke about it as well and said that he had done it many times and only once did he have a profound experience where he cried. He said the best place according to him is in Columbia. Considering they have incredible massages to offer as well, that comment became quite appealing to us as a good massage is pretty much non-existent in Peru.

Then we talked to a group at a table that were recovering from ayauasca, but more so from the water they drank without filtering. Instantly getting explosive diarrhea was the side effec, and brought them back from the jungle a few pounds lighter. Good thing we brought filters!

As we left there and explored more of the downtown core of Iquitos we passed a small bird that was dead on the side of the road. I pointed it out to Corey and said ‘poor bird, I think its a hummingbird’. He then replied, “ah, that’s not a bird. Pretty sure it is a large moth!”  Luckly I didn’t bet him because he was right! At that moment I thought to myself…”am I really ready for what’s in that jungle?” At this point I would have to say no, but I am only 4 days into this adventure so I guess time will tell.

We continued to walk down the street and a gentleman from a shop came out and asked us if we are interested in any tours. I said to Corey “it couldn’t hurt to check it out”. We sat down and he told us about the various options and to my surprise, doing ayauasca was one of them. We told him we were most interested in that option and that we were looking for good ones that are the real deal. He then spoke to us about his experience. He said he works with 2 masters and that it took a long time for him to believe in the medicine. He said he was feeling very frustrated with his life and decided to try it. He said he never had anything profound happen. Then his father died and he felt closer to the divine. After a few months he tried it again and found it gave him clarity and a new connection to the divine. He said “ayahuasca has the ability to wash away what you see in front of you and bring you closer to God”. When I asked him what he believes ‘healing is’ he replied “It’s clarity of vision, to recognize that God is not above us or in a place surrounded by Angels. God is within us and is everything within you. Healing needs to be done naturally through faith and is about you helping yourself”.

Once we had this conversation with him we told him about ‘A Healers Perspective’. He got quite excited and said he would be honoured to assist us in interviewing healers. He then introduced himself and said his name is ‘Angel’. I smiled and knew he was the perfect person to help us!