Tag Archives: Adventure

A Disclaimer

Posted on by under Adventure Travel, ayahuasca, Peru, Shamanism, spirituality, travel

Before I introduce you to the concept of Amazonian shamans and my experiences with them, I want to get you thinking about modern day science in a somewhat critical light. We live in a day and age of science, with the vast technology at our disposal we can observe tiny elements like electrons and measure electromagnetic waves unseen to the naked eye.  From these observations we come up with theories for how the world works. These theories turn into laws using the scientific experimental method where if a theory, after extensive testing under a variety of conditions holds true becomes a law. We fail to realize that there may exist a situation in which the theory fails, but we don’t have the ability or knowledge to test the theory in that situation. Talk to a research quantum physics scientist and they will probably tell you that our current understanding of our world covers less than 1% of what is actually going on and our understanding is constantly changing. In 1900 the famous scientist Lord Kelvin stated “There is nothing new to be discovered in physics now.”  At the time, Einstein was 21 and a mere 5 years away from discovering the theory of relativity.

When we are shown something we don’t understand we used to call it magic or witchcraft, but these days we use the word illusion or a placebo effect.  We are afraid to admit that yes this is really happening but no, we can’t understand why it is happening with our current limited technology and scientific understanding. We tend to have an unwavering belief in things we are told to believe as true, which can shield our eyes from seeing all the signs that suggest there may be more to the story. Just under 300 years ago creationism was still believed by the majority of the population, god had made the world in 7 days as well as every species on it. When people would come across fossils, they believed that they were just rocks being formed into that shape by complete chance as sometimes these fossils would be in the shape of bones of species that had gone extinct. Now it is common knowledge (for the most part), that these rocks are actually fossils and they can be used to understand the evolution of species over time.  “A foolish faith in authority, is the worst enemy of truth” – Alberta Einstein

So before you discount anything you might read in my blog about the healing work these shamans do as hocus pocus or that it’s just a placebo effect, I want you to remember that there was a time not all that long ago when the majority of the population deemed that the scientists who claimed the earth was round and that it revolved around the sun to be practicing witchcraft.  If we truly lived in a time where our current knowledge allowed us to have a complete and in-depth understanding of the world, would Donald Trump really be a serious candidate to run a country?

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It’s Never A Good Time

Posted on by under Ecuador/Peru 2013

T-Minus 8 Days Until Departure

Just like when you are preparing for exams in school, there is a tipping point a few days or weeks before the exam (or maybe the morning of the exam) where you realize that it coming up fast. Really fast, and you are extremely unprepared… One week before the departure on a two month trip seems to be my tipping point.

Doubt

Like most people in the world, I tend to second guess myself. Well actually tend to might be putting it mildly… More like constantly, relentlessly, and incessantly. I’m not sure if this is the same for other people, but deciding to go and booking the flights was the easy part. Now with only two weeks to go, the realization of how long of time two months actually is and how short of time one week is really sets in! And with that comes the second guessing about this whole trip and the thoughts that I am making a huge mistake and my life will be ruined forever. OK, maybe that is a little over dramatic. But I do worry that I will not accomplish the things I am setting out to accomplish on this trip, and it will be one big waste of time.

Why Not To Go

A lot of reasons have gone through my head as to why I shouldn’t go. Being a junior at a large company getting work on projects can be competitive at times, and one thing I learned is to never say no to work (unless already preoccupied). Part of my reasoning for choosing to leave in May and June was the fact that this is usually a slow period at work, but still I have found myself having to turn down work. And of course some of the work I turned down had to be in areas where I am really hoping to gain experience.

In addition to missing out on work opportunities, I will also be missing out on my personal life at home. Last month my dad completed his final chemo treatment for his lymphoma. The treatments have gone really well and he is now on the road to recovery, yet I will be leaving before he is 100% better and part of me worries that something could happen while I am away. Also with the start of summer comes the start of the rodeo season. For most of my life I have competed in rodeo, and for the past eight years every summer I have competed in the Canadian Girls Rodeo Association. But this summer as I will be on a different continent for half of the rodeo season I will not be competing.

It’s Never Going to Be a Good Time To Do It

I can come up with numerous reasons as to why it is not a good time to go right now, what I listed above is only a small portion of what goes through my mind. But really there will always be reasons not to go, no matter what when you plan to do something that is a major change from your daily routine.I’m going to generalize a bit here as not everyone desires to travel to a foreign place, but each of us desires to do something.  It’s very easy to only think of the negative side of things, and end up getting so caught up in the negatives that you never end up doing what you wanted to do. The conclusion I have come to about my trip is that even with all the things that can go wrong, the possibility of the things that can go right mean I will not be happy until I have at least tried. Without great risk will never come great rewards. 

With that I will leave you with a couple quotes and a fun picture..

“The little ideas that tickle and nag and refuse to go away should never be ignored, for in them lie the seeds of destiny” – Movie “Babe”

“Once an idea has taken hold of the brain, it’s almost impossible to eradicate.” – Movie “Inception”

Ecuador and Peru 2013!

Posted on by under Ecuador/Peru 2013

A Little Background

This May and June I will be traveling to Ecuador and Peru. For those who don’t know me I thought I would give a little bit of a background as to why I am returning to South America for a fourth time and what I will be doing (and no, I do not have a boyfriend down there!).

My First Time

After graduating in 2011 I was able to travel to Peru for two weeks, where I fell in love with South America. I had never really been outside my own little world of rodeoing and living on a farm. Most of my travels throughout my youth had been for rodeo, traveling to such exciting places as Farmington, NM and Fallon, NV. The first time I stepped foot in the ocean was when I was 20! On my trip to Peru we traveled to the Amazon for four days where I had a brief introduction to the culture and nature there. Upon leaving my gut told me that I had to return to spend more time immersed in the culture and the beauty of the amazon.

I’m Back! (x2)

Seven months later I was on a plane to Ecuador to spend time with a native Shuar family in the Ecuadorian Amazon. On this trip I learned a lot and experienced things that I never could have fathomed. I was able to immerse myself into the Shuar culture and participate in ceremonies that have been in their culture for thousands of years! My experiences in the amazon were some of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences I have had in my life.  Seven months after leaving I returned to Ecuador for another visit. And now almost nine months since my last trip I will be returning to Ecuador and finally returning to the place where my desire to travel and love of the amazon began, Peru.

And Back Again!

This time around I will be traveling for 2 months! I will be volunteering at a sustainable rural development program in Ecuador (http://www.progresoverde.org/) for three weeks, where I will get to put my soils background to good use and give back to a country that has given me so much. After that I will be traveling to Peru, stopping in Lima for a quick stint before continuing on to the city Iquitos located on the banks of the Amazon River (which is the largest city in the world that cannot be accessed by road!). I will be spending some time immersed in the Shipibo culture, and I really hope to have to opportunity to swim with the amazon river pink dolphins! I will be hopefully be finishing my trip by traveling to Lake Titicaca, Cusco, and finally machu picchu. Gotta do some of the touristy things right?

To Blog or Not To Blog… 

I’m hoping to keep a blog of my travels. On my past two trips I have taken a journal with good intentions to write in it, but the only things I have written down are directions to give to taxi drivers! Here is hoping that I might be more apt to write about my adventures when there is a chance someone might read it.

Sunrise

Sunrise at Machu Picchu