Hi! My name is Gun
One of our Amazon jungle guide named "Sebastian". A very quirky and friendly guy. He likes to make monkey sound and other animal noises whenever he wants to signal something XD. (This particular picture is him helping us build a shelter)
around 3 days of the trek was required to get to where the Shaman lives in the middle of nowhere. So we made some stew and slept in the hammock along the way. We walked about 25Km per day.
Coming across some uphills downhills and sometimes swamps... small streams and crossing logged bridges were frequent.
when we arrived at the Shaman's place, we collected Asahรญ berries and started to squash them in order to make juice out of them~ and it can also be a semi-permanent paint on the body
One of our guides said this gentleman "Luis" is one of the descendants of the Tikuna tribe. Luis collecting some asahรญ berries from the tree so we can make some juice out of it. This berry can also be used as a semi-permanent body paint later on...
The legend... Luis the great.
Let me introduce you to a Shaman "Alfredo". (Alfredo showing us the Ayahuasca brew he previously made)
He seems very happy and proud.
Alfredo preparing the Ayahuasca ceremony for all of us. During the Ayahuasca session, you shouldn't turn on any bright light around you since the light can be the hindrance to your vision.
Before taking the Ayahuasca in, we were fasting and only drinking water or Asahรญ juice we collected earlier during the day to cleanse and detox our intestines. So that the Ayahuasca can be absorbed better.
Also, solitary meditation in complete darkness in the jungle was well recommended before the ceremony. Alfredo is now about to drink the Ayahuasca first.
Alfredo chanting something โจ
So everyone had their own unique experience. Some didn't experience anything during the first try. So they did it again. I Personally had a very eye-opening experience and I don't know how to put it in words what the experience was really like (those who have done it will definitely know what I mean by this). For me, it felt like my own perspective of awareness was perceived/experienced in a 3rd4th5th6thand on perspective simultaneously. It was like experiencing multiple layers of awareness at once at the same time? I don't think I can put this into words.... Because during the whole experience, It didn't feel extraordinary or special just felt normal while this was going on and I was still aware that I'm having an effect of the Ayahuasca but I could snap out of it whenever I want if I choose to.
After the ceremony, decorating and painting our skin with Liquid extracted from a fruit called Huitos. (Luis decorating on Silvana) This liquid at first will be transparent on the skin but slowly turns deep blue and can't wash it off for 1 week.
Sylvain~ Hailing from France. Turned into Avatar~
Sebastian turned into Sebastian himself...
Despite spending 3nights/4days at Alfredo's place it felt like 3.4 seconds after looking back. And trecking back & forth felt like weeks.. 3days trecking to get here...!
Good thing the water level has risen significantly due to heavy rain during our stay. Oh btw, this other hench Shaman came out of sideways holding 25kg heavy motor with one arm and started the engine on the back of this canoe like a boss.
He looks scary ๐ฑ but really badass ๐ Perhaps he is an amazon warrior?ยฏ_(ใ)_/ยฏ
"Bairon": is the nephew of Shaman "Alfredo". Also one of those who guided us to this part of the jungle from a small town called Leticia in the southern tip of Colombia. We are finally leaving Alfredo's home.
This is just some shed we don't know who built it... Just across Alfredo's home.
Sebastian and Luis making ???? monkey noise again XD
Bairon: "now this is where we start walking... or perhaps swim."
Kind of looking familiar to my old days of military training a long time ago... XD but it was fun
look how happy they seem ๐
Throwing backpack across the stream... We no longer started to care about efficiency in energy consumption
I remember half of the way... at some point, we started sprinting and Tanrzan-ing all the way in the jungle. Totally exhausting but less boring trek
me: "This is definitely going to be the thumbnail...
Earlier on... at Alfredo's place, I applied the Huito liquid on not just my face but all over my entire body. So this eventually turned almost completely blue by the time we returned to the town. Imagine in the airplane... People will see me like ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ง๐ฒ๐ง๐ฒ๐ง๐ฒ
Finally we all made it back to Leticia! ๐ช Ahh~ I can never forget the moment of relief and bodily stress just releasing all tension at once~ such a good feeling~ but right after... almost everyone got ill.
But this was by far one of the most if not the most memorable experience I ever had to this day... I miss everyone who shared this journey together and I cherish this moment to hopefully have some sort of international reunion someday~