Ninoska was already gone by the time we had woken up and Luiz was there for a short time before going out to settle his affairs with the bus company for his ride to Nasca. He asked if we would still be there when we returned but really neither of us had a definite answer for him. He left and Blake turned on the tv hoping to continue the Star Wars series that we had been watching the night before. It had ended with Return of The Jedi so naturally it would go to The Phantom Menace next, George Lucas's brilliant idea of making 4,5 and 6 first and then 1,2 and 3 later, not so surprising I guess, it is a space opera after all..Amazingly as soon as he turned it on it was the classic ascending blue type so characteristic of the franchise, Long, long ago in a Galaxy far far away... STAR WARS! So we watched the whole movie and then it went into how each of the original movies were made, how Lucas nearly killed himself trying to make the movies his way, while keeping the franchising rights and also funding all of it himself. Its a great story, we enjoyed it.When it was over Blake suggested that we drink the San Pedro again and go to the Temple of the Moon as Ninoska had planned for us. I wasn't convinced it was such a good idea and muddled around avoiding the commitment while Blake took the initiative and began to drink without me, and this time out of the 2.5 liter bottle that had been cooked an hour longer than the other batch. Seeing my troubles and usually knowing just what to say to give me the necessary kick in the pants, Blake laid on me a phrase he's been known to use before, "analysis is paralysis Danny." With a short and muffled sigh I reached for my cup and pored myself a dose.But it didn't end there. After we had both finished our cups we pored another half and drank that too. Perhaps to ensure the full experience but mostly I think, so that there would be no going back before the day was nearly over and everyone was home. It was 1pm, we got some green grapes at the market, a smidgen less than a kilo for 10 soles, we didn't feel like paying her 12 for the full. You get the sense around these markets that your always being screwed, even Ninoska has trouble getting the fair price from the vendors, but were always standing right behind her when shes asking the price, they see the gringos purse attached somehow to hers and make the leap, no harm in asking right?We found a driver willing to take us to the Temple, we knew it was 20 soles to get there, but the driver asked for 30 and with the San Pedro slowly creeping into us already, I suppose we were more apt to pay a little extra to get there in good time. Even so, the ride was much shorter than I expected and me being the penny pincher I am while traveling felt taken for a ride of another sort as we were dropped off.Getting out of the van, we came to a small barbed wire fence and passed through onto a field that stretched in all directions for several miles There was a village to the right and another in the narrow of the valley much further ahead of us. We continued on the dirt path towards a large mound of rock that could be seen from nearly anywhere in the area. Passing an elderly man walking with slow patient steps, saying hello as we passed, we rounded a mud-brick building and were soon climbing the ancient steps that surrounded the Temple.There were many people about, Peruvians, Foreigners and guides to suit both. As soon as we climbed the ridge there where 5 gringos smoking Marijuana in a nook beside the ancient alter, we said hello and quickly passed them with a smile between ourselves.According to mainstream archaeology the temple is the same age as the Incan Empire, a belief held by many and propagated by the governments and institutions who benefit from a seemingly clean cut answer. Unfortunately for them, it isn't so simple. The Inca's never built anything like this again in their own time, they simply inherited the ruins from much older civilizations and built much less sophisticated structures around them. Main stream archaeology suggests that the less sophisticated structures were built first, but none of them are built under the ruins they're all build around them, and if the technology used to build them came later, how come no knowledge of it survived?In addition to this, there are numerous indications of weatherization totally inconsistent with the 500 year time frame of the Incan empire, the state of the rock in the temple indicates several thousand years worth of rainfall, snow and other elemental damage, making the 500 year time span a ridiculous suggestion. This however is not unique to the ruins in Peru, there are countless other examples all over the world. So why try to convince people were a much younger species than we really are?Well, you try to convince the 2.5 Billion Christians the world isn't 15,000 years old, or that dinosaurs exist, or that everything everyone's ever been told was always a convenient lie to keep them in an intellectual prison. It's not just religion that binds us to a meager understanding of the world, everything from Mass Media, our peer groups and society at large keep us in the box we were born to live in. The truth is the people who have the most power have the most to lose and are scared shitless we'll all walk away from their massive treadmill of death and taxes.Yet I digress..We really didn't want to be around other people for our trip, so we went down the western side of the temple, found some caves that went underneath the complex and found places probably used to sleep carved straight into the walls, there seemed to be cave art on the walls, but my iPhones flashlight wasn't strong enough to pierce the strange darkness that consumed the dwelling.Leaving the cave and coming out into the open field we decided to head for the caves visible in the hills perhaps 1200 meters away. When we were almost there I felt a large bulge in my throat and gagged as I spat grapes and other anomalous greens and oranges on to the dirt between my feet. Blake has disappeared in between the trees ahead of me and after finishing my expulsion I continued on in search of him. Rounding the corner and coming to a small passage leading into a cave system that had a skylight directly above it with 3 entrances and exists in a triangular shape, I saw Blake setting up his speaker on a large rock that lay where it had fallen from the now open skylight.We were all alone, and from the Eastern facing exit of the cave we could see a large portion of Cusco, the surrounding villages and the Temple of the Moon itself, with the mountains rising high above us to the West. As the San Pedro elevated our senses and drew us closer to the rocks and the plants that were all around us, we sat and meditated for several hours.Every few minutes a plane would take off or land from the massive airstrip that dominated the Northern portion of Cusco, flying between the mountain ranges and then making a sharp right through a gap in the peeks. Back in Lima Nino had told us it was actually a pretty difficult maneuver for the pilots, especially when the weather wasn't so good.We could always see the people coming and going from the Temple, although it is an impressive site, most tourists never see it because the companies that do the tours can't get their buses near enough to the temple, the people must walk a fair distance, and the same distance back, and thus taking up too much time, and time, is money... We were glad though, it ensured a mostly clear view of the complex for us and also kept our little spot completely off the touristic radar.Eventually the sun reached a low enough point in the sky for us to take one last look around, enjoy the sights and take in the sweet unpolluted air that flowed freely through the area above the city. We descended from the hills and walked along the cow pastures in the valley below, unfortunately I was too eager in my stride and walked right into a mud pit, soaking my crocks and socks with a thick, mineral rich mud, that had a pungent earthly fragrance too. Luckily I had brought an extra pair of socks, and there was a nearby pond for me to clean off my crocks.After exiting the field through the same barbed wire fence we came through in the beginning, and having no intention of paying the same 30 soles to return home, we walked along the side of the road for what must have been an hour and half or more. We thought of taking one of the many side streets and long steep steps that short cut through the hills and into the city below, we almost did too, but looking out across the city in the state we were in, even after 5 hours having passed, we chose to remain with the option we knew would get us home safely, even if it would take twice as long, a good practice in the psychedelic experience, believe me...We really didn't know where we were until reaching the market that was just up the street from Ninoskas house, but that was all the clue we needed. Making it to the house with no light remaining in the sky we rang the doorbell and were let in by Humberto who used the remote that each phone in the building has on its panel.Humberto had shaved his beard, it was a new face, but a welcomed addition to the group. Humberto had never done San Pedro and either I was trippin or he didn't know how to react to us while on it. Either way, we quickly got into the groove of things, listened to music and decided to go out to the marketplace for dinner supplies. Ninoska, Humberto, Luiz, Blake and I left the house and went down the alley towards the main drag next to the University, where all the students hung out. Luiz had his skateboard with him, it had big ole polyurethane wheels on it and a good balance too. Humberto gave it a shot, and we tried to get Ninoska to ride it, but after Luiz got on it with a little too much enthusiasm and stopped short on a rock in the road flying from the board and taking a dive on the pavement, she opted for a brisk walk instead. Which was fine because Blake took charge from there and channeled Tony Hawk for the rest of the adventure.Once we got to the super market Blake and I realized how off we were in the whole scene and opted to wait outside while the others purchased the goods. I gave Humberto 20 soles and we returned home, with Blake snaking his way through the crowds on the board, his new tan poncho flailing in the cross winds, we were back in no time.Humberto did the cooking while I did all the prep work and the others sat on the couch watching two Peruvian soccer teams battle it out. It was a lovely meal, the best we've had so far for sure. I shared pictures of our families back home, we listened to some more music and one by one each of us faded away into our beds, ready or not, for the goodbyes that tomorrow would bring.
San Pedro - The StarGate
In the morning Luiz and I went to the internet cafe, I wrote a blog post and we ran back to the house to meet up with Ninoska and Blake. We took a taxi to a bus station and from there we met up with two of Ninoskas friends, one a Spanish teacher and the other her Portuguese student, we greeted one another and piled into a van that would take us to a valley in the hills an hour away. Getting off beside a river we crossed the bridge to the other side, and Ninoska pointed out large metal pods dotting the mountains high above us, apparently someone had the bright idea of turning them into a hotel, one you have to rent climbing equipment just to reach.On the other side of the river we took out 3 cups and pored the viscus liquid into them. I was able to finish mine in one go, Luiz had an inch left in his, and Blake took the entire 30 minute walk along the train tracks to finish his, one sip at a time, which I know is the harder way to go, but he's always been a more cautious tester than I.The view along the tracks was gorgeous, with open fields, high mountains, a heartily flowing river and beautiful green trees lining everything around us. It was a scene reminiscent of so many movies I've seen before, you know the ones, desperate or wild youths of all kinds setting out down the tracks in hopes of escaping whatever, or wherever they came from.Compared to Cusco there was virtually no pollution, except that of trash here and there along the track and in the river, still, it was quite nice, and each of us was happy to be there. We came to a road and a dormant row of rail cars filled with plastic bags, that were themselves filled with something else. A short hike further down the track we came to a trail leading up into the mountains, at first nothing discernible could be seen but then we made out a large rock dwelling a hundred meters above us or so.Surrounding the dwelling were several large terraces that had completely grown over with shrub, no one had tended to them for quite some time. We climbed the grown over steps until finally reaching the dwelling. There was a wall with many windows that had recently been made, perhaps 400 years ago, you could tell that it had once been apart of a greater structure, that now was long gone. Beside it, and underneath the large rock ceiling that covered a portion of it, was a large smooth single piece stone that had been intricately carved into some sort of alter, the top half of which had been broken off, and likely resided beneath the ground in front of it.Behind all this, and further into the cave dwelling was a star-gate like entrance that led nowhere, something like a large rectangle laying on its long side, carved straight into the wall, with another, smaller rectangle standing on its ends carved deeper within it. The level of precision that each cut was made, and the perfection of the proportions relating to each shape is really hard to imagine. Within the last rectangle was a prayer offering, some flowers and half burned incense. In the very back of the dwelling there was a rock wall half way to the ceiling, climbing that you found yourself in a cave in which you could hear bats fluttering about, but no exit or entrance to any deeper part could be seen or foundWe all sat and meditated for a time, I was the first to drink and thus the first to feel the effects of the San Pedro, and I was also the first to get up and walk around. I went to the right side of the outer structure and climbed the rocks that made up the roof of the dwelling, above I could see more terraces and little hovels that used to be something else, but they were so grown over I couldn't really make out what.Beyond the first outcropping of rocks I found a hole big enough to climb into that went straight down into the area behind the dwelling, the structure must of had connecting tunnels at one time that were now blocked off, and this was an entrance or exit to those tunnels that still remained open. Feeling more and more confident in my abilities by the minute, thanks to the Mescaline, but not enough to risk entry without my companions knowledge, I decided to climb the vast ridge that rose up beside the whole area instead, at least this way they would be able to see me, and what I was doing.The ridge was quite narrow, perhaps only 2 feet in width in places, I was wearing my crocks and socks, with virtually zero tread, but somehow was making light work of the entire endeavor, Looking at my companions below I quickly noticed that Blake was in hot pursuit of me, easily closing the gap I had made between them and myself, and joining me on the ridge moments later. From where we sat we could see both sides of the valley, one leading back to the main river and the road from which we came, and the other into parts unknown.As the San Pedro worked itself into us, a sense of unity with the land and disconnection from the world of man pervaded over us. "it's funny how quickly (man) becomes something so entirely separate from something else inside us in this state of awareness, isn't Blake?" I said. "Yep" he said, as we both turned our focus to the roaring siren of the train rearing the corner to our left. A huge and ugly beast, tearing its way into our reality, we quickly took on the emotions of the native peoples who must have felt just as we did right then, back in the time of Americas conquest by the western juggernaut of expansion and genocidal colonization. How terrifying and invasive such a creation must have been for the indigenous people of these lands. How hopeless they must have felt in the face of these demonic metal behemoths spreading the white devil and his ways all over their lands.The train passed and some other people joined the others in the dwelling from the tracks for a short while, after which Blake and I returned to join them as well. At around 4 we left the holy site and once again walked along the tracks back to the river. Halfway there I vomited all over the tracks, several times, each one the hallucinations became more vivid and intense, as they usually do when I vomit on psychedelics, and just as I did a family passed us on their way to who knows where, an interesting passing of souls to be sure..We stopped at a store and our two sober friends got somethings to snack on, while Blake and I went across a small bridge and sat down overlooking the brook. We left shorty after and I remained behind the group looking about, enjoying the sensations that flowed freely through my muscles and skin. Mescaline allows you to feel the same bodily feelings as mushrooms but doesn't effect your mind in almost anyway, something I cant say the same for mushrooms, which is entirely overpowering for the mind and body, making mescaline my top choice for people who cannot handle the mental aspect of psychedelics. It's really amazing actually, I didn't even think such a substance existed, even Marijuana can scare me pretty bad, not so with San Pedro.While the rest of the group was a good 30 meters ahead of me, an elderly Peruvians women, perhaps in her 70's, wearing traditional dress and a beautiful rounded red cap, came up behind me and I offered her some of my water, she graciously accepted and we talked while we walked about the beauty of the land and of the crazy metal pod hotel that was now visible upon the mountains in front of us. "It's just a crazy thing for money!" I told her, she smiled a broad and terribly cute smile and held me with a laugh, Sii! Claro.. She then said several things in quick succession which I didn't understand, but I nodded knowingly with the intermittent , "si" to keep her going smoothly, and for every one of my nods and "Si's" she would give me a smile and call me here "little one".With one last smile and an air blown kiss from her time and experience worn hands, she bid me farewell and walked off into the field to the right and tended to the animals grazing there. The group was waiting for me at the junction and when I came within range they asked me what we had been talking about and I answered honestly that I really had no idea.. haha.We came to the side of the road and waited until a Movil Bus, one of the many tour buses in Peru, came to pick us up. The ride home was astonishingly beautiful, the sky was lit from all sides with a stark orange glow, emitted from the falling sun, and the clouds were creamy white mixed with hints of dark grey, signifying the coming storms which would bring the rain. As we ascended back towards Cusco, a bull fight could be seen in the city below, with the cheers of the crowds surrounding the arena still seemingly audible. There were only 3 people on the bus, the driver, his copilot, and a Frenchman with an entirely ridiculous accent, so heavy, it was beyond comprehension, I almost thought he was a collective figment of our imagination!We returned to Cusco, paid the 10 soles for our wonderful ride home and we then said goodbye to our two new friends, both of which knew beforehand that we would be partaking in San Pedro, but came along even so, and Im sure they are glad they did, just as we were.Ninoska, Luiz, Blake and I went to a Pizzeria, ordered a large, half vegetarian, half meat pie and sat in near drunken states waiting for it to be ready. In a strange twist of circumstance, the pizzeria was playing on all 3 television screens, UFO and alien conspiracy shows, with the go to X-files sound track to boot. We all thought that was very intriguing, especially Luiz who was kinda tripping out on the whole scene.We took a taxi home and sat in the living room listening to music for the next 3 hours, At the end of which Ninoska decided to drink a cup herself, none of us thought this was a good plan, since the duration of the trip is over 10 hours and she had to work in the morning, but she had really wanted to join in on the experience with us, so she took the plunge. San Pedro by the way is no glass of fresh OJ by any means, it's harsh and hard to get down, just what you'd expect a cactus to taste like in liquid form. I played some of my trippy music from my trippy friend in Australia that I worked with on the Boats and she freaked out a bit, so we all went to bed and somehow she was good to go to work the next day...
A Shamans Tale
In the morning Ninoska took us the the open market that takes place every Saturday in the plaza. We had a great deal of sweets and fatty deep fried potatoes filled with vegetables, mushrooms, creams, meats and spices of various kinds. We even had ice cream that was hand made right before our eyes, they used a bowl that was spun by hand over some freezing mechanism until it churned into a creamy delicious cream, each cup was 1.5 soles and definitely worth it.From there we found the official Avianca office and changed our flights to wednesday, the change cost us an extra $15 dollars, but we were happy to have the matter settled at last.It was at this point that Ninoska suggested we visit the coca leaf Shaman that lived two cities away. Luiz, Blake and I agreed and the four of us departed on the 2 sole bus that drove in a straight line all the way there. We got off the bus, turned a corner and entered a large house to the left of the street. Ginny pigs in cages lined the wall to the right, with little chiwawa type dogs digging through a compost/trash pile in front of them. To the left and down a few steps was a bench we were to sit on and wait. Beneath it, was a female German Shepard sleeping happily, and beside her was a doberman pinscher licking her gentiles on and off the entire time we were there.A lady had arrived before us and had asked the shaman to help her family with some woe or another. The shaman asked her to write the names of the individuals in need of help on a piece of paper and wrap it around a candle that she would light and sit in front of in prayer.Blake went in first, with Ninoska as his translator, while Luiz and I waited outside. I asked him if he was going to see the Shaman, he didn't seem to think so, but when when Blake came out with a shocked look on his face he seemed to change his mind. I went next.Inside the dark room was a large condor hanging from the wall and many paintings and feathers, rugs and beads dotting the room, with trinkets and such of unknown origin here and there. I sat down he asked me my name, "Daniel" I said, and he told ninoska that he had a good friend with that name who killed himself out of insane jealousy for his girlfriends secret lover, then the shaman went into a trance asking me to blow 3 times into a ball of coca leaves he had bulging in his hands. An interesting way to begin I thought...At first I didn't want to seem to reserved so I blew hard into the leaves and watched him twist them in his hands letting them fall bit by bit as he spoke. The first thing he told me is that I had fallen into a shallow pool when I was very young and hurt myself badly, and that this event had made me distrust the world and had made me a dire pessimist. To rectify this, he said I must return to the place it happened, put the dirt closest to the event in my mouth and ask my spirit of optimism and trust to return to my body.It was true, I had fallen into a shallow pool when I was around 2 and had a shattered bottle pierce my heart, nearly dying and having to go to the hospital. I've always had a dire pessimism as well, and up until now haven't really understood why, perhaps this is my answer.He went on to say that I worry far too much about everything and that I must be positive or I will draw all the negative of the world into myself and effect everyone around me badly. Then he said that I have the spirit of the Whale within me and that I thrive most around the water, "this is where you must live and work he said." In addition to this he said that I will likely marry a Gemini and have 2-3 children.He asked me if I wanted to ask him anything and I asked him what my destiny was, he held the coca leaves tightly then relaxed and said my destiny was to help others and that I would be the bridge between foreign cultures, that I would help cure peoples broken bodies through Reiki and yoga and that If could open all seven of my chakras I would be fine in life.Then he said that I would return in 2-3 years to Peru and that I would have my own business one day.I thanked him, half in shock and almost in tears, and exited the dark room, rejoining the others outside. As I sat down Luiz entered the room with Ninoska while I took my place next to Blake. We both sat motionless for a moment and a powerful gust of wind blew over the entire village, when it settled, both Blake and I looked sideways at each other, each recognizing the expression of awe on the others face, and in unison we laughed as though stunned by some irretrievable thought. "what a trip huh?" I said, "Yeah..." Blake replied.Blake explained his experience, and I mine, when Luiz exited the room, we could both tell it had been the same for him. Although It is an event we all shared, it is a personal one and so I will not relate either of their experiences here.On the ride home, Ninoska explained in further detail the words of the Shaman for each of us, being the only person who speaks Spanish fluently we relied entirely on her for what was said. After we shared our thoughts very little was said, and we rode the bus back to Cusco in a state of contemplation with dreamy gazes facing no direction in particular.We decided to visit the Black market, I needed a belt for my pants and bought 2 hand made tribal ones for 5 soles each, one for me and one for Blake, which he uses as a bandanna.Having 2 days left here in Cusco, and with not much else we want to see, Blake decided to look for San Pedro, another Shaman plant that has been used in the Americas for over 3 thousand years. Named "Saint Peter" by the conquering Spanish upon their arrival, The name is attributed to the belief that just as St Peter holds the keys to heaven, the effects of the cactus allow users "to reach heaven while still on earth"After only 2 minutes in the market we found a woman selling 2 full cactus's, she asked us if we wanted a full or only part of one, a full, she said, would be enough for 5 people. We decided to take the full 7 foot cacti... Taking it home, Ninoska showed us how to remove the fine, plastic like layer of skin, dice it and boil it down for a couple of hours, which is exactly what we did.After a few hours we had 3 large pots filled with San Pedro cooking on the stove. Having no clean socks or cheese cloth to strain the cacti with we used Blakes, Harrington #3 Warriors jersey to extract the last of juices from the pots. In the end we had 5 liters of Mescaline in 2, 2.5 liter bottles. We chilled them in the fridge and planned our trip before going to bed, already a bit stoned from cooking the brews over a friendly game of 13 over several hours...