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So the plan is to leave tomorrow by noon and start heading down the Amazon to Leticia, Columbia. Which should take around 4 days. Then after resupplying, we head upriver on the Javary. Which borders Peru and Brazil. This is the river that we will be exploring. Peter traveled here 28 years ago and is interested in what changes have happened since. Along with hopefully collecting undiscovered, at least to westerners, plants and animals which may be of benefit to humans. No internet & no cell phone service so it will be a long time before I post again.

“Kambo is the popular name for traditional medicine extracted from a species of Amazonian frog.

A traditional remedy in the Amazon, kambo is the common name in South America used to refer the skin secretions from the Phyllomedusa bicolor, a tree frog that inhabits certain parts of the Amazon rainforest. The secretions are characteristic of the Phillomedusa family and have been traditionally used as a medicine by indigenous tribes, such as the Katukina, Yawanawa, Cashinahua and Matses. Traditionally, the purpose of this practice – which is commonly named after the frog, kambo or sapo (the word for toad in Spanish) – is to induce a deep cleansing of the body and the soul, to cure panama (which could be translated as “bad luck in hunting”), to give strength, and to cure other diseases.

Interest in the healing potential of traditional Amazonian plants and animals, such as kambo, ayahuasca, or the secretions of the Bufo alvarius toad, among others, is increasing in modern urban civilizations, possibly due to a growing dissatisfaction with western medicine that runs parallel to an equally growing interest in alternative medicines and Amazonian shamanism. In this context, it is important to raise awareness about the history and nature of these substances, as well as about the potential risks that might accompany inappropriate use. These aspects are important to consider when hoping to understand their healing potential and when seeking to “do no harm” to both the originating cultures and individuals who engage in these practices.”

Yesterday I did a three spot, which is burning three spots on your skin and then scraping away the burned area to reveal blood vessels below the skin so that the Sapo/Kambo can be applied and enter the blood stream rapidly. I have done this in the past in 1998 and again in 2011. Always in the jungle. This time in my hotel room with AC. Now that I am older, the AC, shower and toilet was a plus to my experience this time. And I make sure I have someone there with me. In case I need help in any way. Some people do one spot, some up to ten. I can handle three because of my size and having done it in the past. I would caution anyone doing anymore than recommended by someone in the “know”. “Within a few minutes, an acute physiological response manifests, generally characterized by an increase in heart rate, sweating, dizziness, and sometimes nausea and vomiting and pooping. The acute effect is attributed to the presence of peptides (amino acid chains like proteins, but shorter in length) that last for several minutes before fading. After the effects are gone, the traditional medicine kambo is said to leave the individual with a feeling of increased strength, sensorial awareness, and mental clarity. The peptides present in kambo do not produce any psychoactive effects.”

I won’t go into any details but my cleansing has always exited from the bottom and not the top! And after the ordeal is over, usually in 15 to 30 minutes. I feel like I have gotten rid of a bunch of crap that has built up in my body. My eyesight improves. The pain in my hips and legs is reduced. There is a spring put back into my step again. It’s hard to describe. But the temporary discomfort I go through during the cleansing, is worth it to me. My opinion only. And in the days to come I will continue to feel the benefits of this medicine as I have done in the past.

I will update on any more benefits or detriments in the days to come.

The food here is amazing. Especially when you get away from the tourist restaurants.

While in Iquitos I am staying at Nativa Apartments. It is owned and operated by Monica, whom I have known for 10 years now. I highly recommend you stay here if you are ever in Iquitos. If you mention my name, she will either give you a small discount, charge you 3 times as much or tell you she is fully booked. Depending on how well I behaved while there the last time. She loves animals. She has rescued many cats and dogs. They are all well loved and taken care of. And because of that they are all well behaved. For some reason all of them like me! There is one male dog that won’t pee or poop in the yard. He prefers the main tiled entrance area! Not so nice for guests. But he is slowly learning, I think. Below is a photo of my room.

Today I had mashed potatoes mixed with vegetables and of course a beer or two. Speaking of beer. A friend of mine asked me if I was drinking beer while in Peru (yes Kelvin…you!). Now anyone who knows me should know I drink beer wherever I go, except at the Monastery in Nepal. So a question like that could get a lot of different responses from me. But I politely responded…..yes. I should probably get a job as an official beer taster for Trip Advisor or Beer International (if there is one).

Below is a photo of my lunch/dinner. Mashed potatoes mixed with vegetables. It had mushrooms, green and red bell peppers, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts, tomatoes, lettuce and black olives. And was delicious.

Yes, it’s true. Most of us here have made it through a month of getting up at 5am and going to bed around 9pm. With a short nap for most of the older ones during the day (yes me). I can only speak for myself but out of the 8 November Courses that I have attended over 18 years, this one was by far the best and most informative. I have had 8 different teachers over the years, all teaching basically the same material. From boring, to an edited version from an editor, to this one from a fireball, no nonsense, stop messing around, in your face teacher. Although Robina talks very fast and sometimes isn’t close enough to the microphone to hear. I was able to hear most of what she said. Except for the times at the end of the teachings when she would take the microphone off but keep talking as she was leaving the room. It’s all been recorded, so I look forward to hearing her jokes and comments when I listen to the recordings. In my opinion, she is a very knowledgeable and amazing teacher. I will be attending more of her teachings in the future where ever she is.

Robina has been a nun for over 40 years and is now 75. I highly recommend watching a documentary about her (the documentary is now 19 years old), made by her nephew called “Chasing Buddha”.

It rained for a couple of days and helped clear the air of the dust and smog. But along with the rain came the cold. What do you expect for being in the Himalayas?

On the next to the last day there was a bus trip planned to 2 holy places in Kathmandu. Svayambunath, is a hill about an hour away from Kopan (depending on traffic) that has some very old stupas on the top of the hill and 3 large statues at the bottom. It takes about 45 minutes to walk around the bottom of the hill. It has many, many small and large prayer wheels to turn along the way. And every revolution of one of these prayer wheels sends prayers out to this world, this universe and all of the other universes. The other site was Boudhanath Stupa Which I have posted many photos of and won’t post anymore now.

 Large spinning prayer wheels filled with millions and millions of mantras.

Smaller prayer wheels all along the way, also filled with mantras.

Just taking a break from doing “kora” (circumambulation) around the hill.

Shopping is possible along the way. Coca-Cola is big here (and tastes like “c..p”). But look closely…..in the top left of this photo is the competition. So all is not lost. Even though neither is good for you.

I have moved from Kopan Monastery to my favorite hotel. Tibet Guest House. I have been staying at this hotel off and on now for over 19 years. And they know me by name and i get a little discount. It is next to the district called Thamel. Which in the 70’s was where all of the hippies hung out. You can still get hashish here, so they tell me, but mostly now it is full of tourists from China and a few younger people that have traveled from India looking for what used to be here. It has now moved to somewhere else. Too expense here for new age hippies.

And to celebrate the end of the course, or what ever. A Gorkha beer. 22 oz for $4 at this hotel. $8 at a tourist restaurant and $3 on the street. Expensive for most Nepalis but not too bad for me. Especially after 30 days without a beer! And I lost 20lbs (beer I guess).

This may be my last post until I get home. I leave on Dec. 22 and get home on Dec. 23. It still takes 48 hours of travel but I’m traveling in the same direction as the earth is spinning, so I don’t lose so much time.

So if my flight could travel at 1000 mph and I was flying at the equator and I didn’t have a layover, I could leave at 7pm on Dec. 22 in Kathmandu and arrive in San Francisco at 7pm on the same day. It’s true but how is it possible? The answer will be revealed when I get home (or a least a couple of days after I get home).

Good-bye from Nepal for now.

Well some of my positive karma must have ripened because Khadro-la gave another talk and I was able to make it to it. My cough lingers on but everything else is good now. I have noticed that there is a fine layer of dust/? on everything here. And it happens everyday because I had just cleaned a dresser and the next day the dust was back. I can just imagine how bad it is in the valley. I have heard that the Kathmandu valley has been getting some of the smog from New Delhi blown in on the wind! Not helping my cough at all.

Khadro-la’s talk was in Tibetan and translated by one of the monks. She talked about how it is us “humans” that are causing all of the environmental problems in the world. Not just by the fossil fuels and such, but by our negative actions to each other and the planet and to all who live on it. Wars, famine, climate, etc. It was a very moving talk.

Khadro-la, one of the oracles to the Dalai Lama and a good friend of Lama Zopa, spoke today instead of our normal teaching. Unfortunately I missed it because I’ve been laid up in bed with a chest cold, headache and stomach issues. I would have managed to get up if I had known she was going to give a talk. She is supposed to be a very special woman (Dakini) and has an interesting story of how she made it from Tibet, through Nepal and on to Dharamsala, India where the Dalai Lama lives. It would have been nice if my roommate would have let me know………. Guess it’s my karma.

Monk and stupas at sunset.