Arrivals – Part II

Upon arrival we gathered our things, then met the facilitators for our stay at the retreat center: Ian, Tamara, and Sylvia.

• Ian: The first thing you notice about Ian is his stature.  Dude is a beast at about 6’3” and 230lbs of muscle.  The next thing you notice is his fantastic sense of humor and a playful way about him.  He carries himself with confidence and ease.  Ian is a British dude who made his way to the jungle and plant medicines after growing up on the wrong side of town and falling in with a bad bunch.  He was training to be a shaman for some time, before realizing he liked sex and fun too much to continue the abstinence of plant ‘dietas’ necessary to become a master shaman. He still has a strong connection with plants and the medicine after years of living it in the jungle.  Strong and compassionate, Ian is a true light warrior.

• Tamara: The first thing I noticed about Tamara was her incredible, dark, sparkling eyes.  Tamara is from Spain and has spent the last year in the jungle working with plant medicines.  She is the main translator for your conversations and group-shares with the shamans.  I initially thought she was cute and warm, but over the week I was completely in awe of her.  Her compassion, understanding, fluidness, playful sense of humor, and strength were astonishing.  She is truly a little angel.  By the end of the week I felt deeply attracted to her.  I hope I can find a woman like her.
• Sylvia: I was a bit incredulous when first interacting with Sylvia as she seemed like a normal girl I might’ve known back home.  She reminded me of the Molinaro girls.  She was the greenest of the bunch of facilitators, but that actually proved to be advantageous as she was able to put things in terms that westerners inexperienced with the medicine could understand.  She had a lot of knowledge of techniques for cleansing energy and centering yourself in order to stay with the experience when the experience of the medicine was overwhelming.  Playful, compassionate, fun, and, at times, stern, Sylvia is another little angel.

<<Video tour of jungle lodge/retreat center coming when I can get it uploaded>>

We had an orientation and tour of the retreat center, were shown our accommodations, and then had dinner in the mess hall before our first plant medicine ceremony: Nu Nu.