Iquitos and the 48th kilometer

Whenever Josh and I fly, he usually tries to get an emergency exit row seat assignment. As a short person, I never knew this row was highly sought after for its additional leg room. On our flight to Iquitos, we were able to secure the seats and this is how we met Aaron. Standing at six foot four, he became a key component of our experience in the Amazon river basin. We knew we wanted to visit an Amazonian shaman during our stay in Iquitos, but didn't have any concrete plans. Through talking to Aaron, we discovered he was going to visit a very well known shaman and stay on his land for a week. After retrieving our luggage from the lone baggage claim, we hopped into a taxi with Aaron and Carlos, the shaman's apprentice.
Instead of staying in Iquitos and sorting out which shaman would be the best to work with, we were relieved to have our week sorted out so easily. The taxi bounded out of town on the only road in Iquitos. We were headed to the 48th kilometer, and into the jungle. When it's not raining, the walk from the road to the center takes a half hour. There is no real road to the center, but rather a muddy path with a series of small wooden planks and bridges to traverse the really wet marshes and creeks. Sun high in the sky, carrying our packs and trying our best to balance, we arrived at the center hungry and drenched in sweat.
While waiting for our cabins to be set up we were taken to the Maloca to rest and visit. An octagon shaped wooden building centered over the river running through the property, this is where evening ceremonies are held and everyone gathers during the day. Beautiful paintings adorned the room and two altars - one for the shaman and a smaller one for his apprentice - were the only furniture.
The walls were simple and screened in to keep most of the insects and animals. After a short stay in the Maloca we were led to our cabin. The cabin was also a simple wooden structure with screens and woven palm leave roofing. Our cabin had two beds set up with mosquito nets and also two hammocks. After a bit of unpacking, Alcie, the Shaman's father and center's always smiling and always working servant brought us a simple meal of unseasoned rice with lentils and vegetable soup. We didn't realize it at the time, but this was one of our most fancy meals during our week stay. The next morning we started on the "strong diet" of farina (dried ground up yucca) and ajos sacha (a garlic flavored tea). The strong diet is designed to cleanse the body and allow our energy to be spent healing the mind and body rather than digesting complex foods.

The slow pace of the week gave us time to reflect and meditate. We did make a trip into town one day, and just as others had told us, Iquitos is like another world. Motor cars speed by with no marked lanes to contain them, the herbal market had hundreds of foreign remedies and wise women pedaling their wares. Josh's belt had become too big, so we had a hole punched in it so it could be tighter. Things are just simpler in the jungle, it seems. It was nice to return to the center, where the only noises were birds and running water. As the week drew to a close, we felt stronger than when we arrived, and we felt a connection with the jungle and the center. Josh and I would like to return some day. We had to push on to Cusco though, another chapter of our journey beginning.