Peru Trips, Jan 2010

Well, this one is a bit unusual for me, as I'm here to sell you something. The company that puts together two trips to Peru for me annually--they get most of the clients--feels they've tapped out their market at this point. But I am having too good a time taking people out to the deep Amazon green to toss in my jungle boots. So I'm going to have to get some people on my own to make my two January trips materialize.
Now I've already got a couple for the first trip, which begins on Saturday, Jan 9. That trip will run 12 1/2 days in Iquitos and the Jungle, then another 8 1/2 days in Cuzco/Machu Picchu, with one day of decompression from the jungle in Lima. I do the Iquitos/Jungle portion, then my friend Alan Shoemaker or Carolyn Melnyck take over for the mountains.Overall, the trip runs Jan 9, through Friday, Jan. 29.
The second trip will begin on Saturday, Jan 23 and run through Thursday, Feb 4. It's 12 1/2 days in Iquitos and the jungle, without the highland end of things.
What are the trips like? Magic, mystery, beauty, medicine, deep cleansing, changing. THey're about dirt under your fingernails, walks in the deep jungle, night canoing, swamp hiking, magic mushrooms, riverboats, fishing towns, jungle lakes, ayahuasca, the Matses' medicines sapo and nu-nu. They're about opening up spaces in your soul and letting go of nonsense you needn't carry around any longer. They're about spending time with the best team of associates I've ever been around. They're about pushing your limits and surpassing your capabilities. They're about fun, laughter, joy and occasional emotional terror when the medicines ask you to confront things you've long buried.
They're not physically difficult trips, though my staff and I can make them as difficult or easy as anyone wants. Want to haul through the jungle? One of my team will haul with you. Want to walk slower than the rest? One of my team will stay back with you. We will, in fact, outnumber you, so there will always be someone to do what you want to do, whether that's medicinal plant collecting, wild food foraging, painting jungle flowers...you name it,and if you let me know ahead of time, we'll figure out how to get it done for you.
So that's the pitch. 21 day trip costs $3600. If you only want to do the jungle, that's $2000; if you only want to do the mountains, that's $1800. The 12 1/2 day trip is $2000. We'll pick you up at the airport in Iquitos (airfare not included), and all hotels, ground transport, river transport, ceremonies, some food (all food in the jungle; some food in Iquitos/Lima/Cuzco) and jungle gear is included. You don't need much but an open heart and some walking around/food money for this trip.
A deposit of $400 will hold a space. Any questions you can email me at peterg9@yahoo.com
Oh, one more thing: there will be dirt under your fingernails and there will be mosquitoes some times. We'll have mats and mosquito nets to sleep on, and the best damned after-bite (Gorman's Jungle Juice) in the world, but there is no complaining on this trip. No bitching, no moaning, no whining. If I put you into a hotel with cold water, there is a reason for it (it's the only hotel with river views, for example). If I take you to a swamp, there's going to be something so spectacular there that the difficult walking will pale in comparison to the payoff.
So sorry to use this space as a billboard, but I'm itching to get back to the thick thick green and my team, so sign up and sign up quickly. Get it? Good. This trip is worth the money and more.