Aya

What to see in Peru and Bolivia?... Everything! It is all amazing. As you're in Pucallpa, definitely go and visit the Shipibo, lovely people and from memory not to far away. I'm guessing you've been to Q'osqo already or are atleast planning to, wonderful place and beautiful surrounding areas. As you're heading south, rurrenabaque is meant to be a great jungle spot with much wildlife to be surrounded by. Las Yungas in Coroico (3 hours or so from La Paz) is a fantastic area up in the cloud forests, you could spend weeks there if you enjoy being somewhat isolated and having your own space. Beautiful. And of course don't leave Bolivia with out taking a tour through the Uyuni salt flats, Las Lagunas roja y azul, and the Atacama. Stunning. Enjoy your travels!

Double Post

Some lovely shots Stinkmeat. Have you just been using the one lens that came stock with the 450D for all these shots?

That's the one... Thanks for that.

JB on Bourke usually have a few of their albums. But check out Polyester Records on Flinders lane, great store and i'm sure you'll find what you're after there. As for recent listenings.... Kate Bush - Hounds Of Love Patti Smith - Horses Steve Reich - Octet/Music For A Large Ensemble

I'd be up for a Melbourne gathering. Just moved down from Sydney, so would be great to enjoy the spring weather and meet some fellow plant heads and like minded people while we're at it. Just out of curiosity... There was a meet in Victoria some time ago, maybe summer last year. I think it was up north about an hour or so from Melbourne, but it was at a very interesting and nice looking market. Does anyone know of the weekend market i'm thinking of and where it's situated? Would like to check it out when i have some free time.

Indeed it should be. Greed and power at it's worst:

Reading that is so upsetting... I just don't understand how governments, and not just Peru's, can't see that eventually resources will be used up. Leaving Peru and the Earth with another impoverished piece of environment. Destroying habitats and cultures all for a short term gain. Why not instead retrain people in areas of work, such as ecotourism, fresh water management, conservation, biology, national park management etc. All of which work with the environment. That way they can save their part of the amazing Amazon and it's intrinsic cultures and habitats, and have sustainable jobs and income for the Peruvian people. Yes it wont be quick easy dollars, but it will be ever lasting and will eventually eclipse the short term profit. I just don't understand. Eventually once all their natural resources are gone, people are going to have to find jobs in different areas anyway, so why not start that retraining now? The idiocy of it all. Hopefully NGO's, the Native communites and ideally the UN will step in and do something about it. Goverments really need to start showing more forsight.

Great news Torsten!! Looking forward to buying some Yerba from you in the near future.

Got my ticket for the Melbourne show just last week. Can not wait! Was lucky enough to see them when they were here in 2003, and they are by far, one of the best bands i have ever seen. Navaro's playing is just insane, and Perry is such an honest and charismatic person. Their show was like a momentary alternate universe where things are just better.

Completely agree with Jono, would love to hear a talk from Hebrew on Huachuma and the Mesa. Congratulations on the approaching twins Hebrew. Looking forward to the day when i have 4 little crazies running around the place. Hope you can make it to EGA.

Nice finds there Undergrounder. Mushrooms are such a beautiful creation

Hahah, indeed. Welcome to the boards.

Man that's rough. Wishing you a speedy recovery and hope you make it over to South America soon. Take care

Under a thousand dollars!? That's great news. I did the round a world option last year, as a return ticket to Peru was going to cost something a long the lines of 2700 dollars. Also managed to get myself to last years Conference, and it was a wonderful experience to meet so many interesting and loving people from all different parts of the world, and also an excellent gateway to experience Amazonian Curanderismo. Any of the other 4 Australians that were there last year frequent these boards?

Yogurt, gods food.

Indeed it is. We had a bit of rain up here today in the surrounding areas so i would imagine that Oberon had some as well. Tempertures are also noticeably colder. Probably going to have a look in a week or two.

That is one amazing tree indeed. A true picture of resilience, love it!

Now that, is fantastic news. Awesome!! Saw them at BDO'04 as well and they were a huge highlight for me. The energy they created was amazing, so care free, so much love. All inhibitions gone and everyone feeling like children again.... It was incredible.

Thought some people here might find this interesting. Article

Agreed. Would definately like to see how these gardens are coming along....

Why not... Much thanks

Yeah i've been going up there every now and again over the last couple of years, so definately wouldn't be adverse to a SAB mushroom hunt weekend.

Hahaha, that was pretty good.

I think what i was trying to say in previous posts isn't being said clear enough. With the do nothing for a year comment, what i'm saying is, is if your divine path was to learn Zoology and become a conservationist in Tanzania, you would still need to consciously put in effort to study Zoology, and works for the funds to get to Tanzania. Walking a path whether it be one divinly planned for you or one of your own making, still needs a conscious person to make a choice whether or not they are going to walk it. You can not walk a path if your mind and body are idle, there for not all things that are meant to happen will happen. Yet if you make the effort of walking the path then those things will happen. Which is why i believe the world is paradox, nearly most, or proabably everything in this world is paradox. Because what i just said implies a fatalistic view of the world, yet at the same time a conscious choice, and this is what i believe. I am free to decide the direction of my life, yet at the same time fate still has a guiding hand in deciding the turns and curves of that direction. Also with the meditation retreat, that is definately not, doing nothing. There is an intention and a goal when meditating, and one that takes a lot of effort and concentration to achieve. Sitting around doing nothing has no intention or goal, and is normally a reaction of fearing that what they want to do, either takes to much effort, or in the persons mind is unnattainable. There for wasting one's chance to experience as much as they can during life. Also your right that if you actually did the experiment for a year, you would still probably learn something even if it is pointless and useless to you. But that's the thing, perhaps it is our nature to learn and will learn whether we like it or not, the choice we have though is What, we want to learn. And if we don't make that choice, we end up learning stupid things like doing nothing for a year is a real waste of time. Once again, what i'm trying to say is, if your on a path of learning, you are bound to run into realisations, agreed, whether you like it or not. But the fact that your learning is your conscious decision and choice, and that learning laid the ground work for that realisation. Or if you'd prefer, that learning was you physically walking the path that was divinely planned for you, and so bringing you to that realisation. But at the end of the day this is something we will never truly know. Are we bound by fate, or are we in control? Who knows. But like i said, i like to think that they are both at work, even as paradoxical as that thought is. We will forever need mystery, magic and things that we can not wholly understand in our lives. So that it can spur new thoughts, new ideas and "what if's?", and give us that sense of awe, wonder and guiding purpose and inspiration in our lives.