It's all good!

I am so loving Iquitos now. It was just a matter of slowing down enough to see it.

I went for a haircut today, partially for the fun of it, and partially because when you diet Ayahuasca you can't use any shampoo or soap so the less hair you have the better. It was a pretty nice salon but no one spoke English. It isn't hard to communicate that you want a hair cut though once you are in the shop. What else would you be there for? Lucho put me right in the chair and I showed him how much to take off and he got started. It was a good scissor cut I guess but not much shaping and the whole effect is kind of bowl shaped. I see a lot of these haircuts around here, although mostly on men. I was trying to show him that I wanted to raise the top up with a gel or something and he grabbed the scissors again and went at the top again with great gusto. Eventually he stopped and I got the gel idea across. It stands up now all right. You can hardly bend it.

These are the shaman I am working with, Alberto Torres Davila and Hamilton Souther. They are posing for us at the end of camp.

This is the foyer of our bungalow. It is a great place to hang out and read or meditate. There are also six bedrooms each with a single bed which is completely surrounded with a mosquito screen with a zipper. It is totally bug-proof no matter what.

The street outside my hotel is a one-way street and here you see the moto-taxies lined up, six abreast, waiting for the light. Two years ago these were almost the only means of transportation and there were a very few old clunkers of trucks that were used for hauling. Now, quite a few brand new cars have arrived on the scene and car dealerships have sprung up all over. They usually only have 2 or 3 cars for sale because Iquitos is a long way into the jungle and the only shipping is by boat.

I love this sculpture. It shows two huge snakes going up the tree. It has been so difficult to get a picture of it but I caught the right light conditions this time.

This sign is on many posts down by the river, on a street known as the Boulevard. They are trying to warn tourists not to buy river tours from individuals who are flogging them at the river. If you don't get your tour from a legitimate company you could end up robbed or worse.

Georgeous tree in my view having lunch yesterday at Dawn of the Amazon which is also on the Boulevard.

This building is being re-thatched. The leaves are tied onto wooden poles which look to be something like 6 to 8 feet long and those are then put on like shingles.

Well, it is 1:30 now, the hottest part of the day, but I think I will venture out and get a smoothie made with bananas and peanut butter for lunch.

Tomorrow, I am looking forward to going to a floating resturant on the river and treating myself to a gourmet lunch. It has a pool with clear filtered water and a very nice ambiance I hear.