Day 7: Visiting local Yahuas tribe

View from hammock

Today after breakfast the time literally flew. It felt like I had just gone back to my room before people were summoning myself and Shannon for lunch. We ate lunch and then don Howard told us to get ready to visit local tribespeople at 3:15pm. I have no idea what happened to the day. At all. It seems surreal how quickly the day flew past.

We took the boat upstream, in another direction form the Boras tribe where they community was awaiting us. The tribesleader introduced himself and his tribe and thanked us for coming to visit them. They performed a little dance, and included us in it with them. Afterwards we each took turns shooting hunting darts at a wooden parrot on one end of the maloca. Can I just point out that a) The girls did better than the boys: and b) perhaps most importantly, I hit the target dead on in the middle (twice!) and Niklas did not.

Then it was time to look at and buy crafts, which was pretty intense since everyone including the children is good at the hustle. There were piranha head necklaces, anaconda skin sticks, blowing darts, instruments and a wild array of absolutely beautiful jewellery. I didn’t really buy much but I swapped a few things here and there and was somewhat dismayed at the clothes I brought at how winter appropriate they were. It’s pretty darn hot here, but not intolerable and the humidity fluctuates quite greatly. At the moment I am swaying in a hammock with shorts, sleeveless top and no shoes and the weather is absolutely perfect.

I asked don Howard if I could have a debrief with him and don Rober sometime to discuss last nights events in detail and hopefully that will be arranged soon. My rational mind is going crazy in trying to make sense out of this but it’s completely impossible. I just need to accept that instead of trying to make sense of it, to just process it and retain whatever knowledge gained from the experience.

Dinner is in five minutes and then at 9pm we have the Bobinsana ceremony. From what I’ve been told by some of the others, the Bobinsana drink consists of the Bobinsasa plant, moonshine and wild honey. It’ said to induce a dreamlike state so I am indeed looking very much forward to it. The ceremony will be much more lighthearted than the Ayahuasca ceremonies and I think singing and dancing is even encouraged. That said, tomorrow is another Ayahuasca ceremony followed another one the night after. Then we have a day off on Thursday and it’s time to leave on Friday. I really, really don’t want to leave here.