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Table of Contents
February 2013
— 2013/02/04 18:04
Marylin Guerrero: Ecuadorian-American daughter of the owner of Piccola Italia and at least seven other businesses in our 'hood. Her mom first husband was also a US citizen named Craig - who dies some 10 years ago in a bicycle accident. Her dad Lee is also a US citizen- an artist that has lived here in Vilcabamba for over ten years. Craig set up the Book Exchange you see behind Marylin. Marylin is bilingual and goes to a private school in our barrio. I met her first in the US about two years when she accompanied her parents on a visit. Her dad is also going to adopt a son of previous husband Craig so he can qualify for US citizenship before he is 18 years of age.
— 2013/02/03 18:14
When it rains it pours
I am told the rainy season is upon us here. So far it only rains the late afternoon and into the night. That is why it is all so green.
Too sophisticated to be out in the rain!
Staying put in a cozy house
— 2013/02/02 17:06
Once upon a time: Piccola Italia (Little Italy)
It was years ago. The present Ecuadorian owner, who is married to an American man, kept the name, but no pizza served. However her first American husband Craig(deceased) also set up a book exchange in the building which still functions.. It is quite big and many people use them even though the books are getting a little old.
The blind force of nature
The saga of Othello and Desdemona
When I first settled in this house two ducks lived in the front yard: Othello and Desdemona. He proud and mostly black; she beautifully white. Then, I was told, Desdemona was no longer of this world. Daddy tried to fix the problem and came back from the market with another white duck. It seems someone forgot to properly clip its wings and within a couple of hours it managed to fly off the property onto a wooded area of the hill below - never to be found again. Othello was alone again. But then a local friend pointed out that Othello was female - and sure enough eggs were soon to be found all around the yard. But then Othello seemed to disappear until found to be hiding under some plants - where she now sits on 13 eggs. She protects those eggs ferociously from dog and cats. She leaves the nest very rarely to take a bath and get some food. I understand it takes about 32 days for the little duckies to appear - quite a long time for mama to guard and protect. Problem is that as far as we know there has never been a drake (male duck) around these parts - so the eggs had no chance to be fertilized. As far as I can tell poor Othello is sitting on eggs that most likely are just going to rot. But she seems not to realize that - or perhaps she knows different. We shall see when the time is up.
— 2013/02/01 18:20
An invitation to visit a master shaman of the Shuar people
Some weeks ago I met a German lady that has lived here a number of years - owns some property that she is building a home on - meantime she rents in Yamburara Bajo ten minutes walk up from where I am. Loves dogs, she has a couple - and just rescued another stray she kisses as if she has known it all her life. By the way I get the feeling that Germans in Vilcabamba compete for second place in numbers with Canadians. I may wrong - they may the largest group. Anyway Aika is quite knowledgeable with those substances that help shake up one's consciousness. She is well read on the subject - probably more than I am - and I have collected quite a bit of material before coming here. She has explored quite extensively the way of shamans in the use of medicinal plants, in this part of the world. She tells me that after shopping around in Ecuador, Peru and I do not where else, she settled some years ago on a shaman she considers the best yet. She makes a point of visiting the shaman once or twice a year. Well, today she asked if I wanted to go along on a 11 hours bus ride into the Ecuadorian jungle into Shuar land to meet her shaman: Miguel . What an offer?
Exciting and also challenging: 11 hours of bus ride from our mild weather here in VB to the heat and humidity of the tropical jungle of the Upper Amazon. And as a friend cautioned me: it is also the rainy season - an explosive combination for a city boy.
But more important for me: it comes too fast and without the proper preparation for such a journey and the encounter with another people and another culture, and the consciousness that goes with it. It is a journey I want to make, but on my terms.
I am considering an alternative:; since in a few days I intended to take the bus to Zamora, which is the gate to the jungle closest to us, and since Aika trip takes her through there - I could take the journey to Zamora with her and then let her complete the journey to the shaman's place. Aika is a regular there and her object is not sightseeing there. This is a journey she takes once a year, and some years twice, for personal reasons.
Many Europeans and Americans make that journey, as you can gather from the slide shows and videos on Miguel's website. From what I have gathered most go for health reasons. A few are probably researchers and academics with an interest in the culture or in ethno-medicine. The kind of original and experienced shaman such as Miguel is becoming more rare with the years - replaced with new practices closer to town and cities called at times “mestizo” practices because many such shamans are Spanish mestizos, or at least not original jungle Andean who have practiced the ceremonies for thousands of years,
