In general, Flashbooking guides have been written for giving the essential information about the most visited cities in the world and in particular for any traveller or first-time visitor. For a short visit, a week-end, a city break, these free pocket guides are useful printable and downloadable tools available online.

Buenos Aires is the third largest city in South America and is made up of 47 districts, inhabited by approximately 3 million people.

These people referred to as Portenos,(Port People) are strongly characterized by their neo-latin language. This complex,energetic and seductive sea-port city was, for centuries, the gateway to Argentina.

In the Buenos Aires City guide students, families and backpackers can get a large selection of cheap or low cost accommodation with plenty of low cost solutions in budget youth hostels, bed and breakfast Buenos Aires, guesthouses, cheap hotel deals.

Favoured for its geographical position, at the mouth of a large river network, it is the departure point for numerous road and rail links. Surrounded by the almost unlimitless Pampas, this vast urban area is a metropolis open twenty four hours a day.

Founded by the Spanish in 1536, it became the capital of Argentina in 1880., During the Colonial Period, the city grew, forming square-shaped districts around the Plaza de Mayo, which, even today, still preserves its beautiful colonial centre, where it is possible to admire the XVIII Century buildings in Peruvian Rococo and Portugese style.

Flashbooking policy tends to privilege small and family-run hotels in order to promote an alternative tourism respectful of cultures and different societies.

Flashbooking chose to provide backpackers, students and families with a list of budget selected and independent accommodations worldwide, mostly run by locals, in order to promote an alternative tourism respectful of cultures and different societies. For this and other reasons Flashbooking is becoming a recognized source of information and services for who loves creating a trip by him/herself and book bed nights securely online.

Flashbooking’s happy travellers can book their rooms and beds not only in cheap hotels or cheap hostel Buenos Aires but also consider other budget accommodations in Bed and Breakfast, Guesthouses, Campsites, apartments, farm houses and much more.

Flashbooking accommodation database is easily available online and comes completed with all relevant information about youth hostel and hotel location and map, description, services, hostel contacts, customer ratings, six pictures and updated prices inclusive of taxes and services together with instant real availability.

Having the reservation final price is also convenient as it does give the transparency our users pretend while booking. Having the final total amount of your booking means you do not have to worry about other extra surprises!

So mates, we are looking forward to finding you THE budget accommodation that meets your needs and pocket for your next trip! Last but not least, if you wish to help us, you can either give your personal ratings of some accommodations, lodgings, bed and breakfast, youth hostels and budget small hotels where you stayed, or enlarging the hostel offer by reporting some new hostel contacts!

Examining the potential for tourism or exploring areas of economic growth, Panama is seeking a design for the future. It has one of the most developed infrastructure facilities in Latin America. This is mainly due to the presence of the Panama canal and two busy ports that have grown along side the canal – the Balboa on the Pacific and the Cristobal on the Atlantic.

The Panama Canal actually needs nature around it, to serve as water catchments, so there are many excellent places to enjoy nature in and around Panama City. Along the west side of the canal you will find the Parque Nacional Soberania, and nearby is the amazing Summit botanical gardens and zoo.

Panama City is the capital of the country and the largest as well. There are several nature reserves near Panama City, including the Parque Natural Metropolitano and the Centro de Exhibiciones Marinas, which is an aquarium.

Tourists feel safe in Panama. In Panama the crime rates are low, prices of goods are reasonably lower than the western countries and the country has a beautiful weather. The city was founded around 500 years ago. Unfortunately it was destroyed by fire in 1671 after being attacked and looted by Henry Morgan and his 1400 men. The city was rebuilt in 1673 in a new location around 5 miles southwest of the original city. The ruins of the old city, known as Panama la Vieja, still remain and are very popular as a tourist destination.

There are many historic sites and cultural attractions in Panama City. For instance, the Museo del Canal Interoceanico is a Panama Canal museum for those interested in the history of the Canal. The Museo Antropologico Reina Torres de Arauz contains precious metal artifacts from pre-Colombian Panama. In addition, the museum is located in the original Pacific terminal of the Panama Railroad. The Colonial section of Panama features colonial architecture and amazing scenic views of Panama City.

And of course there is the Panama Canal, which is worth seeing just for the magnificence of the feat of building it. Two bridges cross the Canal now, the original and well-known Bridge of the Americas, and the newer Centennial Bridge.

Panama City has many beautiful older buildings, especially those from the Colonial era, but also has some amazing newer construction that easily compares to anything in the US in terms of modern appeal. American architect Frank Gehry, who designed the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum, is working on a new structure, the Bridge of Life Museum, to be completed in mid 2008.

People planning a trip must consider several things before choosing the final spot. Its economy, safety, weather are just some in the list. The good thing about visiting Panama is, it has all the modern facilities yet has a native nature that creates some vibe in the tourists’ mind.

Overall, Panama is the most happening place in the region. It has everything that tourists want. The well educated security forces only compliments the beautiful country; making it a safe place to enjoy times with the family and friends.

By Timothy Scott, Editor of Luxury Latin America

Roatan Island in Honduras has long been a favorite with scuba divers and those looking for a prime retirement spot in the Caribbean. As word has gotten out, standards are improving and new luxury hotels are on the drawing board. For now, however, here are the top spots on the island for upscale visitors.

Anthony’s Key Resort Anthony’s Key was the premiere Roatan destination for decades and only now is it starting to see any real competition for demanding travelers. There is nothing to compare it to in Honduras or on other parts the Caribbean coast of Central America. There are several dive resorts in the Bay Islands, but none have the number of boats, extensive educational facility, or such a well-equipped dive center, complete with an on-site hyperbaric chamber. This is the best place for those who want to eat, sleep, and dive. Rooms are rather basic, but most are on a small island reached by water taxi and have impressive views from their hammocks and lounge chairs on the deck.

Barefoot Cay Situated next to a yacht harbor, Barefoot Cay is one of the top choices on the island for upscale travelers who prize room amenities over size. It hosts more than its share of VIPs and wealthy yacht owners who need to meet up with friends or family. Within the resort is a gorgeous swimming pool, a long dock leading to a pristine gazebo out in the sea, and private beaches. Only four bungalows are on the island itself while the other seven rooms are on the mainland above the dive center, with views of the sea. The resort is fully equipped with a restaurant, bar and diving shop, but it’s the impressive bungalows and decked-out rooms with full kitchens that are the high point.

Infinity Bay Spa & Beach Resort Located at the far end of picture-perfect West Bay Beach, this condo building that also functions as a hotel has the best rooms on the island. Units here range from studios slightly larger than a normal hotel room to two-bedroom, two-bath villas that are a full home away from home. A huge free-form pool is the centerpiece of the resort, surrounded by ample lounge chairs, a bridge and 2 waterfalls, plus a swim-up bar. The beach here is the main draw, of course, a stunning crescent of sand that has appeared on more than a few of those “Top-10 Beaches lists”. This is also one of the “greenest” hotels on Roatan, with solar hot water, a completely self-contained sewage treatment system, and reclamation of waste water for landscaping.

Palmetto Bay Plantation Palmetto Bay appeals to guests who want to experience natural isolation with a minimum of noise and outside intrusions. The restaurant and lounge are in a dramatic open triangular structure made of wood, its high ceiling sailing up to a peak in the center, everything spilling out to the pool, with a view to the beach beyond. The indoor/outdoor bar and lounge gives you the choice of barstools, chairs around a table, or a giant Rajasthani-looking daybed. The resort contains a full dive center, a gazebo over the sea, and nature trails. The bungalows on stilts have wraparound decks and are the size of small houses, making them a great choice for families. Getting to this isolated location is not easy, but if you’re up for quality time and relaxation in a natural setting, this is paradise.

Mexico’s ranking among the world’s countries in international tourism arrivals increased from eight to seven last month according to World Tourism Organization figures, Tourism Secretary Rodolfo Elizondo recently announced. Approximately 21.9 million international guests arrived to Mexico in 2005.

Tourism providers are rushing to meet the increasing demand for service. For example, there are currently 23 new flights to Mexico from the United States, and Canadians can count on an additional three flights to Mexico.

“More and more leisure and business travelers are discovering the many benefits of a Mexican vacation. Our country not only offers visitors beautiful beaches, an almost endless array of cultural destinations and many exciting adventure tourism options, but Mexico does it all while providing tourists with great value and gracious service,” said Elizondo.

Sectur reports that Mexico’s tourism industry was responsible for generating 1.9 million direct jobs in 2005, up 3 percent over 2004 numbers. With the tourism sector so favorably impacting the country and its people, Mexico invests considerable time and effort in developing it.

The Mexican government has a comprehensive, long-term tourism plan in place to guide its efforts through 2025. The plan’s goal is to consistently increase both the number of international visitors and the amount of tourism revenue.

About the Mexico Tourism Board

The Mexico Tourism Board (MTB) brings together the resources of federal and state governments, municipalities and private companies to promote Mexico’s tourism attractions and destinations internationally. Created in 1999, the MTB is Mexico’s tourism promotion agency, and its participants include members of both the private and public sectors. The MTB has offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America.

FOR PRESS ONLY: For additional ideas, help with a story or general travel and tourism information about Mexico, please contact the MTB’s North American Press Room directly at 1-800-929-4555, by e-mail at northamericanpress@visitmexico.com, or visit our press Web site at www.visitmexicopress.com. To access an online warehouse of free, downloadable b-roll, visit www.thenewsmarket.com/visitmexicopress.

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San Pedro (Trichocereus pachanoi), the sacred cactus and visionary teacher plant of the South Americas, is especially associated with the shamans and healers (curanderos) of the Peruvian Andes. It has other names among these healers as well; including “El Remedio”: The Remedy, which refers to its healing and visionary powers which, they say, can help us to let go of “the illusions of the world”.

 

Even its post-Hispanic name, San Pedro, embodies these qualities because Saint Peter is the holder of the keys to Heaven and the name of the cactus therefore speaks of its ability to ‘open the gates’ into another world where those who drink it can heal, discover their divinity, and find their purpose on Earth.

 

It is also known as huachuma and this is how it is most often referred to by the shamans who use it, who call themselves huachumeros (male) or huachumeras (female). Its use as a sacrament and in healing rituals is as old as history itself. The earliest archaeological evidence so far discovered is a stone carving of a huachumero found at the Jaguar Temple of Chavín de Huantar in northern Peru, which is almost 3,500 years old. Textiles from the same region and period of history depict the cactus with jaguars and hummingbirds, two of its guardian spirits, and with stylised spirals representing the visionary experience. 

 

Another image, of an owl-faced woman holding a cactus, comes from a ceramic pot from the Chimú culture, dating to 1200 AD. According to native beliefs, the owl is a tutelary spirit and guardian of herbalists and shamans, so the woman depicted is most likely a curandera (healer) and huachumera.

 

Cactus ceremonies are held today for the same reasons as ever: to cure illnesses of a spiritual, emotional, mental, or physical nature; to know the future through the prophetic and divinatory qualities of the plant; to overcome sorcery or saladera (an inexplicable run of ‘bad luck’); to ensure success in one’s ventures; to rekindle love and enthusiasm for life; and to experience the world as divine.

 

The ethnobotanist, Richard Evans Schultes, wrote of San Pedro in the book Plants of the Gods that it is “always in tune with the powers of animals and beings that have supernatural powers… Participants [in ceremonies] are ‘set free from matter’ and engage in flight through cosmic regions… transported across time and distance in a rapid and safe fashion”. He quotes one Andean shaman who describes some of the effects of the plant: “First, a dreamy state… then great visions, a clearing of all the faculties… and then detachment, a type of visual force inclusive of the sixth sense, the telepathic state of transmitting oneself across time and matter, like a removal of thoughts to a distant dimension”.

 

Lesley Myburgh (known in the Andes as La Gringa: “the outsider woman”) is another of these shamans. She has led ceremonies with San Pedro for almost 20 years.

 

“It is a master teacher”, she says. “It helps us to heal, to grow, to learn and awaken, and assists us in reaching higher states of consciousness. I have been very blessed to have experienced many miracles: people being cured of all sorts of illnesses just by drinking this sacred plant. We use it to reconnect to the Earth and to realize that there is no separation between you, me, the Earth, and the Sky. We are all One. It’s one thing to read that, but to actually experience this oneness is the most beautiful gift we can receive.

 

“San Pedro teaches us to live in balance and harmony; it teaches us compassion and understanding; and it shows us how to love, respect, and honour all things. It shows us too that we are children of light – precious and special – and to see that light within us.

 

“Each person’s experience will be unique, as we are all unique, and drinking San Pedro is therefore a personal journey of discovery, of the self and the universe. There is one thing in common though: The day that you meet San Pedro is one you will never forget – a day filled with light and love, which can change your life forever… and always for the better”.

 

In 2008, during one of my visits to Peru to work with San Pedro, I interviewed La Gringa about her life and experiences with huachuma, the cactus of vision. Her answers show not only the healing potential of this plant but cast light on the traditions which surround it and their evolution in the modern world. For those who work as shamanic healers, what La Gringa has learned from huachuma is also of interest because it suggests where illness may come from and how, therefore, it may be cured, even by those who do not work with San Pedro themselves.

 

How did you come to be involved in shamanic practice?

I first drank San Pedro in the 1990s and that experience overturned everything I thought I knew about reality. During my visions, out in the mountains, I saw a stairway of light on a nearby hill and I called my shaman over to explain it.

 

“There is nothing to explain”, he shrugged. “It is a stairway of light”.

 

“You mean you see it too?” I asked.

 

“Of course”, he said. “Take a photograph if you don’t believe it is there”. I thought he was crazy. How could I photograph a vision: something that was just in my head? But I didn’t want to be disrespectful so I took the picture anyway.

 

Later I got it developed, and there it was: a stairway of light, just as I’d seen it, although I had never seen it there in the mountains before and you will probably not see it now. I called my shaman and he came over to look at the picture, although he didn’t seem that surprised by it, like I was.

 

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!” he said. “These things are not just in your mind. They exist. San Pedro opens your eyes to what is already there!”

 

San Pedro had shown me reality as it actually was, but it had also changed what I thought of as real. I now understood the vast power we humans have, and that we can manifest anything we choose; we just have to believe we can. San Pedro teaches us how to believe.

 

It teaches us that we are part of everything, that we are brothers and sisters, and that nature in its true form is beautiful. It wakes us up and shows us how to be conscious of the Earth. Before San Pedro I used to walk through the world and not notice it. Now I notice everything and I have a new respect for it.

 

That wasn’t the only ‘miracle’ I saw that day though. My shaman was a gentle man and I felt peaceful and protected as I lay in the sun. So, when I opened my eyes and saw two children looking down at me, they were so beautiful I thought they were angels. I was in awe of them and it took me some moments to realise they were real and were crying and asking for help.

 

They said their father was sick at home and they had no mother so they didn’t know what to do. They were frightened that he was dying.

 

I went to their house with my shaman and when I saw the man I thought he was dying too. But the shaman walked calmly over to him and started to blow on the top of his head through some coca leaves he had with him. He then used a feather, running it over the sick man’s head and body; then he said a prayer.

 

As soon as that was done the man sat bolt upright and started to vomit like he’d never stop. Immediately he looked better. The shaman said he’d be fine after that and when we left the house he was already out of bed and taking care of his children.

 

That was my first experience of a shamanic healing, and all the shaman had used was a feather and some leaves and, of course, the knowledge given him by San Pedro. After that I knew that I wanted to work more with this plant.

 

You trained with other shamans too. Tell us about your present teacher.

His name is Ruben. I met him ten years ago in a church in the Sacred Valley, quite by chance. I learned so much from him right from the start. He is a famous anthropologist who for many years ran the Machu Picchu sacred site, but he is also a shaman so he knows why and how things work from both a historical and a spiritual perspective.

 

His training was very hard. He was not like my first shamanic teachers, who were much gentler. He made me drink San Pedro twice a week for several years. Sometimes I would beg him not to have to drink it! I’d sob and say I was too sick to drink, because I just couldn’t face another session. But he would say, “Good! You’re sick! That – and the fact that you can’t face the healing you need – is exactly why you need to drink it! Get your coat and let’s go!”

 

At the time it was agony, but now I know he was right and drinking all that San Pedro was the best thing that happened to me. I saw all the bad things in my life in a new light and was able to let them go. I cleared whole lifetimes in those years, and I learned so much about San Pedro and healing too.

 

I still work with Ruben and I hope I always will. But he has softened a little now and no longer demands that I drink every week.

 

He is an ‘old school’ shaman, though, isn’t he, with lots of ritual as part of his ceremonies – the singado and contrachisa, etc. Did he teach you that too?

Oh yes. But I never felt comfortable with those rituals and Ruben agreed that I should work differently, especially as I was now healing many Westerners who didn’t really understand the rituals anyway. San Pedro guided me and said I should keep things simple. So now I say a prayer to open the ceremony and then as much as possible allow San Pedro to do its work without me getting in its way.

 

I do sometimes use tobacco in ceremonies though, but not the singado [tobacco leaf macerated in honey and alcohol which many shamans ask participants to snort into their nostrils to clear negative energies]; just tobacco smoke. It is good to blow the smoke over people if they are going through a tough time or have stuck energy somewhere within them. The smoke frees it up.

 

I also use agua florida [a plant-based perfume with healing properties] to balance people’s energies. Mostly I ask them to sniff it from the bottle or from their hands and it helps to ground them, but sometimes I spray it over them.

 

And of course I also use a mesa [a cloth altar laid out in a specific ritual way], although mine is much simpler than many others. In Peru, shamans work with many different layouts of mesa, but when you have your own you learn to use it in a way that suits you. It is a living thing so you develop a relationship with it. San Pedro teaches you how to use it too.

 

The objects at the centre of my mesa are shells and stones which have meaning and power for me. I arrange them in a straight line, like a spinal column with the stones as the vertebrae. This follows the notion in Peru that spiritual energy is held in the small of the back and as we advance on our paths and the plants guide us it begins to rise up the spine to the head, where it resides when we become fully conscious.

 

In the Andes we have three sacred animals: the serpent, puma, and condor, and you will sometimes see statues of all three, one on top of the other. The serpent represents the divine energy we hold in our backs; the puma is the body; and the condor is the awakened self: the mind that soars above the world. So these statues are also a representation of energy flowing through us and bringing us into new consciousness. The mesa I use is like that.

 

Some shamans use chonta [wooden staffs sometimes used to beat participants to move their spiritual energies around] and swords on their mesas as well; as protections and to change the energies of patients and heal them. I don’t, because I have always known that San Pedro protects me and my participants anyway, and that there is no greater protection or more powerful healer than the plant! So why would I need to hit participants with sticks – and interrupt their healings by doing so?

 

Ruben is a historian and regards my approach as form of evolution which gives people the healing they need through the correct ceremonies for our times. But it is also a de-evolution because so many rituals and objects have been artificially added to San Pedro mesas and ceremonies through the influence of the Spanish Catholics.

 

Before the Spanish came to Peru, Andeans believed in Inti, the god of the sun, and Pachamama, the Earth, so their rituals were simpler and needed fewer symbols, appeasements to God, or ways to keep evil at bay. The idea of guilt and a God who needed appeasing arrived with the Catholics and it was they who made our ancestors change their rituals or be killed. Before this, they were more natural and flowing.

 

So what I do may be an evolution, as Ruben calls it, but it is also a return to what was always done. It is as if we have evolved backwards rather than forwards in time!

 

Is your decision to hold ceremonies in the day instead of at night part of this ‘backwards evolution’ too?

Ruben holds his ceremonies at night and that is how he taught me, but as I grew in my understanding of San Pedro, night ceremonies – for practical as well as spiritual reasons – became another thing that did not really work for me.

 

Perhaps it is to do with the Spanish again and their Catholic notions of guilt and “suffering for our sins” that most San Pedro ceremonies are held at night! I always found it so cold and uncomfortable that I could never really relax enough to receive the healing of San Pedro. I mentioned this to Ruben and he understood exactly what I meant, so he began to hold ceremonies for me during the day. Then I really noticed the difference. In daylight is where all my breakthroughs have come.

 

For one thing, with San Pedro, you can look around you and see the beauty of the world and notice how connected you are to everything: that you are beautiful and part of a beautiful creation. You can’t do that in darkness.

 

What people need to understand is that San Pedro is not a hallucinogenic like ayahuasca, so they will never see images and pictures, and there is no point, therefore, in lying in the dark waiting for something to happen. San Pedro’s teaching is visionary instead, in the revelations it brings about the natural – not the spirit – world, and in daylight you can see that more clearly. That is why we hold our ceremonies in sunlight: because San Pedro wants it that way and that is how it was first done.

 

How do you prepare your San Pedro?

Most shamans peel and cut the cactus then boil it for between four and eight hours. They may also add alcohol and sometimes other plants or ingredients. I cook mine for twenty hours, however, so it is much stronger and also means that people are less likely to vomit when they drink it. Other San Pedro brews feel weak to me now and rarely give the same visions.

 

Some shamans say you don’t really need visions for a healing to take place with San Pedro. They have a point, but I still think they are important, because as well as the healing people need to know they have been healed. When the visions come they can feel it, then they understand it is real and pay attention to what they are shown… about how to protect themselves and stay well, or their place in the world and the beauty of their lives. Without the visions they can’t know this.

  

There are some other things to consider when preparing San Pedro. I only work with cactuses that have seven or nine spines because they produce the most gentle and beautiful brews. Those with six or eight spines are not so strong, while elevens and thirteens can be very intense but also sometimes dark. I never use either with patients.

 

Those with four spines are only ever used for exorcisms, and the patient and healer must both drink. You don’t ever want to try a San Pedro like this though. It is horrible and the visions take you straight to Hell.

 

While the cactus is cooking we often sing songs to it or offer our prayers that it will produce good healings. Every time we stir it we offer a new prayer, so maybe twenty prayers go into each bottle.

 

Sometimes the spirit of San Pedro shows up while we are cooking it too, in patterns on the surface of the water which tell us who will be coming to drink it and why. I have seen patterns in the form of ovaries, for example, complete in every detail; or hearts enclosed by circles. Then the next day a woman has arrived for help with a fertility problem and brought with her a man whose heart was closed to her dreams. In this way San Pedro can show us what people need before they even arrive.

 

What healings have you seen from San Pedro ceremonies?

One that meant a lot to me was for a woman who had always said she would never drink San Pedro, so her story shows in a way that you don’t even need to believe in the plant for it to heal you – although it is better if you do.

 

This woman’s husband had died a few years ago. He was a strong man but his disease meant he had wasted away to nothing. It took him a year to die while the woman nursed him. Then, just three months after that, her son was killed; murdered in South Africa, stoned to death and left to die. He was just 26.

 

The woman was shattered. She became like the walking dead. Soon afterwards she had a stroke which paralysed her arm and, from the shock of all she had been through, she got diabetes as well.

 

Finally, despite all her reservations before, she asked me if she could drink San Pedro. I gave her the tiniest amount but it was just perfect for her, as San Pedro always is, and then she lay in my arms and cried her heart out for five hours.

 

That is a good expression for what happened actually, because I had drunk San Pedro too and through its eyes I saw strands of energy coming from her heart and circling her chest and arm like a tourniquet. I began pulling them out of her and throwing them away.

 

The next morning was like a miracle. Her arm, which had been totally paralysed, had regained all of its movement. When she got home she saw a specialist who tested her diabetes too and that had gone as well. Now she has no problems at all.

 

I asked her about her San Pedro experience later and she said she had felt a lot of pain in her heart, which is where I had also seen the energy of grief that was binding her. So as well as curing her physical problems, San Pedro showed her why she had them: because of the emotional distress she had been unable to let go of before.

 

What I have learned from San Pedro is that illness is never a “thing” that is in us; it is not “diabetes” or “a stroke”. It is a belief that we carry: that we must mourn for the ones we have lost, for example, or for ourselves, through a pain or disability that makes our suffering visible and “real”. So illness is a thoughtform; a negative pattern we hold on to and reproduce. San Pedro not only heals us but shows us this thoughtform. Then, the next time it arises, we know it and can make a conscious choice to think and act differently.

 

The woman you described sounds like she had a “psychosomatic” problem, a term that has lost much of its power in the West today. Can you elaborate?

Every illness we have arises from our minds and souls. Another woman came to me after she was diagnosed with cancer and had been receiving chemotherapy. She looked so ill that I took her in and she spent the next seven days with me, vomiting constantly. At the end of it she realised that her doctors were not helping her and decided to work with the plants instead.

 

She phoned her doctor to cancel her appointments and he was extremely angry. He told her she couldn’t do that; that she was stupid and would die as a result of her decision – which, incidentally, is a curse.

 

Anyway, she stuck to her decision and now, through San Pedro, she is healed. The plant again showed her why she had cancer – which no Western medicine can do – and told her she had a choice: in blunt terms that she could die or change her mind and live the life she wanted. I know that sounds too easy but it really is as simple as that. She decided not to have cancer anymore because her realised that life was just too precious once she had seen it through San Pedro’s eyes.

 

I have also worked with women who have been sexually abused as young girls and are carrying the energy of that in their bodies, and usually a sense of guilt or shame as well, as if it was somehow their fault. This energy is also a thoughtform and it is making them ill and, sometimes, suicidal.

 

They need to drink San Pedro three times. The first is terrible, even for me to watch. They just lie in a foetal position and scream. The second time they are more relaxed but there is still a lot of crying. I usually drink San Pedro with them so I can connect to what they are going through and the plant can teach me what they need to heal.

 

The third time they drink everything changes and it is an experience of total joy. Afterwards they are so different that not even their friends recognise them! San Pedro shows them another way, a new belief about themselves, and helps them reconnect with love and the beauty of life which has been lacking for so long in their own.

 

That sounds like soul retrieval, but instead of the shaman performing it, the intelligence of the plant does it for them.

That’s right. It is soul retrieval or, rather, life retrieval. We hold our negative beliefs about ourselves as tensions in our bodies. If we don’t eventually release them, they become hardened and manifest as physical or emotional problems. At the same time, our good energies are blocked so that the fullness of our souls is not expressed and parts of us stay buried. San Pedro removes our negative beliefs so the positive ones shine through. So it is a form of soul retrieval; one where we return ourselves from ourselves.

 

Can you say more about how negative beliefs affect us?

In the Andes, shamans talk about “good” and “bad ideas” and these are, in a way, what I mean by thoughtforms. When someone says, for example, that you have “good ideas”, they don’t mean you are a creative genius! They mean you have good or spiritual thoughts or that you are at one with the truth and goodness of the world.

 

Sometimes they talk about a “good” or “bad wind” as well. These “winds” are an accumulation of thoughts or energies which are attracted to each other and share a common affinity. The good energies of many people having positive and uplifting thoughts can create a good wind but, by the same token, negative thoughts can band together to create a bad wind. In both cases, they are a sentient force which circulates in the world.

 

Thoughts like these have physical effects. I recently took a horse ride with a friend, for example, to visit the Q’ero of the high Andes and, some way into our journey, miles from anywhere and from medical help, my friend swooned and fell from her horse. She lay on the ground shaking and not of this world at all.

 

Luckily, we had a shaman with us who knew what had happened and, taking out his coca leaves, he placed them on her and blew through them into her crown. She stopped shaking straightaway and then began to come round.

 

When I asked him what had happened, he just shrugged and said “a bad wind”. She had been hit by a thoughtform which had, in a way, possessed her. He had blown a different energy into her to remove it and fill her with light.

 

But, imagine: if stray thoughts can do this much damage, how much stronger are our own ideas? Our beliefs about ourselves, our sicknesses and our powers or weaknesses are not random, after all; they are personal to us and may have been with us for years. So it is literally true that our thoughts can kill or cure us. We must be careful, then, about what we think. San Pedro helps and heals us by showing us how to do that.

 

Is there anyone you wouldn’t hold a ceremony for?

I once thought so. A few years ago some young people who were travelling South America asked for a ceremony. When I told them what it involved, they said not to worry, they’d taken a lot of drugs in the past and had heard about San Pedro and wanted to try “a new drug experience”. I must admit that I judged them in a bad light because they were trivialising San Pedro and saw it as “just another drug” – which it is not. It is a powerful spiritual medicine.

 

It was San Pedro that told me to relax. It reminded me that it can handle things for itself and make its own decisions about who can drink it, and to remember that I was the guide, not the healer! So after that I didn’t judge them and I gave them San Pedro.

 

Afterwards, they came to speak to me about their “drug experience” and told me their encounter with San Pedro had been the most humbling of their lives. San Pedro had told them straight, they said, that: “I am not LSD! I AM SAN PEDRO!” They learned from that and for some it changed their lives. They no longer take drugs at all.

 

So now I am humble too because I know that San Pedro will always give people what they need – even if it is not what they thought they would get. I like the expression you use: that with plant work you should have intentions but not expectations. That seems a good approach. But, in any case, I trust San Pedro and I know it will act with integrity towards everyone, so now I no longer discriminate.

 

There is a diet that goes with San Pedro, just as there is for ayahuasca. But with San Pedro it is easier. Can you say something about it?

All teacher plants require some ritual precautions prior to and during the ceremony. This is what we call the diet. It refers not just to restrictions around food and drink, as the name might suggest, but to other behaviours as well so we approach the plant with a pure intent. So when we talk about the “diet”, it is really more like the ancient Greek understanding of “dieta”: a change in lifestyle, not just in what we eat.

 

Ayahuasca demands preparation some days before, including food and behavioural taboos, sexual abstinence, fasting, and meditation, but San Pedro does not ask for such major changes. Nevertheless, for a day before it is drunk, food and drink should be as bland as possible and contain no alcohol, meat, oils or fats, spices, citrus fruits or juices, and there should be no sex.

 

For about twelve hours before the ceremony, there should be no food at all. This means a day of fasting if you are drinking San Pedro at night or no food from about 8pm on the night before if you are drinking it the next day. For a few hours before the ritual I also suggest a period of quiet reflection so you can think about what you would like to heal or learn about yourself.

 

That is really all the diet requires, although there are some specific conditions where a consultation with your shaman and medical doctor is recommended in advance of drinking San Pedro. These include problems with the colon, high blood pressure, heart conditions, diabetes, or mental illness. None of these will necessarily prevent you from drinking since the condition itself may be the very thing that you want San Pedro to cure, but your shaman and doctor must know.

 

A general rule with plant work is: the purer your body and spirit, the more powerful the medicine and its teachings. The diet helps with this.

 

I’ve heard it said that the ‘processes’ (set and setting) involved in ceremonies can contribute to the effects; that the shaman acts as a sort of hypnotherapist, for example, and offers healing suggestions to the patient, while the ritual contains practices like meditation which are relaxing and healing. What do you think of that?

I sometimes get asked things like that, mostly by scientists and academics. They want to know what the “make up” of San Pedro is, what its “active ingredients” are, and “how it works”. I tell them I don’t know and don’t care! For me, it is not San Pedro’s “mescaline content” or “properties” that are important; it is a healing spirit which produces miracles that I have seen with my own eyes. So I really don’t know or care how it works. I can’t explain a miracle any more than those who ask me about it can! But I know this: if you needed a miracle because your life was in that much pain, and if – by the grace of God and San Pedro – you got one, you wouldn’t care how it worked either!

 

Part of the disease, it seems to me, is to want to understand the world in terms of its “mechanisms” when its nuts-and-bolts really don’t matter at all. It is the beauty of the world that should attract, engage, and inspire us! When we drink San Pedro that is one of the first things we learn – and then our questions become irrelevant anyway. So the real answer, for those who want to know the hows and whys of San Pedro, is simple: drink it and then you will see!

 

The “what” of San Pedro is that it heals lives. Let us leave the sleepless nights of the whys and hows to the academics for whom such things seem to matter.  

 

 

The Author

Ross Heaven is the author of more than 10 books on shamanism and shamanic healing, including Plant Spirit Shamanism, Plant Spirit Wisdom, and The Sin Eater’s Last Confessions. He runs workshops on these subjects too, as well as journeys to Peru to work with the shamans, healers, and plant spirit medicines (ayahuasca and San Pedro) of the Amazon and Andes. For more details of these events and a free Information Pack, visit www.thefourgates.com or email ross@thefourgates.com.

 

With unwavering demand and his tour virtually sold out, Justin Timberlake will perform a second North American leg beginning August 6th in Tennessee and winding down September 17th in Los Angeles. The ‘FutureSex / LoveShow’ tour, which follows on the heels of widely successful North American and European legs, features opening act Good Charlotte and will include 16 US and seven Canadian dates.

Justin received rave reviews earlier this year for the first leg of his North American tour which kicked off January 8th in San Diego and ran for 38 dates. Chartattack.com reports that 556,246 tickets to the ‘FutureSex/LoveShow’ were sold throughout the 28 date schedule. The Rod Stewart ‘Rockin’ In The Round’ tour which began January 12th and carried on for 61 dates followed behind with 371,277 seats. In contrast, Pollstar.com’s mid year tour report, announced Timberlake’s tour as the second highest grossing tour of the year at $42.3 million, just behind Stewart at $48.1 million. The average ticket price to see Justin Timberlake was $73.83 trailing Rod Stewart at $76.93.

The European leg of JT’s tour, which launched April 24th in Belfast, Ireland, featured 39 shows throughout Europe and wrapped up with an acclaimed four shows at London’s O2 Arena in early July. Following up their own highly successful world tour covering parts of Europe, Japan, Asia and Latin America, multi-platinum rockers Good Charlotte will open for all 23 of the final North American shows, as posted on the bands official site. The boys will head down under for six shows in Australia throughout the month of October, following their stint with Timberlake.

The two and half hour show, complete with 14 backup dancers, kicks off with Justin ‘appearing’ at centre stage with the help of an underground elevator. The stage is set up in the round with catwalks pointing off in four directions providing a larger than usual amount of front row-esque seating options and creating a visually appealing 360-degree multi-media viewing experience. The exclusive area surrounding the front of the stage sold as General Admission VIP and dubbed ‘The SexyBack Dance Club’, will provide 300 fans an up close and personal view of the former Mouskateer. While the VIP area is standing room only, there are also 44 bar stools, considered front row floor seats. These 44 stools are the only seats in the VIP area and are privy to two full-service bars are that are built into the stage design. Keep in mind, the stage bars are cash bars and you may be asked to provide identification when purchasing alcohol. As well, fans buying regular General Admission Standing tickets will be blocked from entering this exclusive area.

Sheer screens, which project words such as, Future, Sex, Love and Sound surround the three stages set up in the middle of the arena floor. The screens which unmethodically cover the stage during points of the show, have been featured in previous concerts during the hit song, ‘What Goes Around Comes Around’, during which JT showcases his ivory skills on a piano. In most arenas the two side catwalks reach up to between rows 6 and 10, depending on the venue. So when purchasing tickets keep in mind that a higher numbered seat isn’t necessarily bad, row six may actually be the equivalent to row one, due to stage design. Upper level or balcony seating is sure to provide a sensational birds eye view covering every inch of the multi-layered stage design.

Stops in Montreal and Toronto this August will mark the third shows in each city this year alone. Timberlake last played to Western Canada during 2003’s ‘Justified and Stripped’ tour, his joint production with Christina Aguilera. However, fans in Vancouver were left disappointed when the tour had trouble crossing the border and had to cancel a show at the Pacific Coliseum. Tickets to the August 28th show in Edmonton and September 5th show in Vancouver, are sold out at the box office, with the exception of the VIP Bar Stools. Fans not wanting to pay the sky high barstool prices, still have access to preferred seating in the secondary market.

For more information on tour dates and pricing for Justin Timberlake, Good Charlotte and more visit, www.showtimetickets.com

Canadian Dates

Sat 8/18 Montreal, PQ Bell Centre

Mon 8/20 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre

Tue 8/21 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre

Sat 8/25 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre

Sun 8/26 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre

Tue 8/28 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place

Wed 9/5 Vancouver, BC General Motors Place

Gourmet coffee pros know what they like in a gourmet coffee and have a set habit to both smelling and tasting a new gourmet coffee. Others wont try a new gourmet coffee in a foreign country.

They deliberately slurp the gourmet coffee and swirl it all around the surface of the tongue and mouth. They want to obtain the full experience of the taste, the unique combination of sensations in the nose and on the tongue. Note to Readers: The taste profiles and characteristics discussed in this article apply to drip gourmet coffee. Flavor characteristics and descriptions will change with alternate brewing processes.

For all intents and purposes, our sense of smell and sense of taste are inseparable. Without our sense of smell, our taste sensations are limited. The tongue detects 4 basic sensations: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. Most of what we experience as taste depends upon our sense of smell.

The tasting experience begins before you brew – with the grinding. When you inhale the aroma of ground gourmet coffee, you experience the first impression of its flavor – its Fragrance which alos comes out as you brew it. Aroma refers to your first encounter with a gourmet coffee when it’s brewed – literally, the first contact of water and gourmet coffee. Lastly, there’s a gourmet coffee’s Nose. Take a sip of gourmet coffee. As soon as it reaches your tongue, it stimulates taste and simultaneously releases aromas inside the mouth.

Follow the lead of the experts: allow your sense of taste and smell to mingle. Enjoy the tactile feel of the gourmet coffee on your tongue.

Now that you’ve taken a good whiff and your first sip, it’s time to let your tongue do the talking. Of all the facets of gourmet coffee, Taste is the most complex to discuss and to explain or to make any sense – its like describing the most beautiful woman you ever dated. Most experts concentrate on three elements Body, Acidity, & Balance. Body: A gourmet coffee’s lipid or “oily” quality creates the tactile sensation of Body or “mouth feel.”

Acidity: Naturally occurring acids in the beans combine with natural sugars that produce a sweetness that gives certain gourmet coffees a sharp pleasing tang or piquancy.

Balance: Think of Balance as a harmony of the many sensations yielded by a fine gourmet coffee. A “balanced” gourmet coffee is one whose flavor characteristics are all at the proper level for that variety. A quick note on Acidity: Don’t let the term scare you. Acidity does NOT refer to pH levels discussed in high school chemistry class. It is not like hydrochloric acid or stomach acid. The gourmet coffee grown at the top of the mountain taste the bests while coffee grown in Africa or Asia is not actually coffee but a strongly flavored hybrid tea. You appreciate a gourmet coffee’s Body on the tongue and the roof of your mouth. Acidity produces some of the pleasurable and distinctive sensations we enjoy when tasting gourmet coffee.

Now, back to our brew! After a sip is swallowed, the mouth and tongue retain a minute residue of gourmet coffee. This sensation produces the Aftertaste, the sensation that lingers on the palate. It is similar to the concept of “finish” in wine tasting. Aftertaste can vary considerably according to the gourmet coffee’s body we mentioned Body as a primary characteristic. You appreciate a gourmet coffee’s Body on the tongue and the roof of your mouth. It is a distinctly tactile sensation, and is sometimes called simply “mouth feel.Drinking a new gourmet coffee is just like a new wine taste testing. Burgundies are sometimes said to be “heavier” than most other reds and whites. The difference is not weight. Rather, Body is the texture and consistency, the thickness or slipperiness of the gourmet coffee.

A good cup of gourmet coffee represents the collaboration of many highly trained artisans – growers, professional tasters and roasters all working together to create a fine product. So, let all your senses work together to enjoy the fruits of their collaboration!

One good turn: about the gourmet coffee wheel. Much as wine tasters have created a wine tasting wheel to use an agreed upon terminology, professional gourmet coffee tasters use the Gourmet coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel to grade gourmet coffees. This flavor wheel is designed for the trained pallet of a professional. Professional “cuppers” use this guide when buying gourmet coffee and for creating “taste characteristic profiles” of the gourmet coffees. Most of us would be better off not to worry so much about our gourmet coffee or our wine tasting abilities. The Flavor Characteristics chart is for use by the average “Joe”. It is a simplified method of charting your favorite java’s characteristics. The flavor descriptions that are most commonly used are defined below.

Know thyself: what flavors appeal to you? Here are some specific desirable flavor characteristics of gourmet coffee and the types of gourmet coffee that are associated with those characteristics.

Bright, Dry, Sharp, or Snappy – typical of Costa Rican, Guatemalan, Kenyan.

Caramels – candy like or syrupy, typical of Colombian Supreme.

Chocolaty – an aftertaste similar to unsweetened chocolate or vanilla. Typical of Costa Rican, Colombian Supreme and the House Blend.

Delicate – a subtle flavor perceived on the tip of the tongue.

Earthy – a soil characteristic, typical of Sumatran.

Fragrant – an aromatic characteristic ranging from floral to spicy, typical of Costa Rican, Sumatra Modeling and Kenyan.

Fruity – an aromatic characteristic reminiscent of berries or citrus.

Mellow – a round, smooth taste, typically lacks acid, typical of Colombian, Sumatra Modeling, Whole Latti Java and Organic Mexican.

Nutty – an aftertaste similar to roasted nuts, typical of Colombian and Organic Mexican.

Spicy – a flavor and aroma reminiscent of spices typical of Guatemala Huehuetenango.

Syrupy – strong, and rich, typical of Sumatran.

Sweet – free of harshness, typical of Colombian.

Wildness – an unusual, gamey flavor, typical of Sumatran.

Church coffee – harsh without much flavor

Winery – an aftertaste reminiscent of well-matured wine, typical of Kenyan, Guatemalan.

You will soon realize that Costa Rica has the best gourmet coffee – the perfect balance of flavor and smoothness – lots of flavor without the bitterness found in gourmet coffee. The Columbia gourmet coffee and the Brazil gourmet coffee are a close second as they deliver more flavor they tend to get slightly bitter and can lave an aftertaste of the gourmet coffee. The Africa gourmet coffee is harsh and the Asian gourmet coffee is sour, while the other Latin America gourmet coffee lacks full body and taste.

But have fun discovering for yourself as you sample and taste gourmet coffee from around the world. Now if we could only get our church coffee to sample some good gourmet coffee and learn how bad church coffee is. Once you have set values and methods you can better define which gourmet coffee you like but more importantly why you like the gourmet coffee.

And we hope a more educated gourmet coffee will understand better why Mission Grounds Gourmet Coffee is the best gourmet coffee in Costa Rica and the best gourmet coffee served in America. Mission Grounds: Gourmet coffee for gourmet coffee drinkers and gourmet coffee experts.

The Bank of America provides a host of services like saving and checking accounts, home equity lines, online capabilities, payroll systems, mortgages, investments, health insurance coverage and other insurances.

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Choice Privileges

The Choice Privileges is a combination of a number of hotels situated within Canada, United States and Mexico. The hotels include MainStay Suites®, Comfort Suites®, Comfort Inn®, Quality®, Clarion® and Sleep Inn®. If you are a frequent traveler and often stay at the Choice Privileges hotels, then the Bank of America – Choice Privileges Visa Platinum Card is the right card for you.

Benefits Of The Card

The Choice Privileges Visa Card gives you access to an extremely competitive rate for the initial six months of membership. The card provides a low introductory rate, which is applicable for balance transfers, purchases and cash advance checks for the duration of the first six billing cycles. There is no annual fee during this time.

Even after the expiry of the introductory rate, the cardholders can avail of low fixed rates of interest on their purchases and balance transfers. The Bank of America – Choice Privileges Visa Platinum Card appears to be tempting for its competitive annual fees, balance transfer fees and low rates of interest. If you intend to carry a balance after the expiry of the introductory period, you will have to pay a bit high in interests.

The rewards you can earn are based on the purchases made using the Choice Privileges Visa Card. When you make the first qualifying purchase with the card, you will be earning 8000 points. This implies that with the first purchase, you can earn free nights stay at any of the thousand Choice Privileges Hotels.

Each time you make a qualifying purchase with your Bank of America – Choice Privileges Visa Platinum Card, you obtain fifteen points. Every other purchase will get you two points for spending a dollar.

The accumulated points will help you avail free nights at any one of the chain of hotels. You can even redeem your points for airline miles with major airline partners, free hotel stays and gift certificates to retailers and restaurants.

Bonus Points

You may use the free nights for a great vacation or even use them to save money on a business trip. You can also avail of some other advantages, like online banking, emergency and travel assistance, total security protection, purchase guard, car rental insurance and purchase replacement.

The cardholder will also benefit from the various Internet account related services, extended warranty protection, lost luggage recovery, the summary statement at the end of the year, optional personal photo on the card, optional mini card, up to $500000 travel accident insurance and many more benefits.

Brazil with its enchanting coastline of over 4,700 miles and its world-famous beaches has always beckoned the hedonistic traveler. Some of the best beaches in the world are to be found here and owning or renting beachfront lots in Brazil has become much easier now thanks to the booming economy of the country. Brazil beachfront lots are much sought-after because of its prime locations on the beach and the fantastic ocean views which most of them offer. This type of housing is ideal for long-term stays or even for a short vacation.

Brazil’s beaches offer everything under the sun. Whether it’s simply swimming or soaking up the sun or snorkeling and scuba diving, a beach vacation in Brazil has something to offer to everyone. You can make the beach experience as exciting or as relaxing as you wish.

There is plenty of action taking place at night on the beaches so if you are looking for some fun-filled nightlife a Brazilian beach is for you. Even if you’d rather curl up in a hammock and watch the sun set or the stars shine, it’s possible to do so. Of course, if you are already the lucky possessor of any one of the beachfront lots in Brazil, things will be much simpler.

Unless you are looking for outright purchase of any one of the beachfront lots in Brazil (lucky you!), you had better make your reservation well in advance if you do decide to go there for a vacation. Though there are plenty of Brazil beachfront lots, during Carnival time it may get almost impossible to rent one if you have not already done so. Rio de Janeiro is totally taken over by revelers from across the world during this period and your accommodation should be taken care of much ahead of time.

If you do intend making one of the beachfront lots in Brazil your home for sometime, make sure that it does offer something more than just great ocean views. For starters, it makes sense to take up one which is situated fairly close to the market and restaurants. After all, you do plan on eating! If you are the cook-at-home type grocery shopping will be much easier as will be medical help if necessary.

Brazil beachfront lots are a comfortable and budget-friendly accommodation option for beach lovers who like nothing better than to hang around the beach.

I was born in a Shipibo community called Roaboya which is on the River Ucayali about 10 hours downstream from Pucallpa. Roaboya means the place where the Koto monkey lives. In Shipibo this kind of monkey is call Ro, but Mestizos tend to lengthen words, so they called the place Roaboya. The first Mestizos to arrive in the area were loggers – Boya (Buoys in English) refer to the logs which they floated down to their saw mills.

Actually there are two places; Roaboya Nativa and Roaboya Mestiza a bit further down river. When I was young, Angel Sanchez Vargas was the local Curaca – who is both a chief as well as shaman – he was my grandfather and he knew all about plants for healing, for giving visions and increasing human intelligence.

They later named the school after him there. Roaboya was the first indigenous community to be officially recognized 114 years ago. Later the river changed its course and the banks crumbled and many Shipibo people moved to form communities elsewhere on the Upper and Lower Ucayali.

When the earliest missionaries came in the 1940s, at first the people didn’t want to know about their pharmaceutical medicines or clothes which they tried to give away. The Shipibo didn’t wear Western clothes at that time and even refused to meet with them. But the missionaries were clever and brought sweets and presents, and impressed them with their water-planes and eventually succeeded in introducing their evangelical religion. The effect was to threaten Shipibo customs and create divisions in the community.

Later in the 60s when I was in my infancy, my grandfather put up resistance to Western things and warned that his people should not forget their customs and ancestral knowledge. He forbade the use of Western clothes, and encouraged people to eat together from one central plate as a community. His four wives were also shamans and helped to revitalize their traditions.

Don Angel even learned Spanish through his plants, such was his faith! Nevertheless, today most of the Shipibo in Roaboya are nominally evangelicos.

After he died, his cousin took over as shaman and he wanted me, at the age of 10, to help at ayahuasca sessions by smoking mapacho for protection while he chanted. I told him I wanted to be a womanizer when I was grown up! And he made it happen by chanting a Huarmi Icaro. I also want to be a good fisherman and again he said yes, I could be, and so it was. By the time I was 14 it had come true, and I had women coming after me! However, I didn’t want to marry at that time.

At the age of 16 I started taking ayahuasca, but my Mother didn’t want it – a womanizer can’t be a good shaman she said. Only when you learn to follow a proper diet can a person serve. This is the test that the plants give us. It has happened to me twice, a woman comes just when you are working and wants to make love. You can’t, if you give in just once you will fall ill, go mad, fall into the water, or die – these are the tremendous problems of being a shaman. At the age of 16, I started my first diet for 3 months, without ayahuasca, only plants, no drink, women, salt etc. After that the shaman called me and said I could go further and he chanted for me.

Then I did another 3 months’ diet, again no ayahuasca, but the plants made me dream of what I should eat, how I should live, to not to go out etc. It is important to avoid women who are menstruating, or who have made love the previous night, that is bad with the plants. It clashes, like a mirror smashing; it makes you ill or goes against you