Heroic Adventures

Amazon Transport: The Tri-Border Region and Iquitos

cjmoore — Wed, 30 May 2012 10:05:00 GMT

A look at the transport options between Iquitos, Peru and the Tri-Border region of Brazil, Colombia and Peru in the Amazon--the towns of Tabatinga, Leticia and Santa Rosa, respectively. We take a flight from Iquitos to Caballococha then make our way to Santa Rosa on a rapido before finishing off in the Amazon port of Tabatinga.

Going to the Amazon for adventure?

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Caught in Iquitos--Expats in the Amazon

cjmoore — Sun, 20 May 2012 10:26:00 GMT

For some that venture to Iquitos, there is an overpowering force with a relentless grip; this force holds all those who experience it under a spell, a spell that causes the enchanted to get caught in Iquitos. Because of the supposed ineffable charms of Iquitos, a hardy group of expats makes their home in this city...

Going to the Amazon for adventure?

Go deeper, experience traditional worldviews at thte best ayahuasca retreats in South America, find out more here >>>

Cusco, the Almudena Cemetery

cjmoore — Sat, 19 May 2012 16:32:00 GMT

Walking from Cusco's (Peru) Plaza de Armas, the path is direct to the Almudena Cemetery, a 30 to 45 minute stroll dependent on your speed and the bodies adjustment to Cusco's altitude. Though the route is simple, it can be confusing because the street you should follow suffers from an identity crisis: its name changes every few blocks along the way. On November 1st and 2nd every year the dia de los vivos (day of the living) and dia de los muertos (day of the dead) are celebrated at the cemetery.

Cusco Visions

cjmoore — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:52:00 GMT

Images of Cusco's sites and festivities, such as Inti Raymi, Señor de los Milagros, and Saqsayhuaman.

Cusco Day Trip: How to Visit Moray and Salinas

cjmoore — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:46:00 GMT

How to independently visit and what you will see at the ruins of Moray and the salt works of Salinas (aka Salineras). The journey can be done by private tour, or--as in this show--independently by public transport, hiking and hitching.

Begin in Cusco by getting a bus heading for Urubamba on calle Grau, just before Puente Grau. Have the bus let you out at the Maras turnoff and then this video shows you how to go from there...

Peru: Lima Attractions

cjmoore — Tue, 15 May 2012 06:59:00 GMT

Check out some of what Lima has to offer.

Familiarize yourself with some of the must-see sights in Lima and also check in with the South American Explorers Club and how they can help the short-term tourist or the longer term adventurer to S. America.

Lima's Best Travel

See more or Lima, find the place in Lima's Miraflores district here >>>

Surprise! Cafe

cjmoore — Mon, 14 May 2012 07:06:00 GMT

Surprise! Cafe is the hippest restaurant you'll come across in N.E.California! With a philosophy of fresh food and friendly atmosphere, the Suprise! Cafe is a local institution and community hub.

Carnival of the Devil

cjmoore — Sun, 13 May 2012 16:17:00 GMT

Every two years in the town of Riosucio, a few hours from Medellin in Colombia, they celebrate the Carnaval de Riosucio--popularly know as the Carnaval del Diablo (the Festival of the Devil). The festivities take place 24/7 over a five day period. On the final day, the devil effigy is burned. The next festival in January 2013.

Amazon: Shipibo Visual Music

cjmoore — Sun, 13 May 2012 13:26:00 GMT

Shipibo handicraft design consists of patterns tied to their cosmological worldview. The geometric patterns are not just design but also musical notation, Shipibos can create visual pattern from sound and sound from visual pattern--thus, the myth goes, the world was sung into being... Anyone traveling in the Amazon area of Peru is sure to approached to buy Shipibo handicrafts and textiles.

Going to the Amazon for adventure on a Ayahuasca Experience

Go deeper, experience traditional worldviews at thte best ayahuasca retreats in South America, find out more here >>>

The Burning Man Festival

cjmoore — Sat, 12 May 2012 17:44:00 GMT

Burning Man

Black Rock City, Nevada -- where the annual Burning Man festival takes place, the Temple of Transition Burn, the Man Burn, the Steampunk Octopus "El Pulpo Mecanico, Distrikt and the Thunder Dome... Watch this to get an a sense of for WHAT IS BURNING MAN?

Get Into Adventure

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The Controversial "Sport" of Peruvian Cockfighting

cjmoore — Sat, 12 May 2012 10:58:00 GMT

Outlawed in most of the western world, cockfights remain a thriving bloodsport in many places. In the Amazonian city of Iquitos, we venture into the world of the fighting rooster. We check out the rules, the training of the birds, the betting on the matches and other aspects of Peruvian cockfighting culture.

The Original Hot Dog on a Stick

cjmoore — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 14:01:00 GMT

Opened in 1946, you can find the Original Hot Dog on a Stick next to the Santa Monica pier and adjacent to the Original Muscle Beach in Santa Monica, California. The building is scheduled to be torn down this year, but, at the moment, they remain open serving their eponymous hot dogs on a stick and well-known lemonade. This is where it all began.

Becoming a Bushman: Explorations in Indigenous Traditions

cjmoore — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 12:48:00 GMT

The moon crossed the sky, coyotes howled in the distance, and the campfire crackled, yet my focus centered on our instructor and guide, Ernesto Molina Villalobos, as he recited ancient tribal myths counterbalanced by tales of modern-day political struggles facing his people: the Seri Indians of Sonora, Mexico.

The Seri’s ancestral homeland is Isla Tiburon (Shark Island) a six hundred square mile island adorning Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. Today only six Mexican military personnel occupy the island on a regular basis. For one week, this island would be our classroom.

I was on Isla Tiburon to learn through practice the ancestral skills of the Seri. Relentless curiosity and unanswered questions about traditional cultures drove me to enroll in a course offering an immersion experience focused on traditional native skills. I found such a course, through the Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS).

Traditionally, the Seris were nomadic hunter-gatherers who depended on the sea for much of their livelihood. Today, they are settled on reservations in Sonora, Mexico. Their population is about 500, with only about 200 of these being sangre puro (pure blood) Seris. Few practice the old ways, though knowledgeable elders remain.

How can traditional lifestyles and skills endure in a technologically advancing world? What is it like to live in harmony with the natural environment? What was life like here thousands of years ago? Is there hope for contemporary nomadic cultures?

Answers surfaced over the week as our group distilled fresh water from saltwater, dug for clams, made fish spears and then obtained meals by successfully using them, built traditional Seri shelters out of ocotillo cactus, gathered roots to make dye for baskets, and started fire by friction with gathered wood. Answers also came from chance events.

Such as the day we discovered that one of the Seri children in close contact with us had lice. As traditional would have it, the natural remedy and preventative measure to keep oneself louse-free is wild tobacco, so we gathered wild tobacco, boiled it to a tea-like broth and then soaked our hair in the concoction. No one departed the island with lice.

After a week on the island, our group visited the Seri Museum in Bahia Kino. Moving from diorama to diorama, I realized—I can make that; I know how to use that object; this artifact is poorly crafted and that one is amazing. Something in me had shifted during my time on the island. I could look around the museum and understand the displays in a new way.

I felt a deep connection to the past and it wasn’t abstract or theoretical as it had been so many other times in so many other museums. It was real, practical and concrete.

I thought to myself, to comprehend the Seri’s perspective your mind must open to a completely new reality and allow that there are other ways of being, living, and relating. Abandon your comfort zone. Adopt the traditional Seri ways for a while and discover a foreign land within a foreign land. Discover the Seri world normally drowned-out by the dominant Mexican culture.

A sense of gratitude overwhelmed me. I understood how the Seris once lived completely off the land with ease. They thrived in their desert habitat because of their deep understanding of the natural world and a strong tribal network of information exchange.

When a nomad walks off into the wilderness, he knows where the resources are. He knows in what tree the mano y matate are hidden. Twenty miles away he has relatives or friends, where he will stay the night and share information about his journey—what plants he passed, the conditions of the land, what tracks he saw, and where the best water sources were.

At the end of the Seri experience, many questions remain unanswered. However, I knew one thing for sure: when you have to walk a mile to reach fresh water or track an animal for ten miles before you even get a glimpse of it, sooner or later you realize that in the nomad’s world, it’s a long way from the sink to the refrigerator.

Chinese New Year: Midnight Temple Ceremony (天后宫)

cjmoore — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:51:00 GMT

Thousand gather at the Thien Hau Temple in Chinatown, Los Angeles to welcome the Year of the Dragon (龍年).

The Gringo Shaman of the Amazon

cjmoore — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:46:00 GMT

Drawn to the Amazon by the opportunity to study the traditions of Amazonian Medicine Men, or Shamans, Ron Wheelock has lived in Iquitos, Peru since 2000.

Over the years he developed into an adept and trusted Medicne Man himself.

Today, Ron is known as the Gringo Shaman of the Amazon.

Local Peruvians, curious travelers, and those in need of healing come to Iquitos to partake in the Gringo Shaman's twice weekly, Tuesday and Thursday, Ayahuasca ceremonies. Others stay for weeks and find healing through traditional plant diets.

And, a few seekers have even moved to Iquitos for the long-term to become Shaman's themselves in a rigorous apprenticeship that includes learning Icaros--or songs that call in the spirits during ceremonies--dieting, learning the healing powers of various medicinal plants and serving as assistants during ayahuasca ceremonies.

Besides being a well-respected Shaman, the Gringo Shaman is one hell of a character....

Going to the Amazon for adventure?

Go deeper, experience traditional worldviews at thte best ayahuasca retreats in South America, find out more here >>>

A Busker's Life

cjmoore — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:41:00 GMT

Seen on the Venice Beach Boardwalk, on the Sunset Strip, on TV and in a few movies--Harry Perry a.ka. "The Kama Kosmic Krusader" has surprised many tourists as he rolls up and rocks their world.

www.harryperryband.com

Foodie Paradise: The Ferry Building Marketplace

cjmoore — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:36:00 GMT

If you're into food, The Ferry Building Marketplace in San Francisco is the place to get some of the best of the bay areas produce, artisanal local and specialty foodstuffs all in one place. Any foodie who wants to sample some of the finest artisanal treats from the N. California area owes it to themselves to make a pilgrimage here. Some of the choices include Acme Bread, Blue Bottle Coffee Company, Boccalone Salumeria, Cowgirl Creamery and Far West Fungi--to name a few. There are also well known eateries in the building like the Slanted Door and Hog Island Oyster Company.

The Ferry Building Marketplace is housed in a steel reinforced structure that survived the 1906 earthquake and fire that destroyed most of the area. The building's 244-foot clock tower is a landmark, where Market Street meets the Embarcadero, or, "boarding place" in Spanish. Opened in 1898 and at one time the second busiest transit terminal in the world; today it is the terminal for 11,000 daily ferry commuters.

Belen Market (Mercado Belen) Iquitos, Peru

cjmoore — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:28:00 GMT

Iquito's Belen Market, Mercado Belen, the biggest and most diverse market in the Peruvian Amazon, covers over 20 blocks.

Early in the morning people arrive from jungle villages to sell their produce.

Located close to the banks of the rio Itaya, a tributary to the Amazon, untold goods arrive from the jungles depths.

Going to the Amazon for adventure?

Go deeper, experience traditional worldviews at thte best ayahuasca retreats in South America, find out more here >>>

Tarantula Eating

cjmoore — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 18:31:00 GMT

Bugging for a Snack

Deep-fried tarantulas and thumb-sized fried black water bugs are stacked neatly on opposite sides of a large pizza tray. Guarding the creature-laden platter, a Khmer woman squats and beckons passers-by. Lured by curiosity, I jostle through massed shoppers and gazing banana hawkers toward the woman. She peddles bugs alongside a heavily trafficked passageway of Phnom Penh’s Psar Thmei (New Market) in Cambodia. Pointing and pantomiming, I discover the insects on display are food.

Caught in the tarantula trader’s web of, to me, exotic nosh, there is no time to be repulsed. Taste is culturally determined and, in a moment like this, queasiness can insult. Bound by my own prying, I purchase a tarantula treat to slake curiosity and connect personally with the more striking side of the Khmer palate.

Biting into the spider’s abdomen, unexpected distinctions emerge. Tarantula does not taste like chicken; nor is it crunchy. It is not hairy because its hairs are burnt-off during the cooking process. It tastes faintly like crab. But, in the final analysis, tarantula tastes mostly like tarantula, delicious.

Khmers believe that eating tarantula increases virility in men. And for Khmer women, tarantula is believed to enhance beauty. I don’t know how it affected my virility—but I did feel a tinge more macho after the snack.

Tarantula initiated me into the world of edible insects.

Once you look beyond the novelty of insect cuisine, a firsthand understanding of the foods significance to the culture can transport you to the threshold of new insights. Willingly eating bugs will challenge the way you look at food, at bugs, and at your host culture. You will begin to question the food values you took for granted as a child. When you return home and yearn for a snack of fried tarantula because it tastes good, you will know that you have stretched the horizons of your personal culinary landscape and are a changed person. Bon Appétit.