QuitoChristmas

HO HO HO

After absorbing our limit of sun we 've travelled north into Ecuador. Into the Andes lies the capitol Quito. Nestled within the surrounding emerald mountains. City of contrasts, ancient narrow streets and massive colonial churches, tiny wrinkled leprechaun people carrying heavy loads, mini-malls, skyscrapers, businessmen with slicked back hair. Very dangerous beautiful city. First day climbed up to the virgen angel you see in the picture labrynthian staircase flocks of baby chickens goats old men. On our way down I notice a group of miscreants spider sense tingling. One fellow pulls something from his pocket and hides it in his jacket and comes towards us. I reverse position and use the Hapkido noise defense he lunges but we re already backpeddling down another path. That was a close one. More carefull next time

Ecuador has a socialist government allied with chavez in Venuzuela, Cuba, Iran, Russia, China. The leader of this country is a former socialist terrorist. They are still suffering from economic downturn. I commented that Canada is already coming out of the slump and the fellow I was talking to told me that Canada does not have a very good name in his country because many Canadian companies in particular Canadian Uranium Mining companies are the ones who are destroying the natural resources. What do you think about that?

For Christmas we explored the old churches and monasteries. Many differnt types of nuns and monks have set up shop here to convert the pagans since the 1500s. Crazy huge buildings with tons of really gory artwork depicting self'flaggelation and bloody Jesus. Im not sure if the Spanish are particularily keen on this side of the faith or not. Must have been a hard sell to the natives who were worshipping the pancha mama (mother Nature) in all her glorious, lush, green, natural splendor.

Part of the reason I came here was to meet up with a wizard that I had met way back in India 4 years ago. Sure enough he s just as crazy and wize as I remember him. He must be some sort of guardian angel uncle to me. Yesterday we spent the day in his tiny hutch apartement filled with idols, icons, and i-chings. He spoke and spoke telling me my future and offering me advice. He gave us contact numbers for ayawaska and san pedro shamans in the jungle and that will be our next stop.

Now before you go dismissing this thinking 'oh there goes Goldstar again, taking drugs, trying to escape reality, messing up his mind, rebelling against society by frying his brain' allow me to give you a bit of a primer regarding ayawaska. To the people of the Amazon, the ayawaska vine is their connection to the spiritual world. That's why when the missionaries came its the first thing that was outlawed. The people of the amazon consume ayawaska all the time like almost every day and everyone in the community consumes it. Children drink their first cup at 6 years old. The drink has no harmful effects on the body it is purely medicine. Once consumed it reveals the spiritual world. There's no other way to describe it. The seperation between the soul and the body is made obvious. Apparently it opens up communcation with 'the spirit people'. Obviously Ill elaborate about this more once Ive done more experimentation with it. But I anticipate coming back to explain to you the scientific validity of leprechauns, fairies, and angls. Will you beleive me?

Here's the science; the active chemical in ayawaska is DMT. DMT is naturally occuring in the human body. The human body produces this compound in the pineal gland or third eye. DMT is released only at special times; at birth, at death, and in the deepest levels of REM sleep. Clinical studies injecting high doses of DMT into humans causes instantaneous phsychedelic phenomenon including interaction with angelic beings, and the feeling of approachin a light at the end of the tunnel as in near death experiences. Based on these trials, the cheif scientist in charge of the study put forth the proposition that this chemical regulates the movement of the soul in and out of the body. It's the control valve of the soul.

What do you think about that?

MERRY CHRISTMAS