Sunday 18 December 2022

Escape From Machu Picchu: No More Ayahuasca!!!

Aussies stranded at world famous Machu Picchu after protesters triggered landslides to block the only way out as violent civil unrest rocks Peru

Visitors to the tourist hotspot of Machu Picchu are stranded after trains blocked
Multiple airports and highways have also been blocked crippling the country

Australians are among more than 300 tourists stranded at the remote Machu Picchu world heritage site in Peru after violent political protests broke out in the country.

Protesters blocked the only train line in and out of the area by triggering landslides to cover tracks with large rocks and helicopter evacuations are suspended because of poor weather.

A group of Australians stranded in Machu Picchu have no way of leaving the area

Political protesters have blocked train tracks which provide the only access into and out of the area with some tourists attempting a 40km hike to the next town

The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Machu Picchu is extremely popular with tourists

Sydney woman MacKenzie Reynolds said she did not know how she could leave the area.

'The railways have been destroyed by protests, they've stolen parts of it, they've blocked parts with boulders,' she said.

'There's actually no roads that come in and out of this town.'

MacKenzie Reynolds (left) and other Australians (right) are hoping helicopters could lift them out

Helicopter evacuations were suspended yesterday amid poor weather

Workers attempt to remove a boulder from the train line to the Incan citadel

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the Australian embassy in capital Lima has received 170 requests for assistance from Australians in Peru.

TRAVEL ADVICE FOR PERU

We now advise reconsider your need to travel to Cusco, Puno, Arequipa and Ayacucho due to the ongoing civil unrest.

Other levels apply. Due to the civil unrest and protests, a nationwide State of Emergency and local curfews have been imposed.

Arequipa and Puno airports remain temporarily closed and roadblocks are widespread, limiting transport options. Cusco airport has reopened.

The Peruvian tourist authority i-Peru has launched an online registration form for affected tourists. Avoid areas with protests and leave if it's safe to.

Follow the advice of local authorities. Contact your airline or travel provider for updates.

Source: Smartraveller.gov.au

Got ayahuasca? Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers continues endorsing hallucinogenic tea, saying it helped him overcome his fear of DEATH, which he now sees as 'more of a passage and less of an ending'

Aaron Rodgers previously admitted to using ayahuasca in both 2020 and 2021
He said this week that the hallucinogenic tea helped him overcome his fears
Specifically, the Packers QB said ayahuasca helped him beat his fear of death

What Michael Jordan was to Gatorade Aaron Rodgers is to ayahuasca, the South American psychoactive brew used in shamanic spiritual medicine.

The reigning NFL MVP continued endorsing the hallucinogenic tea during a recent TV appearance saying that he no longer fears death after tripping on ayahuasca prior to the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

'I definitely had a fear of death,' Rodgers said. 'And ayahuasca, and psilocybin [mushrooms] actually, really helped me with that and relieved a lot of the stress around the idea of needing to accomplish things before I actually die.'

Rodgers said, tripping has helped him to 'see the other side,' making 'the idea of death more of a passage and less of an ending.'

Death, Rodgers explained, is 'more of just kind of the next chapter of life.'

Rodgers has admitted to using ayahuasca during the 2020 and 2022 offseasons.

'I did ayahuasca in 2020 and I won two MVPs,' Rodgers told Fox Sports in September. 'I don't believe that it's a coincidence. I don't really believe in coincidences.

'I believe in science and synchronicities, and I really feel like that what that allowed me to do is to have a greater love for the game that I play, greater love for my teammates and I had maybe my best season of my career in 2020 and then followed up last year with an even greater integration of a lot of those lessons.'

Ayahuasca is a South American psychoactive brew used in shamanic spiritual medicine

Americans currently need to travel to Central and South America for expensive retreats and religious experiences involving the potent brew.

WHAT IS AYAHUASCA?

Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic drink that is illegal in the US and UK but widely used by tribal societies in the Amazon basin.

Shamans consider ayahuasca a 'wisdom' plant that allows an entry into the spiritual world, and it was recognized as such by the government of Peru in 2008.

It can cause hallucinations that are similar to the effects of LSD or magic mushrooms. They last for two hours and are 'usually pleasurable' but can cause panic and horrifying flashbacks.

The negative emotional effects from taking ayahuasca can last for days, and make it especially dangerous for people with mental health problems.

It can also raise blood pressure and heart rate and may harm those with a pre-existing heart condition.

Rodgers previously revealed that he drank the hallucinogenic brew during a trip to Peru in 2020.

Ayahuasca is a brown-reddish drink made by boiling stems from its namesake vine and leaves from the chacruna shrub together (pictured)

Ayahuasca contains the compound N,N-Dymethyltriptamine (DMT), one of the world's most potent hallucinogens.

The ayahuasca brew is made from boiling the Amazonian vine Banisteriopsis caapi, which contains the DMT, and the chacruna bush.

The brew is typically administered by a shaman, who acts as a guide during the trip.

Despite its illegal status in the US, ayahuasca has garnered a high-profile following, including fans such as Miley Cyrus and Joe Rogan.

Miley Cyrus said she 'loved' the drug and that it left her seeing snakes immediately, in an interview with magazine Rolling Stone in 2020.

Ayahuasca has long been used for spiritual purposes by the indigenous peoples of the Amazon basin, typically in religious rituals.

7 days Ayahuasca retreat, Inca meditation, visit to Machu Picchu