A Pilgrimage to Peru and Mystical Journey to Machu Picchu

Transcription

1 Dr. Shari Geller and Gary Diggins Invite you to experience A Pilgrimage to Peru and Mystical Journey to Machu Picchu August 8th to August 18th, 2007 Dr. Shari Geller and Gary Diggins invite you to step out of time and enter the mystical world of Peru, the cradle of a culture rich in spiritual and cultural traditions. This will be a life changing experience as you embark on both an inner and outer journey set in the ancient, mysterious land of Peru. Each day will emerge as a new chapter in an unfolding story, one that will transform you. Such a special sojourn requires a special setting and so we will base ourselves at the Willka T ika Guesthouse. This modern retreat center is surrounded by breathtaking gardens in the Sacred Valley of the Inka. The gardens are filled with Andean medicinal plants, brilliant flowers, and organically grown vegetables, all featured in the bounty of gourmet, vegetarian meals. Our daily program will include morning meditations, evening sound rituals, and unique expeditions out from the Retreat facility. Each morning, after a relaxed buffet breakfast, we will visit a different ancient Inkan site in the Sacred Valley. At all times, we will travel with a local guide passionate about the land and knowledgeable in the spiritual traditions of the people. This program will uplift and deepen you with spiritual and cultural nourishment. As well as group experiences, we will cater to your individual needs in terms of reflective time or explorative elements. In terms of nourishment for the body and soul, imagine menus that include delicious and nutritious protein-filled Andean cereals and legumes. Picture seven sacred gardens for healing and meditation. Envision indoor meditation rooms, solar-heated floral medicinal baths, healing massage rooms, and even a crystal bed healing room. Relax and Enjoy the Journey You will not have to worry about any logistics. As fellow travelers on the path, we can drop deeply into interactive, contemplative, and expressive elements as we enjoy the sacred lands of Peru and the wonderful setting of Willka T ika. Shari and Gary, as facilitators and hosts, have designed this process with Magical Journey, a company that has been planning similar programs for over twenty years. They specialize in introducing individuals to the authentic spiritual traditions of the Peruvian Andes. There is no other program like this offered in Peru with such superlative quality and service. Every group that has based their retreat at Willka T ika has been touched by the beauty and bounty. To register Gary Diggins gdiggins@aol.com Shari Geller sgeller@yorku.ca

2 Overview As an overview, our journey will include six nights at Willka T ika, two days in fascinating Cusco City, two days at Machu Picchu, all guides, an authentic Andean ceremony (with the option to have a private coca leaf reading), transport, hotel accommodation, entrance tickets and tourist train tickets to Machu Picchu. All meals at Willka T ika, plus a welcome lunch in Cusco and special dinner at Machu Picchu are included. Our Pilgrimage to Peru and Mystical Journey to Machu Picchu is about connecting inwards and outwards. Meditation and music will serve the inner process. The outer opportunities include connecting with the indigenous culture of the Quechua people and communing with the sacred land or sacred sites of Peru. This program contains something for everyone. We will be inspired by: Willka T ika Garden Retreat Centre: A place of serenity, peace and exquisite beauty. Early morning meditations in beautiful gardens and evening sound explorations in the Retreat studios. Magnificent Andean peaks and Sacred Valley scenery. Mysterious ancient cities and temples including Machu Picchu. Vibrant and colourful Quechua people in their mountain villages. Andean culture and cosmology. Participation in authentic ancient ceremonies. Cost The overall cost, which includes facilitators fees, land costs, room, food, and transportation, is $2540 U.S. Airfare is not included. This fee is based on shared accommodation and some upgrades to single or luxury facilities are available. $500 Single supplement, subject to availability. Upgrade to luxury Apu T ika rooms $150/person dlb occupancy, subject to availability. About Gary Diggins A CBC Radio program on Gary Diggins introduced him as a sonic mystic. Gary has traveled throughout Europe and North America as a performing artist as well as a facilitator of his original work called soundwork as soulwork. Some of his themes include: Exploring life transitions through non-verbal tools Creating sonic rituals for group or individual processes Fostering the skill of deep listening Gary maintains a private practice in Toronto, teaches in various experiential learning contexts (such as Fleming College s Expressive Arts program), and continues to record or perform. In 2006, Gary and Shari spent a month in northern India together. For further detail see The cost includes all programs and meals indicated in this itinerary. The price includes all quality hotels, transport, specially selected guides, all entrance tickets, and workshops with authentic healers, a lunch in Cusco, dinner in Aguas Calientes, all breakfasts and all meals while at Willka T ika. At Willka T ika, our hosts serve delicious organic vegetarian

3 meals including ample buffet breakfasts, garden lunches and gourmet dinners. (B.L.D) indicates breakfast, lunch, or dinner included in the land costs. Not included: International Return Flights from your country to Cusco via Lima. Please allow between $4-$14 for the meals not included in the itinerary. Airport departure taxes: Each participant must keep aside a total of approximately US$41 (US$30 for one international and $5.50 each for two domestic departures). Tipping: It is customary in Peru for each participant to tip guides, drivers, porters, healers and Quechua staff for services. Please bring $80 in cash for tipping. Your tour conductor/guide will collect the funds at the beginning of the tour in Cusco and take care of all of the tipping throughout the program, leaving you free to relax and enjoy the program. Lima day tour and other Lima expenses. Second day entrance/bus ticket into Machu Picchu $52 (optional) Individual airport transfers Airfare is not included. Please coordinate the flight times with Shari Geller or Gary Diggins to ensure that we all arrive together. Peru is currently a very popular travel destination and we advise you that early flight bookings, international and domestic, are essential. If arriving at a different time from the group leader, there will be an additional cost of $12 fee to send an agent to meet you at the airport and transfer you from the airport to the hotel in Cusco. Hotel selection depends on availability. Late registrants cannot be assured of our first choice of hotels and Magical Journey reminds you that early booking is essential and will ensure your place in this special program. About Dr. Shari Dr. Shari Geller is a registered clinical psychologist with a passion for drumming and a 16-year meditation practice. She has a private practice in Toronto and Grey-Bruce County where she sees individuals and couples with a variety of issues as well as a desire for personal growth and/or emotional, psychological and spiritual integration. Shari is also on the teaching faculty at York University where she teaches counseling skills. Her research is on therapeutic presence, facilitating understanding in the value and experience of being fully in the moment. Shari facilitates empirically based meditation, drumming and rhythm-based groups. She has witnessed the significant healing effect of meditation and drumming and rhythm making for people with physical and mental health challenges such as cancer, depression, anxiety, grief and death and dying as well as for health care practitioners. Shari also works in the area of cancer and death and dying, providing seminars and groups at centers such as Wellspring and Gitch M Qua. For more information see: Additional detailed tour information, including suggested packing, reading and contact lists will be made available to send to participants upon their registration. All costs are accurate at the time of printing and are subject to change.

4 Detailed Information Ten days/ Eight nights Wednesday, August 8th OR Thursday, August 9th: We are currently working out the best possibilities for flights so we can fly as a group. Given that, the itinary may be shifted by a day although the content will remain the same. The journey will either be August 8-18 OR August 9-19th. This will be confirmed upon registration. Depart from home country for Cusco City via Lima. Friday, August 10th: The program begins in Cusco, ancient capital of the Inkan Empire. Magical Journey will transfer us from the airport to a comfortable hotel conveniently situated off the historic Plaza de Armas. We ll rest for a few hours and acclimate to the 11,000ft altitude before our program officially begins. At 1pm, we ll enjoy a welcome lunch, followed by a group orientation meeting with our leader and guide. Later in the afternoon we ll walk through the cobblestone streets of Cusco where our guide will point out fascinating Inkan stonework en route to the Korikancha Temple. At this holiest site during Inkan times, we ll explore the remarkable technological wonders of a remarkable culture. Depending on energy levels, it will either be an early night to rest or a walk through the San Blas Artists district, a quaint area filled with artisan and art shops. (L) About Willka T ika There is no facility like Willka T ika in Peru, and there is no other company we know that offers an authentic Andean program at this price, with high quality accommodation, massage and spa options, beautiful meditation facilities, superior healthy meals, first class services, excellent guides who offer personalized teachings, wonderful and genuine Andean ceremonies, and a commitment from all our staff to do their very best to make this a journey of a lifetime. For more information see Saturday, August 11th: After a buffet breakfast in the hotel, we ll catch an early bus to the Inkan ritual fountain at Tampumachay, the perfect starting place for our program on Andean cosmology. Where there is water, there is life. To the Andean people water is sacred and we ll participate in a water ceremony to balance and open our energy centers, thereby activating and enhancing our healing forces. A brief coca leaf ceremony will help us tap into the energies of Pachamama (Mother Earth). The journey continues onward with a visit to the sacred sites at Saksaywaman overlooking the city of Cusco. Impressive stonework and structures weighing hundreds of tons will leave you in awe. How did the ancestors of the Quechua and Inkans build those structures without the use of the wheel and steel implements? We return to Cusco for lunch with free time to explore some of the quality silver shops on the main square. Our group meets back at the hotel for afternoon departure to the

5 Sacred Valley and Willka T ika Garden Guest House, your base over the next week. Willka T ika was built especially for Magical Journey groups to practice healing and meditation in a garden setting while enjoying the splendor of the Andes. Following an orientation at Willka T ika, we ll partake in a welcome dinner and an introduction to the Quechua staff, who will take care of our needs during the stay. (B.D) At Willka T ika you will enjoy the peace and tranquility of Nature surrounded by an abundance of Andean flowers and medicinal herbs, the perfect setting for healing/meditation practitioners. Our vegetarian meals cater to the special health diets and requirements of our guests and include high protein Andean grains and fruits. All meals at Willka T ika are vegetarian and organic, with large amounts of our food grown in the sacred energy of our gardens. While at Willka T ika there will be time to schedule a private massage/healing session in our healing rooms, a crystal bed treatment, or a soak in our hot outdoor Andean baths filled with minerals from Pachamama and medicinal herbs and flowers from the gardens. In addition to the wonderful offerings at Willka T ika, such as the seven healing gardens or the array of unique Andean birds, there are plenty of optional services that may be arranged once we arrive at Willka T ika: Enjoy an Andean full body massage with aromatherapy oils for $60 per hour. At night under the stars treat yourself to a solar bath filled with aromatic medicinal flowers from our gardens and mineral salts for purification for $20 per bath. A half-hour treatment on our crystal bed imported from the miracle healer John of God in Brazil is $30 for a half-hour healing session, a wonderful offering to balance body and spirit. Hikes: There are many unspoiled hikes and trails in this area. Our guide will be happy to lead hikers along country trails where you will see everyday Andean life. Willka T ika facilities: The well-equipped yoga studios can be used during the day. The Takiwasi music room has a supply of Andean musical instruments for our pleasure. The Yachaywasi library with its cozy fireplace has a great selection of books on all subjects. Guests are encouraged to tune into nature or simply enjoy the peace and flowers in the gardens. A highly acclaimed coca-leaf reader can be brought in from Cusco upon request. If four or more people decide to do this together, she and a translator offer approximately half-hour readings for $35 per personal reading. River rafting on the nearby Urubamba River is available. The cost of this four-hour outing is $40 per person and includes lunch. You will be picked up and returned by the rafting company. Professional outfitters also offer mountain bike riding. Horse riding. Nearby stables offer guided rides on local trails. The cost is approximately $25 per hour. GUESTS PLEASE NOTE: The providers of the above services need to be paid in cash in US dollars or Peruvian soles. Peru is a cash country. Providers cannot accept credit cards. Attention shoppers - Peru has markets filled with goods. If you like to shop, when you see all the Andean offerings, you will want to buy a variety of beautiful hand-woven goods, ceramics, CDs, alpaca sweaters, hats, gloves and loads of creative jewelry.

6 If you are tempted by any of the offerings and you enjoy shopping in foreign country markets, please plan to bring extra cash in US currency, untorn bills. Based on feedback from past participants, Magical Journey recommends that you bring extra cash in US dollars. Sunday, August 12th: This special day includes an authentic Andean ceremony. After a tour of the seven sacred gardens at Willka T ika, we ll share a Group attunement and meditation in the gardens that connect us with Pachamama and further enhances our connection to the energies of the Sacred Valley. The gardens incorporate Andean symbols and the magnificent flower or herbal beds been built with love to facilitate deeper guidance from nature. On this day, more energetic guests may hike in the countryside, stopping at a neighbor s chicharia to see how the traditional drink is brewed. Chicha, made from Sara (sacred corn), is an important component in ceremonies to the Apukuna (mountain spirits). The staff, all children of traditional Quechua campesinos, will happily accompany us and invite us into their nearby homes. Others may wish to use the time to rest, reflect, or write in their journals. The early afternoon also is the best time to schedule coca-leaf readings. At 4 pm, the coca leaf reader, an authentic pakko, ritual specialist, invites the group to participate in a special Andean offering ceremony to Pachamama. Conducted for the well-being of the group and practiced by Andean Quechua for thousands of years, this healing ceremony invites you into their spirit-filled world. The ceremony ends with a fire ceremony, preparing our mind, body and spirit for our pilgrimage to Machu Picchu. (B.L.D) The order of the following outings may change to fit our group dates and may be altered if weather or other conditions warrant change. Monday, August 13th: After our meditation and sound session, the day will begin with a very special visit to an Andean mountain school (weather permitting). For fifteen years Magical Journey has maintained contact with dedicated school teachers and traditionally dressed pupils in isolated high mountain communities, in areas that few tourists are privileged to visit. With each visit, we see how Andean communities are progressing. The warmth and joy of the children when they see us, and their openness in bringing us into their daily lives is an experience not easily forgotten. Visitors always are humbled and deeply moved by this cultural exchange. After our visit with the community, we will then make our way to the Ollantaytambo Ruins with its wonderful stonework and sun temple. (B.L.D) Tuesday, August 14th: After breakfast, welcoming the sparkling energies of the day we drive through the Sacred Valley to the spectacular ruins of P isaq. Overlooking impressive Inkan terraces, we hike the non-tourist trail to the Inkan Temple of the Sun, a doorway to the upper Andean world of the Condor, messenger of the Gods. There will be an optional meditation and hike down the mountain to the colorful market of P isaq.

7 Be prepared - this market offers a wonderful opportunity to buy woven goods, jewelry, wall hangings and hand-painted beadwork, as well as offers wonderful photographic opportunities. Observe the colorful traditionally dressed campesinos coming to barter and sell their produce. Our guide will recommend some delicious options for an inexpensive al fresco lunch, where you can watch the lively activities of the market. Return to Willka T ika in the afternoon with time to relax before dinner or prepare for visit to Machu Picchu. (B.D) Wednesday, August 15th: We ll catch a morning train to Aguas Calientes, the lively village situated below the nearby Machu Picchu Ruins. After a brief check-in to our hotel, we ll ascend by bus to the sunlit terraces of the historical Inkan center of spiritual and political power. In the morning we enter Machu Picchu as tourists and follow our special guide on a tour of the Lost City of the Inka. Afterwards, there is plenty of time to return in the afternoon as pilgrims for meditations and explorations in feminine and masculine energy sites. The guide will assist the group in deciding which areas they might wish to further explore or hike. We ll meet at the hotel at 6pm. Weather permitting, the group is invited to participate in an outdoor shamanic healing ceremony. The healer uses special custommade instruments to tune in deeply to the core essence of Machu Picchu. After the hour-long ceremony, Magical Journey invites you to a delicious three-course dinner in one of the finest restaurants in Aguas Calientes. (B.D) Thursday, August 16th: The morning is free to wander through the colorful town of Aguas Calientes, soak in the outdoor thermal baths, visit the shamans shop and general market for gifts, clothes and crystal shopping and have lunch along the river. The more energetic may wish to get up early and climb Waynapicchu, Young Mountain, for a spectacular view of Machu Picchu. This means leaving on the 5:30 am bus and we must have ready approx $40 to reenter the ruins and $12 for a return bus trip. The guide will meet you back at the hotel in the afternoon at the appointed time to catch an afternoon train back to Ollantaytampu where you will transfer to Willka T ika in time for dinner. (B.D) Friday, August 17th: A day of mindfulness. After Machu Picchu, participants typically welcome time to unwind and integrate their experiences. Massages and crystal bed healing sessions are available to pamper the body. Some of you may wish to hike into the village of Urubamba and visit the local ceramic studio where beautiful art is handcrafted or check out top-quality alpaca sweaters in a nearby shop. In the evening, we ll participate in a farewell dinner celebration at Willka T ika. (B.L.D)

8 Saturday, August 18th: There will be one bus transfer for the group to Cusco Airport for the flight to the Lima airport and connecting flight home. We ll all coordinate our departure flight times. Booking on the same flight works best. Passengers have to be at the airport one and half hours before the flight and it takes one hour and fifteen minutes from Willka T ika to the airport. To avoid getting up at dawn, we ll attempt to book our departure from Cusco at around 11:00-11:30am. Multiple flight departures may require multiple transfers from the guesthouse at additional cost. With some airline exceptions, overseas flights out of Lima tend to leave in the evening. Lima is not an easy city to negotiate therefore an optional Lima city tour is available to the whole group. The tour allows for a stop in the colorful parks of the cosmopolitan suburb of Mira Flores for lunch before visiting the Gold or Archeological Museums. You are transferred back to the airport in time to check in for your evening flight home. Depending on the size of the group and the time spent in Lima, there will be an additional cost of approximately $80 per person for the Lima day tour. (B) Sunday, August 19th: Arrival in home city. Disclaimer The order within this itinerary may vary to suit the needs of our group. The itinerary is subject to change in extraordinary circumstances. Weather in the Andes is unpredictable and may cause delays or cancellation of flights or activities. Changes in flights and train schedule are common in Peru. We work with authentic healers who are not always available on certain dates and therefore we may need to adjust the itinerary. We also select days to visit sites when fewer tourists are likely to be there. Though pricing is current at the time of publication and we make every effort to maintain this pricing, it is subject to change in extraordinary circumstances. In over twenty years of running special programs in Peru, we have had a perfect record with only minor weather-related adjustments to our activities. However, Magical Journey and Willka T ika Guesthouse cannot be held responsible for any unforeseen events in Peru or elsewhere that may disrupt this program offering. We strongly suggest that all participants take out travel/health insurance to protect their travel investment. To register Gary Diggins gdiggins@aol.com Shari Geller sgeller@yorku.ca

9 WILLKA T IKA CHILDRENS FUND For the past eleven years, a special Willka T ika Children s Fund has built: a four-roomed schoolhouse for teachers, and fully-stocked library at Patakancha, and supplied school materials, food for hostel children and hot lunch meals for three years. We also supported the mothers in a special weaving program as well as provided blankets and traditional clothing for the children during the cold winter months, and financed numerous school activities and projects. Since then, we have been called to more needy areas that are not easily reached and continue to assist other isolated mountain communities in desperate need of help. The Children s Fund currently supports four schools; We continue to supply a hot meal daily to all the children of isolated Kkapackmachay, recently began supporting the community of Kenko in its weaving program, and in October 2006 moved to Chumpipokke, run by Jessica, a dedicated Quechua teacher, and daughter of the late Mathilde who involved Carol and Willka T ika in her children s projects over 15 years ago. Jessica is a new principal of 6 grades in a very poor community, and together we are creating a library for 300 children. Jessica has requested assistance in supplies, desks, furniture and basic amenities and thanks to donations we are able to provide this, so the children can concentrate on their studies and catch up to the standards of education that will assist them in acquiring work one day. With no social services or extra funds given to schools, in addition, it has become necessary to supply a nearby school with desks, tables and supplies, feed children who are left to fend for themselves, and run an ongoing emergency medical assistance fund. Hospitals are not free and supply no medicines whatsoever. We remain open to requests for emergency treatment for children who otherwise would receive no help. Where essential, we continue to supply students with a hot lunch each school day. Each September on Children s Day and Christmas, we try to fulfill multiple requests to assist teachers and organizers with transport and food so mountain children can attend special festivities and receive small gifts at appropriate times. Our own guide, Gaby, runs a radio program to encourage children to read and creates festivals of dance and music. As an incentive to encourage children in the arts, Willka T ika sponsors bicycles and other gifts as a once-in-a-lifetime prize to the winners. We choose projects where children receive NO other assistance. Whatever help we receive, whether in the form of articles or money, donations go directly to the children, with no middleman or organization taking anything off the top. We continue to invite all our participants to help the children by bringing books in Spanish books that relate to their nature-based life style, quality art and school supplies or second- hand hardy clothing for children aged 4-12.