I have been amazed at the number of young people travelling. 18-25s make up a huge amount of the people I am meeting and often it is young girls on their own.

What a set of balls they have, not only to travel alone, but to come to South America on their own, or with a young friend.
They seem totally confident, cutting about like pros. Facing the fears, because they have some, but doing it anyway, Goddessing it right up.

The last time I travelled we had internet for email, but no smart phones.
They makes a huge difference.
You can be contacted, and you can keep in contact daily, just to soothe worried minds, especially if its your first time away from home.
Uber, Hostel World, Booking, Workaway, Help X, Maps me, Google translate, Spanish apps, to name but a few of the brilliant ways to book ahead, find out how much it costs to get places and generally leave an online trail.

But none the less it is still a big step.
Moving out of your Country and your Continent.
Its tough for Guys too, but females have added fears and perhaps not the physical strength that some guys have.
Its easier if you speak Spanish, no doubt about that, but not everyone does, certainly not on arrival.

The Hostels are the best way to meet others, especially travelling alone, and I am sure for couples too.
Some Hostels really nail it, great social areas, meals together, roof top hang outs, tours in the area, all go to create another Community within the travelling Community, an opportunity to meet like minded peeps.

The camaraderie is truly remarkable.
My age never stops me getting invited out to join the young uns, even travelling with them for days at a time, and having a real laugh.
It is like one big family, with others more than happy to help you if you ever need it.
Really brings out the best in humans.

When I was on Finca Sagrada we had two young girls from Germany who have come right out of school at 18. They talked their parents into letting them travel before they start to study.
They have been using Workaway and been all over Chile, Boliva, Peru, Ecuador and are on their way to Colombia.
They picked up trash in the desert, worked at reception, in a Hostel in another one making breakfast and cleaning and flyering in one place, the only thing they did not really enjoy.
They are now on their way to a Vegan Restaurant in Montanita.
Brilliant experience.
They have come to this farm in the middle of nowhere, moved out their beds to accommodate us, pitched right in with all the chores, happy to be helpful and useful even outside volunteering hours.

I asked them a few questions as I had a captive audience.

Here is what they said.

What made you decide to travel?
They did a student exchange when they were 15 to Chile and they wanted to come back.
They had Spanish in school plus on the exchange, so they are fluent and can communicate easily.
No boyfriends back home to hold them back and ruin their lives lol.

Did your parents, family and friends have any concerns?
One of the girls is an identical twin, her sister chose to go straight to Uni, while she decided to come to South America. Her mum and dad have been split for years and she had never had a run in with Dad, until she told him about the travel plans.
They argued it out and she held her ground, and now he is seeing how strong and brave she is, and is proud and  supportive. The other girls parents travelled a lot but were not keen on the South America idea, suggesting Australia, but she too was determined.
They made it happen, despite all the fear. Awesome.
It seems that everyone who comes here gets concern from those who have never been.
But here they are, travelling, volunteering, learning, bonding, its incredible.

What do you like most about travelling?
Meeting and getting to know a lot of other people, cultures, Countries. Really enjoying the bus and seeing the different landscapes, which are incredible here.

What is the biggest thing you have learned?
To be open and dont judge.
Wow that is what they said.
To respect other cultures, they do it differently here, and to respect that too. And to be patient, now that is a biggy. Remember these girls are 18!
Life is good even when things are going wrong, because you dont have much else to think about. And you cannot plan, things change all the time, so be spontaneous.
Sounds like a great life lesson.

What do you appreciate more about home now?
Washing machines, bread, peace, going out without worrying about getting robbed. To be able to go out in the dark without being scared.
To get back to a life structure.
And the kitchen at home, not having to go shopping for every ingredient you need.
And to be able to eat your parents food.
And the pets and family ofcourse.

Will you do it again?
Definitely.
And we will tell everyone about it
They would encourage all young ones to travel and to volunteer too.
It gives you a sense of purpose through the days and you learn and meet interesting people.
Its a journey just for you.
Another super intelligent perception I have never thought about.
Not for anyone else. You have a lot of time to think and get to know yourself, finding solutions for problems. Even when you feel lost you find your way out of it.
It feels like living, like really living.
​Wow.
Huge thanks to the girls for indulging and sharing with me, I look forward to following their life adventures over the next decade or so.

I have heard a lot about Ayuhuasca, most of my friends have done it, but I have never been drawn, because I was a bit scared.
It seems that it can be a pretty mental and not so pleasant experience, telling you things about yourcellf that you might not want to  know and I never really saw anyone getting amazing results, so I thought I would give it a miss.
If I could guarantee coming out the other side as a fully enlightened being, I would take the risk of hours of hell, but there are no guarantees, either way. 
You have no idea what the hell will happen.

My teacher
I have got Joe Dispenza, he teaches people to get to that place simply using your heart, brain and mind. For free, if you are prepared to practise. He has tons of videos on youtube you can watch and learn and see the incredible results his disciples are getting.
Changing from the inside out, which is what we all have to do.
www.youtube.com/user/drjoedispenza

But there I am sitting at the swimming pool in the incredible Izychuluma hostel in Vilcabamba, Ecuador.

I start chatting to this very attractive young guy who I am sharing a dorm with.
He is going to do Ayuhuasca the next night, so I start asking all the same questions I ask of everyone, because I am intrigued and also terrified.

He tells me of his amazing experiences and how it is his mission to help people experience the growth and insights he has had on his journey.
He seems incredibly wise for 20. 
He came out the modelling World and has had a few experiences that have set him on a totally different path, the spiritual one.
His passion shines clear and I find mycellf once again contemplating it.
He cajoles and says I should try. I can go with him and his friend the next night, its fairly close by, he has done it with this Shaman before, its $80 so it all seems very convenient, if I fancy giving it a bash.
Nicho emailed the Shaman and he said he wanted to meet me, so with butterflies in my stomach I agreed to go the following morning, I would see what my gut said and take it from there.
This is the gorgeous Nicho, it was all his fault.

After I decided to go, the nerves left and I felt a bit excited, it was strange.
We wandered down the hill to meet the Shaman and I was intrigued to learn more.
​Nicho had told me his place was immense but I had no idea how startling it was going to be.
Because Izychuluma is pretty off the scale stunning I thought it would be hard to beat, but this place is quite unlike any other I have ever seen.

As we walked along the River towards the place we were just chatting and must have mentioned Shaman, when a voice came from behind saying "quack shaman".
I started laughing, this is all the chat you get here. It has to be the real deal, and I am not sure anyone knows exactly the criteria for this.
I said to the guy, ahh so this guy is not a real Shaman, he said no. You need to go down deep into the jungle to get one.
He was pretty mean, and it felt immediately to me like jealousy and not deep concern for our welfare.
I was more amused than perturbed and was still happy to go with my gut when I met Miguel.
I walked into his garden and was spellbound.
It was like walking into a Disney movie, or as Julia, the other girl who joined us later said, it was like going into Alice in Wonderland.
Miguel was charming, warm, permanently amused and I liked him immediately.
There was no airs and graces here, he showed us around, we saw the ceremony site, he spent a couple of hours with us, so I decided it felt right.
I asked him if he drank it too and he laughed saying, ofcourse, it would be too boring if I never.
Fair enough, like going out with your friends when you are not drinking, no fun at all.

We were to go down there at 10pm then drink the medicine at 11pm. It goes on most of the night then you get fruit for brekkers around 7am.
We fasted all day to get the full experience.
About 6pm a young girl came to the dorm and was in the bed beside me. I told her that I was going and she on the spur of the moment decided to join.
So that made 4 of us.
Off we went, arrived there, we all had a mattress each, we sat around the fire, chatted, then the Plant medicine was given out.
It was green and tasted pretty gross, but I have drunk plenty of gross things in my day so it was no biggy.

Then......
Then you sit there, its in, and you have no idea what is going to happen.
As I am a letting go expert I consoled mycellf with the fact that I could let anything go, but also knew that it might not be that simple, you can be overwhelmed and lose all control, infact that could be what it is about.
You get a bowl to vomit in and there was an outside toilet near by for when your bowel empties.
You can see why I have avoided it for years lol.
I dont want to expose others stories but one of the others got up and was clearly distressed. I was still sitting waiting, and knew it could be me next.
Anyway the others dealt with it, as I had no idea really what was going on and was just waiting for the hammer to fall.
I felt the nausea coming on strong, then vomitted and knew that would possibly kick it all off, which it did.
I then went into a fairly pleasant psychedelic experience.
I was still expecting shit to happen, but I kept releasing and just enjoyed the sacred geometry show.
Miguel came over to see if I wanted more, but it was all good and I did not want to push my luck. I could hear the singing and drumming in the distance but I was in another world.
I opened my eyes a few times but could not grasp peoples faces so just kept them closed and observed.
Next thing Nicho was by my side and I came to and we discussed our experiences.
It had worn off, everyone was quiet, and it felt nice just to lie and listen to the rain and the river.
I cannot say I got a message or anything profound.
But I felt great for days after, and it was a real bonding experience for the 4 of us that did it.
Not everyone had the pleasant experience, but when it was over they seemed to come out the other side, maybe more relieved than anything.

Doing "plant medicine" here is huge, really big business.
Money always changes things. It used to just be the Shaman that did it, now its open to everyone, which I agree with, but it leaves it open to greed.
People are paying thousands to do the Retreats.
It fascinates me that we are willing to put ourcellves through that, because make no mistake it can be awful.
Why?
We are chasing the dream?
The dream of understanding ourcellves and what the hell this is all about?
You can get insights for sure, but you can get them in other ways too.
But are you prepared to do the work afterwards, the personal, eternal, journey of discovery that we all have to take in order to be free.
Free from the mind.
Mind mastery.
The Shaman says all illness starts in the mind.
Even in the West we are starting to understand that now.
Most of the stories we have been told are simply not true and it is time for us to open our minds to how powerful and destructive we are.
The only person who can conquer your mind is you.
No Doctor, no pill, no operation.
I am learning so much here, especially on this biodynamic farm, where the land is natural, the farmers understand the moon and the stars and how to grow food without harming the Earth.
It could not be further from the developed World and the way we live in the West.
The reverence for the plant and spirit World is part of life here.
Vilcabamba used to be famous because the people lived to be really old.
In communities, and harmony.
One of the farmers guessed my age exactly. HIs mother in law is 100, still works the fields, can thread a needle without glasses.
Wow how far we have moved out of harmony.
And we are paying the price.

Do I recommend Ayuhuasca?
If you are drawn to it then go right ahead.
It is definitely helping people, how much of it is placebo I do not know.
Or are we still looking outside of ourcellves for the answer?
I believe we all have the capacity to heal, and it should be free and available to anyone no matter what Country they are in and how much money they have.
I believe its an inside job.
But external things can help, listen to your heart, see if it calls you.

The ceremony etc around it is powerful, the community, the power of group intention, then the plant. Who knows what is doing what?

In Scotland we would take these "drugs" and get wasted.
Here they call it medicine, they treat it in a special way, they hold intention and community, and they get results.
​We could maybe learn a thing or two?

 The Galapagos

There is huge hype round these islands.
And there is no doubt they are a stunning, magical piece of Volcanic action.
People say its the most amazing place they have ever been.
So your expectation level can go wayyyyyy up and then you get there and think, yeah its nice, but I have been to other nice places.

There are two kinds of holiday maker there.
The I am on vacation for 2 weeks and have a years spending money escaping the rat race, or the Backpacker working on a budget which happened to be me this trip.

It is $20 to get out of Quito, and the $100 when you arrive at Baltra, nice surprise.
That pissed me off to start with, why 2 payments.
Then there is all the palava about conservation, bug sprays in the overhead cabins in the aircraft, and checking the mud on your boots when you leave and go to another islands.
Seriously guys? We know that makes zero difference to anything.

When you arrive in the airport its another big palava where all the bags are put together and the dog walks over the top of them all. I assume thats for drugs, but they do it in a very formal, important way.

It was much more like US approach, they are doing a lot but actually doing nothing.
Airport security etc brings out the worst in me, and humans, moving your perfume into a see through bag and kidding ourcellves on that we are tackling terrorism. They kid on they are tackling conservation, or something Im not sure, its bollocks anyway.

In Scotland we have off the scale wildlife. No palalva going there, no unseen charges, no fee to get on our islands, no spraying of foreigners, or kidding on that we are checking their shoes, it all seems like a bit of a brand exercise.
And if you sail in they want your hull scrubbed 2 miles off. Really, what exactly is that going to achieve. More rules for rules sake if you ask me.

I met a film maker from the USEG US enviromnental group. He was there to film a beach clean up, to talk to the locals about conservation etc, but it turns out one of the big pollutants here are the Asian boats who dump everything and anything from their boats way out at sea, that affects the islands. The plastic pollution is an issue in all our waters now and Galapagos is no different. Not the mud from my boots or yours for that matter.

We are all in this together, no point in one Country doing everything if others are blatantly disregarding Nature and our wildlife.

Now dont get me wrong it is beautiful, barren, green, volcanic and stunning all at the same time, but for me the main attraction here is the diving and snorkelling.
And I was a bit underwhelmed.
Coming from Mompiche which has the cleanest beach I have ever seen,and the stunning jungle all around, I was already high on the beauty of the Planet.
I have been blessed to dive round the World, and it was not the best by a long shot for me.
The visibility was poor and again it was super expensive to dive. $250 US for a try dive and 2 dives at Kicker Rock. One with no air lol.

The best 2 days I had was snorkelling close to the island in a bay where the visibility was a bit better. I got to swim with the giant turtles and it was magical.
Kicker Rock was immense, a huge challenge and a world famous dive, but really you could not see much. Apart from the massive shoal of fish we danced with, that was awesome.
I saw white tipped and hammer head sharks but they were shadows with the low viz.
Not what I expected, but thats Nature for you, there is a bit of luck involved.

The people were super nice and friendly, but I spent a lot of time on my own due to me not speaking Spanish and not being in a dorm, where all the other lone travellers are.
And there is a feeling that because you are white the price goes up.

In Isabella there are some really cool beach bars, and in Santa Marta the main island there are some really good restaurants, so that made me happy.

The other thing that you should know is the ferries are not really ferries. They are big cruise boats, around maybe 30ft with 3 x 200 horsepower engines behind them.
This makes them fast but super uncomfortable in big weather.
I had someone spewing on both sides of me, and it can be a 2.5 hour trip. Its your luck if you get to be in the fresh air outside the boat, but only a 1/3 of people can fit there, the rest are inside, in the hot, smelly, boat.
Some boats are better than others, so if you were there with kids, or anyone who gets sea sick, really bear this in mind, it is not pleasant.

On the dive day, an older lady, even older than me, came on to snorkel with her son.
She should NEVER have been sold that trip, the boat was tiny, rocking all over the place, 8 divers getting their kit on and off 3 times, and she was stuck out ther all day vomiting. Her poor son just sat with his arm over her, a shit day for both of them and I could have told you it would be, so these guys should have known. There is no land or shelter out there and it was shit for snotkelling too due to huge swell.

Running out of air 12 metres down
It is still not clear why I ran out of air on my second dive at the famous Kicker Rock.
The Dive Master wanted me to believe I drank it all, but no way. The first dive was 48 mins we came back up with 600. I ran out after around 25 mins at a much shallower depth and was totally relaxed, until I realised what had happened.

There are different reasons it could happen, it was never discussed.
He immediately gave me his spare, but we had to surface a bit early bobbing about in huge swell, no boat in sight, I had to practise letting go, big time.

There was chaos on the boat, changing the cylinders for the second dive and I did think hmmmm potential for mix up here, and the crew fixed you all up, helped you get on the ledge, turned on air, did half assed check, but 8 divers is a lot on a small boat.
I actually felt sorry for the guy, what an enormous responsibility.
And the crazy thing is I did not question the safety, not at booking, not on the boat, which was stupid, and after speaking to others after the event, they had had issues with this company.
He was cool though, the second I showed him my reading, he grabbed his spare, and the dive continued for another 10 mins or so. He was  clearly very experienced and really made me and Paulina the other female feel very safe despite this situation,

I had a similar safetly experience later on back  on the mainland when I went zip lining.
I just assumed it would be safe, and the guy handed me 2 metal blocks and sent me up to the wire which stretched across the canyon.
I just assumed someone would be there to help me, then had to shout the guy up to help.
I realised after that my life was in the hands of these two young guys who actuallly worked the braking system by hand.

Anyway,still here telling all the tales, then it was the Ayuhuasca story,
Watch this space lol
Kicker Rock dive below.

​If we reverse the 9 steps for healing, do we have the protocal for getting sick?


If we know that the 9 major factors that led to healing are as below, can we assume if doing that makes us well, does doing the opposite make us sick?


The overwhelming surprises in the healing factors for me were that exercise played no part (they were too sick to exercise in the initial stages but it came in later as healing and energy happened) and that only 2 of the steps are to do with the physical, diet and herbs and supplements, the rest is all about the Mind.


So lets have a look and use the polarities of the factors so see if it helps us get an insight to why we get sick?

1. Radically change your diet. From an unhealthy one to a healthy, Nature led one. So an unhealthy diet can lead to disease? I think we all know that.
2. Herbs and supplements. We need more micro nutrients, so a deficiency in nutrients can lead to disease, again I think we all understand that too.
3. Take control of your health. The opposite of that would be no control. Allowing others to make decisions for your body, your life, your relationships and your health and happiness. No boundaries, which is something I have witnessed first hand. You MUST take control and make decisions for you.
4. Listen to your intuition. Or dont listen to your intuition. Does ignoring your intuition make you sick. You hear people say they heard a voice, or had a strong feeling that the body did not want to go down a certain path. How often do we overide our innner intelligence and do what others say instead of listening in carefully and following that feeling, trusting that feeling, even if it is the road less travelled? What price are we paying for not taking control and listening in?
5. Believing in something higher. Not believing in anything higher. Thinking this is it, having no faith, believing we are alone and a victim of this suffering and this narrative. Lack of faith, what is that conveying to our cells, to the Universe, is lack of faith making us sick?
6. A strong desire to live. No strong desire, no feeling of purpose, no reason to fight or get back up. Is our lack of purpose and drive, our feeling of being part of something amazing, is this making us sick?
7. Strong social support network. No community, nobody there to listen, or to support in the way you have chosen. A feeling of lonliness and being cut off from others, or a desire to be cut off from others who do not understand. Everyone too tired and busy to help, or hear your cries for help. Could the disolution of communities be making us sick.
8. Focus on the positive. Best case scenario or worst case scenario, where is your attention, focus and intention. Why is it so easy to think the worst instead of the best, is it a habit, have we inheritied it, or has our suing culture helped us to always see the worst. Is seeing the worst and expectng the worst making us sick?
9. Letting go. Last but not least, letting go of all our concepts and labels, releasing the past hurts and traumas, our ancestral baggage. Is holding on to all of that making us sick. Our need for control, security, approval, separation and oneness, our need to figure things out, take thing personally, wishing things were different and waiting for things to change so that we can be happy. Is all of that making us sick?

We know how powerful our minds are, we know that people heal spontaneously, we know that people defy the odds, we fully understand that people who do not give a proverbial shit have a jollier ride in life.
We talk about diet and exercise all the time, and people are trying to fit that into their already overburdened lives.
Maybe our focus needs to change.
Lynne MacTaggarts new book catagorically proves that Community and Altruism heals us and the Community.
We are interconnected, literally all in it together, and the only way we can survive and heal is to fully understand this. Competition can lead us on to greater things but Collaboration, when we all pull together for the greater good of all, led from the heart, we are literally unstoppable.
Bruce Liptons book Biology of Belief tells us how our beliefs change genetic expression.
Dr Joe teaches us to heal by thought alone and proves it time and time again that we all have an innate healing capacity when we let go and connect to the Unified Field.
Greg Braden explains the Matrix and our place in it and the Supernatural powers that he has witnessed in the East that we all have access to.


So are we looking at this the wrong way?
Your food can be perfect but if you

• Ignore your intuition
• Have no sense of purpose
• Have no boundaries or strength to take control
• Are surrounded by people who do not believe or support you
• Hang onto the past
• Focus on the worst case scenarion
• Have no faith or belief in a higher power

Will you get sick anyway? Or will you block the healing frequency that is available to all of us?

There is NO pharmaceutical pill, treatment or surgery that can fix that.

This is the official, proverbial inside job.

Can you believe that you are protected and never alone, that you have are meant to be here, that your voice counts, that you can speak your truth, believe in your Supernatural powers and be with your Community serving your purpose and feeling part of the Collective?

Can you stand strong, Let go of the past completely, trust and surrender using your incredible IMAGINATION to help yourcellf, your Community and the Planet?

Dr Kelly Turner is beaming in live to the Goddess Gathering on 2nd November 2018.
She will be there to answer all your questions. Get your ticket here.
www.goddessgatheringportavadie.com/

What are your thoughts?
Are you healing or harming?
The Placebo is you.
Hear from the Master.