Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hospedaje San Carlos $
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( 30-6447; Ayacucho 627; s/d/tr S45/60/80; ) Winning the budget stakes by a nose,
this newish little hospedaje has immaculate and trim rooms, each with TV. The back
rooms are best for light sleepers.
GUESTHOUSE
Hospedaje Aruba $
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( 30-3067; Junín 851; s/d without bathroom S25/35, s/d with bathrooms 30/50) All
white and bright, the small, spartan rooms here fulfill the basic crashpad role.
GUESTHOUSE
SHOPPING FOR SHAMANS
For the daring adventurer, Huancabamba, deep in the eastern mountains, is well worth the rough 10-hour journey
from Piura. This region is famed in Peru for the powerful brujos and curanderos (healers) who live and work at
the nearby lakes of Huaringas. Peruvians from all over the country flock to partake in these ancient healing tech-
niques. Many locals (but few gringos) visit the area, so finding information and guides is not difficult.
The mystical town of Huancabamba is surrounded by mountains shrouded in mist, and lies at the head of the
long, narrow Río Huancabamba. The banks of the Huancabamba are unstable and constantly eroding and the town
is subject to frequent subsidence and slippage. It has earned itself the nickname La Ciudad que Camina (the Town
that Walks). Spooky.
When people from the West think of witchcraft, visions of pointed hats, broomsticks and bubbling brews are
rarely far away. In Peru, consulting brujos (witch doctors) and curanderos (healers) is widely accepted and has a
long tradition predating Spanish colonization.
Peruvians from all walks of life visit brujos and curanderos and often pay sizable amounts of money for their
services. These shamans are used to cure an endless list of ailments, from headaches to cancer to chronic bad luck,
and are particularly popular in matters of love - whether it's love lost, love found, love desired or love scorned.
The Huaringas lake area near Huancabamba, almost 4000m above sea level, is said to have potent curative
powers and attracts a steady stream of visitors from all corners of the continent. The most famous lake in the area
is Laguna Shimbe , though the nearby Laguna Negra is the one most frequently used by the curanderos .
Ceremonies can last all night and entail hallucinogenic plants (such as the San Pedro cactus), singing, chanting,
dancing and a dip in the lakes' painfully freezing waters. Some ceremonies involve more powerful substances like
ayahuasca (Quechua for 'vine of the soul'), a potent and vile mix of jungle vines used to induce strong hallucina-
tions. Vomiting is a common side effect. For more on the potential dangers of taking ayahuasca, see the boxed
text, Click here . The curanderos will also use ícaros, which are mystical songs and chants used to direct and in-
fluence the spiritual experience. Serious curanderos will spend many years studying the art, striving for the hard-
earned title of maestro curandero .
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