Surfing the coast from Peru up to Ecuador

In life you have to be what you actually are. Also for me this doesn't work out always and people start to live lives they are not. This couple of weeks when I made these pics where awesome, living the surfer lifestyle with a fellow surfer from California, Tom. Well, I met Tom in Cusco, Peru, in the mountains. He was surfing the coast from Chile up to Ecuador and hitting the Galapagos Islands. So, after I had enough snow and hail in the Andes I joined him. I had weeks of some surf, many wipeouts, I almost drowned once (seriously, no joke), we made loads of partying, had beers with the mates, respect for the Ocean, and more party, party, and met lifetime friends. :)

The Peruvian Highlands and the Andes

From the north till the south of Peru a long and high stretch is playing an at most important rule, being beautiful and astonishing. :) The Andes are connecting the North of South America with the South and therefore are the longest continental mountain range in the world. It is the home of the Aymara and Quechua people, the llamas, vicunjas, alpacas, viscachas, the Andean puma, the condor and more. The most beautiful of the Andes is the Cordillera Blanca in northern Peru, but unfortunately as I cut my foot while surfing I made it this time only around the southern part, around Cusco and in the direction to Bolivia.  

Ayahuasca in the Amazon Jungle

It starts with a gentle pressure between the eyes, an energy flow through the spine and some noisy sound. In half an hour your body melts away and you become an unique spirit what you actually are, and the journey begins! But each person describes it different and each person is different. There is no special formula and there is nothing special you can prepare yourself to. It's death, rebirth and love all in one. It's the mother of all psychedelic experiences and it is all for you, for the individual soul having a conversation with mother Ayahuasca and with itself.

Belen and the floating village of Iquitos

Belen is the name of the colorful and exotic market in the Amazon Basin, Iquitos, Peru surrounded by slums and a crazy floating village full of surprises. They said its dangerous so watch your stuff, keep your camera tied to your arm and prepare yourself for illegal dead animals from the jungle. :) If you want to visit the slum and the challenging life the people live here, pay a few Soles for a "local guide" and a boat. 

Iquitos and The Amazon Basin

It's just the start of it, all the water which runs down the Andes forms this magnificent landscape, this humid breading place for so many animals and plants. It's not shelter, it's a harsh place where only the strongest survive. The Amazon rainforest starts where the city of Iquitos in Peru was formed years ago because of rubber tree plantations. These are some pics from that part of the world.