ANDEAN INITIATION

AN IMMERSION INTO
AN ANCIENT SPIRITUAL CULTURE
with Ashtara Australian astrologer, author and spiritual teacher

23rd SEPT- 6th OCTOBER 2009

Throughout the Andean Initiation Ashtara will share her astrological, cosmological and spiritual insights and the ancient sacred wisdom she has uncovered through her many visits to this special area. She will also conduct ceremonies and meditations at special places.

Itinerary
(subject to change)

Arrive to Cusco airport. Teresa or Fredy Conde, owners of the Andes Journeys tour company, will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel. Cusco is the ancient Inca capital of Peru situated high in the Andes, 3500 metres above sea level. It is attractive with a Spanish influence. You will be quite safe in the centre of the city and will enjoy your time there. We suggest you arrive one or two days before the Andean Initiation adventure begins.

Retreat:

23rd September: Breakfast at your Cusco hotel. Tour guide Fredy Conde and his team will transfer you from Cusco to your beautiful garden hotel, Wilka T’ika, situated in the Sacred Valley of Peru. www.willkatika.com Tel. 051 84 201508 FAX. 201181. email: info@wilkatika.com En route you will stop at a sacred site.   Dinner is included.

24th September: Breakfast and dinner included. Early morning meditation and yoga stretches and then you will take an excursion to the amazing ancient site of Ollantaytambo situated at the end of the Sacred Valley of the Incas. This impressive structure will confound and astound you. You will lunch at the nearby village and then return to the peaceful haven of Wilka T’ika. De-briefing and sharing will take place most evenings.

25th September: Breakfast and dinner included. Early morning meditation and yoga stretches. The first of a series of Initiate Training follows breakfast. In the training you will learn about the culture and spirituality of the Andean civilization and how it relates to your life. This will aid your understanding of the sites you visit, the people you meet and the spiritual ceremonies you will experience. Then you walk to the nearby village for lunch. The training continues in the afternoon.

26th September: Breakfast included. Arising early, you will travel by train to visit the ancient citadel of Machu Picchu, one of the great wonders of the world. Snacks are provided on the train. On arrival you will book into your hotel at unique Aquas Calientes, a village ‘growing up’ beside the railway line at the foothills of Machu Picchu. You will have lunch in this quaint village and then take a bus up to the majestic and impressive sacred site, one of the great wonders of the world and a former esoteric training school for female initiates. You will have hours here to explore this site under the guidance of local tour guide, Fredy Conde.

27th September: Breakfast and dinner included.   Today you make a second visit to Machu Picchu to experience the sunrise over the awe-inspiring mountains. This will be an experience you will never forget. You will then spend prime time appreciating the special qualities of this sacred citadel in our own way. You may choose to explore the Moon Temple on the nearby mountain of Wayna Picchu, or climb to its top. When you have had your fill of this incredible site you catch the bus down the mountain to Aquas Calientes for lunch. Then it will be time to take the train back to Wilka T’ika guesthouse.

28th September: Breakfast included. Yoga stretches and then you will visit another amazing Sacred Valley site of Pisaq, a mountain hide-away where, in ancient times, carefully selected young women lived and were trained in the sacred feminine esoteric mysteries. Following this excursion you can shop and lunch at the fascinating Pisaq markets. You will be taken to your Cusco hotel where you will spend this night. Los Marqueses Hotel, Calle Garcilaso 256 Cusco, Peru. Tel: 51-84-264249   www.hotelmarqueses.com

29h September: Breakfast and picnic lunch included. You will have an excursion to some of the amazing sacred sites around this incredible city, including Sacsayhuaman where you will see giant stones weighing hundreds of tonnes moved by ‘magical’ means into their specific positions. Return to Cusco.

30th September: Breakfast included. Private transport to Puno, situated on Lake Titicaca: making stops along the way to important sacred sites. You will overnight at Hotel Taypikala, situated on Lake Titicaca in the small village of Chuquita, 20 mins. drive from the large town of Puno

31st September: Early start. Breakfast included. Today you take a boat trip on beautiful Lake Titicaca to visit the amazing small Uros reed islands, where indigenous people live and work.   We will then travel on to Teqeille Is. to explore and have lunch. Return to Hotel Taypikala by evening. www.taypikala.com

1st October: Breakfast included. Today you prepare to leave Peru and, en route to the border, visit and explore the powerful ancient sacred site of the Aramu Muru Gateway. This experience is often one of the most profound of the whole adventure. It is at the border between Peru and Bolivia that you will say a fond farewell to Fredy and greet Rosse Mary, our beautiful Bolivian tour guide. You will overnight in Copacabana, a small idyllic fishing village on the shores of Lake Titicaca where the Magdalen energy of the sacred feminine is very powerful.

2nd October: Breakfast included. You will take a private boat to the Island of the Sun, an ancient spiritual training centre for both men and women. You will overnight here with a village family. This will be a memorable experience. There are many ancient ruins on this island including a fascinating labyrinth and temple. There is much ancient history and mystery here and you will learn and experience much that will broaden your mind.

3rd October: Breakfast included: You will travel by private boat to the ruins of a sacred temple on the Island of the Moon.   It is here you will sense and experience the potent frequencies and learn about the history of this ancient female initiate training centre.   Ashtara will guide you into an initiation ceremony, meditation and sharing. Overnight here.

4th October: Breakfast included: Return to Copacabana. This will be a quiet day whereby you can explore Copacabana and the many sacred sites around the village. You might like to shop here, as prices are very reasonable. Sharing and de-brief in the evening.

5th October: Breakfast included: This morning you travel by bus to Tiahuanaco, one of the most ancient and remarkable sacred sites in the Andes. There have been large teams of workers, under the guidance of archaeologists, excavating this site recently and much has been uncovered. History will have to be re-written when the dig is complete.    You will spend the night in the Europa Hotel, La Paz.   www.hoteleuropa.com.bo ph. (591-2)2315656 Fax: (591-2)2113930.   This is the final day of the adventure.

6th October: Breakfast included: Transfers to airport.

TOUR ENDS.

Included in the Andean Initiation Adventure is fully serviced transport and transfers, entrances to sacred sites and tour guide fees. Lunches and dinners are not included except where specified. Gratuity tips for your tour guide and private bus driver are not included. Please ensure you put aside a reasonable sum for this.

10% of Andean Initiation proceeds is used to fund the improvements to specially chosen under privileged schools in Peru and Bolivia.

I recommend you book your flights with Gina at Travelling Places:
email: travellingplaces@bigpond.com ph. 07 55451600

TRAVELERS INFORMATION

It is necessary to begin a regular exercise routine before you travel, starting as soon as possible. Serious power walking most mornings, especially up hills, will be exceedingly beneficial.

Airport Transfers: Lima:
If you are staying overnight in Lima you will need to arrange your hotel accommodation and transfer from the airport to the hotel. The airport can be a very busy place although it is well controlled and policed.   After you have finished your customs and immigration preliminaries and have collected your luggage you will walk to the general meeting area. Behind barricades and inside the building there will be masses of hawkers. One of them will have the name of your hotel on it (only if you have booked this transfer service beforehand). If you have not, then choose a GREEN taxi, usually situated on the right hand side BEFORE you enter the general meeting area.   Hotels are mostly 45 – 60 mins away from the airport. Lima is on the coast. The cost of the transfer is around $US20-25. I suggest you book your hotel and transfer before you leave Australia through Gina at Travelling Places. ph. 07 55451600

Cusco:
The flight from Lima to the ancient Inca capitol Cusco, situated high in the Andes, only takes one hour. It is breathtakingly beautiful on a clear day. You fly right beside the Andes Mountains. Cusco is a small airport, yet can be busy.   When you have your luggage you will go outside the airport where you will see a barricade, probably with ‘hawkers’ waiting for you. Look for your name, or mine, and Fredy or Teresa from Andes Journeys will greet you and take you to your hotel.

After you arrive at your Cusco hotel:
I suggest most strongly that you rest on your bed for at least one-two hours, practicing deep breathing.   Also drink the coca tea offered. Both will aid your assimilation to the altitude, around 3,600 metres above sea level.   I drink a large amount of coca tea every day and do not suffer at all. You soon get used to the taste of the herbal tea. Most people do not have a problem. The fitter you are the less likely you are to have altitude difficulties.

Your accommodation at the retreat in the Sacred Valley:
The mini-resort guesthouse where you will be staying for six nights is Wilka T’ika. It contains a lovingly built family home with many small and very comfortable mud-brick cabins situated in an amazing garden. Its owner created this garden over a period of many years. It is a haven and refuge. I’m sure you will like it. It is simple yet good quality. The food served is delicious vegetarian with most produce grown in the garden and lovingly cooked by local villagers. It is situated in the Sacred Valley at a much lower altitude to Cusco.

Clothing:
Being in the southern hemisphere and reasonably close to the equator it can be warm in the daytime. However, no matter what the season you will need a warm jacket for evening. As soon as the sun sets it becomes cold. You will also need good, strong walking/hiking boots or joggers and a few pairs of socks. You will be climbing up and down many, many steep steps and hills.    All the sacred sites are carved into the sides of, or on top of, mountains!   You will need about six T-shirts, a jumper, warm jacket, maybe poncho or rain coat (ponchos can be bought very easily and cheaply). It would be wise to bring at least one spare pair of long trousers. Travel as LIGHTLY as you can. I wear my boots in the plane, and carry my jacket. You will probably want to buy heaps - especially alpaca garments and silver jewellery. We do not ‘dress up’!

What else to bring:
Sunscreen, flashlight, bum bag, day backpack, camera and sun hat.

Electrical Appliances:
Australian electrical gear doesn’t work there so you will need to bring an adapter.

Food and Drink:
Do not drink the local water. Use only bottled water, even to clean your teeth.   Eat only that which is cooked or can be peeled.   This is my guideline for all my adventures into foreign countries and I have never been sick.

Currency:
Bring only US dollars cash.   In the Sacred Valley there are no banks or ATMs.   ATM’s are available in Cusco and Aquas Calientes, the small village at the foothills of Machu Picchu. Banks in Cusco take a long, long time to change traveller’s cheques. Queues can be a block long (outside the bank). Not good!   Best not to go this way! There are plenty of moneychangers who will change US cash into local Peruvian or Bolivian currency.

PASSPORT INFORMATION

It is a requirement of the Peruvian government that all travellers provide details of their passports to their hotels. Therefore I will require from you passport details: name on passport, number of passport, nationality, place of issue and expiry date. I will also require your exact flight details and time of arrival into Cusco. Please provide these details to me ASAP. Detail them on one piece of paper. You can email the information to me: star@ashtara.com

When in the city it is wise to carry your passport and airline tickets safely on your person, or leave them in a safety deposit box in the hotel. Take good care of them. Under no circumstances leave them in your backpack in a vehicle.

If you want Andes Journeys to book you a hotel in Cusco please let me know. email: star@ashtara.com You will need to designate the amount of money you want to spend on a hotel (i.e. from $US40 to $US600 per night).

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