I Dreamed of the Amazon

Gianna Schorno

Description

A new adventure was waiting for me. I was going to South America and the Peruvian Amazon jungle! An exciting new life, a new culture, new friends and a jungle lodge in the middle of the majestic, ancient rainforest, surrounded by insane beauty. But it is not all as glorious as it seems. In a country blessed with nature and variety, exotic animals and birds, and many ancient cultures to discover, there is also a darker side to it. During my 3 years of living in Peru, I was about to encounter everything from beauty, love, joy, pain, sorrow, betrayal and corruption, in a place where you cannot trust anyone. Join me and indulge in an incredible story with adventures that totally changed my life and me.

Sujets

• Adventure (Guyana)
• Adventure

Informations

• Publié par: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Date de parution: 30 avril 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781528956901
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

I Dreamed of the Amazon
Gianna Schorno
Austin Macauley Publishers
2019-04-30
I Dreamed of the Amazon About the Author About the Book Dedication Copyright © Acknowledgement Prologue Chapter 1 3A New Adventure Begins Chapter 2 Iquitos and the Amazon Chapter 3 An Ayahuasca Experience Chapter 4 Pacaya Samiria Nature Reserve Chapter 5 Santiago De Chile Chapter 6 Lima Chapter 7 A New Encounter Chapter 8 Construction of a Jungle Lodge Chapter 9 A New Life Chapter 10 A Realisation and a Revelation Chapter 11 The Escape Chapter 12 Tarapoto Chapter 13 Final Destination Chapter 14 Epilogue Chapter 15 Photos of the Amazon
About the Author
Gianna Schorno was born and raised in Zurich, Switzerland. Her origin is Italian among others, and she has always been a bit of a nomad. She decided at a very early age to explore the globe.
Her knowledge of various languages and her keen interest in getting to know different cultures took her on many travels around the world. She has also lived in various countries, including Canada, Turkey, Ecuador and Peru. She currently lives in the UK.
About the Book
A new adventure was waiting for me. I was going to South America and the Peruvian Amazon jungle! An exciting new life, a new culture, new friends and a jungle lodge in the middle of the majestic, ancient rainforest, surrounded by insane beauty.
But it is not all as glorious as it seems. In a country blessed with nature and variety, exotic animals and birds, and many ancient cultures to discover, there is also a darker side to it.
During my 3 years of living in Peru, I was about to encounter everything from beauty, love, joy, pain, sorrow, betrayal and corruption, in a place where you cannot trust anyone. Join me and indulge in an incredible story with adventures that totally changed my life and me.
Dedication
To my very best friends who supported me always in good and in bad times.
Copyright ©
Gianna Schorno (2019)
The right of Gianna Schorno to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781528956901 (ePub e-book)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2019)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LQ
Acknowledgement
I would like to take this opportunity to thank for the help of my dear friend Lars Balderskilde, who took the time to read my adventure story and gave me valuable feedback and suggestions for my book. Thank you also to Anita Edmonds and Binda Rai for supporting me with my idea and giving me strength to see the project through. And finally, a big thank you to Peter Holland, who took the time to proofread my novel.
While some events and locations are obviously altered to fit the novel, and some names of places and characters have been changed, it is based on my own true story and adventures in the Amazon jungle in North-eastern Peru and my experiences with my jungle lodge. I have also included some facts about the Amazon rainforest and Ayahuasca that I thought might be interesting to know.
The Karma Café restobar just off the Malecon in Iquitos is still one of the favourite spots in Iquitos for tourists and expats, and they have jam sessions every weekend. I spent many happy moments in there.
The Dawn on the Amazon restaurant in Iquitos exists and it is located at the far end of the Malecon. The owner was Captain Bill Grimes, a kind American man who loved the Amazon and ran this restaurant and travel agency together with his wife. Sadly, Bill lost his life in a hurricane that hit Iquitos one night in September 2016. He will be sadly missed and remembered with great fondness by his many friends. His wife continues running the restaurant and agency.
The Mercado de Artesanias in San Juan also exists, as well as my friends, who I still buy artesanias from. It is a good place to buy handicraft in Iquitos as there is a lot of variety. At certain times there are dance performances too.
And of course, last but not least, the former South American Explorers Club in Lima (SAE), where I used to volunteer, will always be remembered with great joy. Thank you to my great team of the year 2012 and that I could be part of it. Together we experienced many fantastic events and great times, and where I had made so many truly amazing friends who also gave me some inspirations for my book.
Prologue
I once had a lodge in the Amazon. It was a little jungle lodge located on the Amazon River in the Peruvian rainforest. Last night, I was dreaming I was walking along the path again to my jungle lodge in the beautiful Amazon. I could feel the tranquillity and the heat of the place that I loved so much. I looked up to the sky and saw some colourful macaws fly past. They always stay in pairs. I smiled. A toucan, my favourite exotic bird, was flying across the river.
The picture changed. I saw myself sitting on the banks of a small tributary river to the mighty Amazonas River. The sun shone brightly through the trees. It was a hot and humid day, and because it was the dry season, the river was at its lowest level. I suddenly heard music, and I walked back on the small path towards my lodge. I saw there was a party going on. Then, in my dream, I saw myself dancing with my friends and I felt happy. I knew it was my birthday party and I looked up to the tree tops of the ancient forest and could feel the energy pulsing through me.
The alarm clock went off and I woke with a start. I sat up and I looked out of the window. I saw that it was still dark outside. Where was I? What had just happened? What about the lovely birds and the dancing and warmth that I had just experienced? Then I realised, “Oh right, I’m back in England!” I had to go to work and it was winter time, quite early and still dark outside. As I lay still for a while, I was feeling sad when my thoughts went back to my adventure in Peru some years ago. I was missing the jungle and nature of one of the most beautiful places on earth.
After the break-up with my ex-partner in 2011, I felt I needed a change in my life. I had always dreamed of living in a jungle region and I loved South America. My choice this time was Peru. I wanted to see the Amazon jungle, which covers 40% of the South American continent, and the mighty Amazon River. I had previous jungle experience through my travels in other parts of South America, it had always fascinated me. I was going to try to do some volunteering work there for a few months. Being a practitioner of holistic work, I also wanted to learn more about Ayahuasca and San Pedro ceremonies, which the ancient Amazon rainforest is so famous for.
So, all set, early in 2012, I was off to my new adventure. But what I had experienced during those three years of living in South America had changed my life. The jungle lodge I had built near Iquitos (in north-eastern Peru) and my own business had turned into a nightmare. In the end, I was forced to abandon my lodge and to return to Europe with nothing. Through my three years in Peru, I lived through the experience of love, deception, betrayal, sorrow, pain, happiness and loss, all rolled into one.
This novel is based on my true story as I wanted to share some of my experiences, good and bad ones, of this amazing and spectacular place, which captured my soul so much.
I hope you will enjoy reading it.
Gianna
Chapter 1

3A New Adventure Begins

It was one of the last days of February 2012. It was beginning to get noisy on the plane and I woke up. I felt a little disoriented. Where was I? Oh yes, I realised, I was on the way to my new adventure! The flight attendants were starting to distribute breakfast. I pushed open the little window and I realised we were already crossing the South American continent to our destination of Lima, the capital of Peru. I felt excited. I was travelling high up to the Andes, to the city of Cusco, because from there I was planning to take a trip to the ancient site of Machu Picchu. Therefore, I did not want to stop over in Lima.
Peru, South America, here I come! A new adventure, new people, new friends and, perhaps, a new life somewhere here on this continent. I have always dreamed of living in South America, particularly in a jungle region, as it fascinated me very much. I spoke Spanish fluently and therefore I had no problem to make myself understood. I was planning to stay in Cusco for a few days only and afterwards I wanted to fly straight to the city of Iquitos, which is the largest city in the Peruvian Amazon, located in the north-eastern part of Peru. It is the only jungle city in the world which can only be reached by plane or by boat. I felt very excited.
When I stepped off the plane in Lima, the first thing I saw at the airport was a McDonald’s and a Dunkin’ Donuts! Well, not very South American, I thought. Fortunately, my stopover in Lima was only a couple of hours and soon I was on my connecting flight to Cusco. As the city of Cusco is located on an altitude of 3400m above sea level, you need to adapt for a couple of days due to its altitude. Altitude sickness always hits me and this time was no different.
Upon arrival in Cusco, I was picked up by a hostel shuttle that I had booked beforehand, and soon I found myself in the courtyard of a very authentic Peruvian hostel not far from the city centre. First, I felt good and I thought that maybe this time I was not getting ill. Like all hotels, they offered me the slightly bitter Coca tea made