The magical mountains of Manoa is a destination that summoned me. When I first arrived the lead Shaman told me that he knew that he was expecting me. Shaman Sirata along with the other spiritual leaders that I have had the pleasure to meet and live with have become my second family. After my first trip to Manoa in 2020, I left with the feeling that if there was a heaven and you found yourself in a valley with people that you had never met, this is what it would feel like. That feeling of love, support and community that I experienced is unlike anything I could have ever imagined, except in heaven. Therefore, when the opportunity arose to return to Manoa with others from the US as well as the same group of spiritual leaders and families, I did not hesitate. The ‘24 expedition was just as magical as the previous two trips. In addition to the spiritual work that I was immersed in, I was also able to film some interviews and record some cool sound effects. It was quite helpful in taking the docu-series entitled ‘SOUL QUEST’, to the next level. There are two more segments that need to be filmed to complete the docu-series and hopefully, that will be produced in the fall of this year.
On the journey back to Bogota after spending a week in Manoa, there was a massive traffic backup. An accident in one of the many tunnels on our route found us at a standstill for about an hour. I remembered glancing out the window and catching a glimpse of an alluring scene. I thought it was just a few minutes before our delay, so I asked Bryan (Bi-lingual) to accompany me back to this potentially, wonderful frame. His name was Segundo. He had broken his hip a while ago and is hoping to get it treated some day. As a result, he doesn’t make it past his threshold too often. My visit with him proved to be one of the highlights of the trip. His warmth, hospitality and pride was immediately felt. I hope he had his hip replaced.