I feel so grateful to all of you, especially at this time of Thanksgiving! Because of your generosity, we helped 130 families that were affected by Hurricane Harvey. Wow!
If you’re new to the newsletter, last month I sent out a newsletter “Asking you to send prayers and $$ to one of our grads in flooded Houston”, when we discovered that our Sedona Soul Adventures grads, Joe and Teresa DePaula, were right in the middle of the Hurricane. Here are pictures of the devastation they endured.
I asked you to send prayers and money, and boy did you come through. While I was on my honeymoon, I received the most beautiful message from Teresa:
Hello Debra,
So sorry to just now be sending an email of Gratitude.
Thank you very much for your newsletters and for mentioning us & Tallowood Church.
Tallowood this past Sunday gave 130 of us at church a special card with $$ in it.
All of us were humbled & overwhelmed with love. No words express the love all of us have felt from others after Harvey. Next Wed, at Tallowood, I am attending a Harvey Women’s Support Group; I’m looking forward to it.
Joe & I have talked about going to Sedona again and seeing counselors, especially doing breathwork. However, with Harvey, moves, house, work & family in other states, it might be Year 2019.
Thank you for being a caring compassionate loving soul!
Teresa DePaula
Is that just amazing? Isn’t it incredible what just a little force for good can do in the world?
I’m so proud of you guys. And so thankful to have such a wonderful, generous community.
I hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving – I for one am very thankful for you!
Wishing you a week filled with gratitude,
Debra
Debra Stangl / Founder
Sedona Soul Adventures – Transforming Lives One Soul At A Time
(877) 204-3664
https://sedonasouladventures.com
Ann is so grateful for her “life changing” Sedona Soul Adventure
“I wanted to take a minute or two to thank you and your staff for a life changing experience. I’d read all the testimonials and was impressed with what people had to say about their experiences. That was one of the things that drew me to you. I was also drawn to having an individualized experience. As time passed and I was preparing to come I started having doubts….what if I don’t have a life altering experience, what if I’m a dud? Or what if these folks are a bunch of new age hucksters??? My fears were all for naught. You’re the real deal. I’m so thankful to my Angel Guide for setting up such a perfect retreat and to all of the other practitioners I worked with. Everyone was awesome. I did have a life altering experience. I wasn’t a dud after all!”
– Ann J., Normal, IL
Pretty much everyone who comes to Sedona Soul Adventures has the same fear that Ann had – that she would be the “dud” who wouldn’t have a life changing experience. And I’m so happy to say, that simply doesn’t happen. Pretty much everyone who comes to us has exactly that — an absolutely incredible, amazing, almost unbelievable life changing experience.
Of course, there are a few people in the past 15 years where that hasn’t happened. But what we discovered was that in those situations (unbeknownst to us) these were people who were dragged here kicking and screaming by their spouse or their mother or their sister. We’ve always tried to weed them out, and now we’re even better at it. We only want people to come here who really want it, who really want their lives or relationships to change.
Because if you truly want the life or relationship of your dreams, that’s what happens here. Because each retreat is custom designed for exactly what you need, you get exactly what you want. We spend time connecting with you (or both of you if it’s a couple) before you come to Sedona, really getting at the heart of what’s holding you back or causing the problem. Then we design a retreat of private, one-on-one (or two-on-one sessions) designed to remove the blocks and gunk and bring you back into connection. Then we give you the tools to take home to not only maintain the connection, but to make sure it continues to deepen. That’s why this works and works so well and in such a short period of time.
Are you ready for a life changing experience? Do you really want your life (or relationship) to change? If so, connect with us, talk to one of our Retreat Guides. Click below
Or if you’d prefer, call us toll-free at 1-877-204-3664 (US and Canada). For our friends outside the US and Canada call 01 928-204-5988 or click here and one of our Retreat Guides will call you.
Would you like to speak to someone today? We’re even open on Sundays, because we’re here for you.
You’re running out of time to join us in Egypt February 12-25. Give yourself this gift!
After all the craziness of Black Friday, I saw again an article about things that people spend money on that really make people happy in the long term. And, of course, special trips was one of the most important. I know going to Egypt has been such a life changer for me and so many of the people who have gone on this trip with me.
This is truly a gift that keeps on giving. So I invite you to give yourself this gift.
But you’re running out of time if you want to go with us February 11-25. Make the decision now. Click below for all the information, including pricing.
And if you have any other questions, please email me at:
[email protected]
or call me at (877) 204-3664
I love talking about Egypt!
I was going to write about something else in this message, but instead, I opened up my email today and I had 4 emails from people talking about how to deal with holiday stress, so I absolutely had to send this to you.
Here’s why:
The first one recommended taking a trip to the beach (don’t cook, get away from the family).
The second one was about going to Spain (don’t cook, get very far away from the family).
The third one was about just staying home (cook for yourself, completely disconnect from your family).
And the fourth one was about taking a supplement to help with the stress that you’re going to have from cooking and overeating and being around the family!
The problem is – None of these things work!
Why?
Because they’re not dealing with the real issue.
What is the real issue? Well, the true answer to that question is that it’s different for everyone.
Going to the beach is not going to help any of those issues. The same person who goes to the beach is the same person that’s going to come back home. Staying home is not only going to deeply offend your family (and make things even worse), that kind of isolation leads to what some psychologists call “holiday despair”. And taking a supplement is only glossing over the issues.
Here is the answer: these issues are just that. They are issues showing you that something is off, something is wrong and it needs to be dealt with. In short, you need to do something about it! Something that will actually address these issues, get to the root of them and move them out.
I’m not sure what your issues are – for everyone it’s different. I grew up in an alcoholic home and my father’s alcoholism really kicked when I was 12. Before I was 12, Christmas was wonderful, almost idyllic. After that, Christmas was always some kind of a terrible mess. There was one year my father wasn’t even there. The worst part was not knowing what was going to happen, just knowing that it was never going to be okay. My mother always acted “as if” everything was okay, which just added to the insanity.
So after lots of therapy and finally, doing lots of sessions with the practitioners here in Sedona, I’ve come to realize that the holidays used to bring up all these issues and the way it showed up for me was that everything had to be “perfect”. I would do all this planning and orchestrating to have everything be perfect. When it ended up not being perfect (and of course it never was, how can anything be under all that pressure?), I would be unhappy, usually depressed.
The last time that happened for me was Christmas, 1998. My marriage was in tatters, I hated my work as a divorce attorney, I was in debt, I was 40 pounds overweight (and had just gained some more during the holidays). Lucky for me, I did a session with my therapist who was also an energy worker. We did a process and the information came in that I needed to do a retreat. I decided to come to Sedona. I came 2 weeks later. I did something and it changed my life forever.
So I’m going to suggest that you do something.
If you’re single and you don’t have family obligations, this is a perfect time to be doing something helpful and constructive and wonderful and to not be alone. We have practitioners that even work on Thanksgiving. And the weather is wonderful now, the forecast says it will be 66 degrees and sunny on Thanksgiving. Perfect! We’ve had so many people come here for retreats at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and they’ve always said it’s the best thing they’ve ever done.
If you’re married or have other family obligations, come right after Thanksgiving. Don’t go shopping on Black Friday, do something wonderful on Black Friday and come to Sedona. You’ve done your duty, now do something to take care of yourself.
If you book your retreat and come in the next week, you’ll save $100. We usually charge an Express Fee for people who come with less than seven days notice because of the extra time involved in setting up a last minute retreat. But I feel so strongly about this, that if you book your retreat and come in the next week (no later than November 30 as your start date), we’ll waive that fee for you. I can only do this for the next 12 people, so CLICK HERE to make that happen.
Or if the next week doesn’t work, come sometime between now and Christmas, or come during the Christmas holiday. We have practitioners who are working during that time, it’s a beautiful, wonderful time to be in Sedona. Best of all, it’s the gift that keeps on giving.
And if you can’t come over the holidays, make the decision to come in the next 30 days, or as soon as you can. The bottom-line message of all of this is – DO SOMETHING! These issues that are causing your holiday stress are with you all year long, they just get more concentrated at the holidays. They don’t go away unless you do something to take care of them.
Connect with us and let us custom design a retreat that will make you healthy and whole or bring your relationship back into healthy wholeness. Because the things that are causing these issues are different for everyone, our Retreat Guides will connect with you personally on the phone (or with both of you (separately) if it’s a couples retreat). Your retreat will be one-on-one, private sessions with the master practitioners of Sedona. In a couples retreat, you’ll have some one-on-one sessions and some two-on-one sessions. We’ll get to the root of the disconnection, clear it out, bring you back into connection and give you the tools you’ll need so that you’ll not only maintain the connection, but it will continue to deepen and deepen. Click here and one of our Retreat Guides will call you:
Or if you’d prefer, call us toll-free at 1-877-204-3664 (US and Canada). For our friends outside the US and Canada call 01 928-204-5988 or click here and one of our Retreat Guides will call you.
Would you like to speak to someone today? We’re even open on Sundays, because we’re here for you.
And remember if you book your retreat and come in the next week (start date by November 30), you’ll save $100.
Now I realize that for some of you, coming right now might not be an option. So in the spirit of the holidays, I want to give you a gift, a meditation that at least on a very small scale will allow you to do something now. Of course, it’s not the same as doing a Soul Adventure and for that reason I almost hesitate to provide it to you, because it will not be the thing that will make everything right. But it is a start, and it’s given from my heart.
And how perfect, it’s Releasing Stress, it will help a little bit with the stress that is happening for you. It’s only 9 minutes, everyone has 9 minutes, so start doing this daily, ideally when you first wake up. This is part of my Sedona Meditations series and it is very powerful. My prayer is that it will help, even if it’s just a little bit.
Click here to download the meditation.
And have a fabulous, blessed and happy Thanksgiving!
Wishing you a week filled with peace and calm and have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!
Debra
Debra Stangl / Founder
Sedona Soul Adventures – Transforming Lives One Soul At A Time
(877) 204-3664
https://sedonasouladventures.com
Carolyn says after my Soul Adventure “My life and the way I view myself and the world has completely changed.”
“When I was 5, I watched my father have a heart attack and die on Christmas night. Growing up it had always been hard to trust and let people in. It was difficult when a relationship would end because I felt like “the man in my life” was leaving just like my father had left all those years ago. Earlier this year, all these issues started to resurface. I resigned from my teaching job, and on that last day, I felt I had officially hit rock bottom.
The next morning my two sisters dragged me on a plane to Sedona, Arizona for a Soul Adventure that would impact my life in remarkable ways. They truly believed I had lost my spiritual self and this was the only place to find it. I met with several spiritual healers in the course of a few days. In one session, I was able to let go of the anger and sadness I had toward my father for leaving me.
Somehow they helped me open the door to empowering and loving myself. My life and the way I view myself and the world has completely changed. I wake up every morning and tell the universe what I am grateful for. Rather than seeing a glass as half empty, I now see it has half full. I am going toward a new career path that I am passionate about. I am nurturing friendships and for the first time I feel truly independent and confident. I would strongly recommend a Sedona Soul Adventure for those who feel lost, exhausted, hopeless, depressed… There is a powerful force amongst the Red Rocks of Sedona, if you don’t believe me, go and experience it for yourself. My sisters and I plan to go back every couple of years.”
– Carolyn M., Fremont, CA
Egypt Tourism is predicted to go up by 51% next year – come with us Feb. 11-25 and beat the crowds!
I was reading Air Europa’s Airways magazine on our flight from Spain to Paris last week (our second honeymoon) and they had an article on tourist projections for next year. Based on their figures, Egypt’s tourism is expected to jump by 51% by the end of next year. This is due largely to the fact that people have been waiting to go back to Egypt in the past few years and now people are heading back in big numbers. Egypt is a bucket list trip for so many people all over the world and what I saw last year is that Europeans and Asians have already started to come back. This is definitely going to be the last year where there won’t be the huge crowds.
So take advantage of that and come with us on our trip February 11-25. The trip is absolutely spectacular: the Pyramids!, the Sphinx!, 5-day cruise down the Nile, Abu Simbel, Philae, Karnak, Luxor, 2 hours of private time for ceremony in the Great Pyramid just for our group.
The Pricing is all inclusive – air fare to and from New York (JFK) to Egypt, 3 flights within Egypt, 5-star hotels, 5-day 5-star Nile Cruise, 3 meals each day, all transportation, admission to all the sites, our Egyptian guide (who reads hieroglyphics!), even tips and travel insurance. Click below for all the information.
“I went to Egypt with Debra two years in a row. The country is so amazing–the energy is so high and I’ve felt drawn to so many of the temples and sites. Guardian Travel is so wonderful and our tour guide made the trip unforgettable! I could go back year after year and still discover new things. I felt completely safe on both tours, the people were so warm and welcoming. All of the travel arrangements were perfect. We never waited for a bus to be there, meals were great, and everyone was always more than willing to help out with anything we needed or answer any questions. And I’ve made friendships that will last a lifetime. Don’t wait to sign up for this amazing tour!”
– Betty Ann Dean
If you have specific questions, send me an email at:
[email protected]
Or call me – (877) 204-3664
I love talking about Egypt!
Are you settling? In your life, in your relationship, your money situation? You name it, settling is not the way we’re supposed to be living our lives!
One of my friends sent me this very funny video that’s from Saturday Night Live. It hits a little close to home for me, also, because before I met my husband last year, the thought entered my mind that maybe I needed to settle. I had decided I wanted to have a relationship in my life, I wasn’t necessarily thinking about marriage, but I knew I wanted to have someone to share my life with.
The problem was that I wasn’t finding anyone. No one was showing up. I would get contacted on Match.com, but the few dates I went on were hugely disappointing. Sedona is a very small town and the male/female ratio is said to be 4 to 1 (!), plus I just wasn’t meeting anyone who even came close to what I wanted. In a moment of despair, I thought “maybe I’m just going to be alone for the rest of my life, or maybe I just need to settle for less.”
And then I stopped. “Wait a minute! What the heck? I’m the person that writes and talks all the time about creating the life you want! I founded Sedona Soul Adventures! The title of my book is “The Journey To Happy – How Understanding The Concept Of Nothing Is Wrong Can Transform Your Life”! Nothing is wrong here, I’m just not allowing this to happen. I’m constantly telling people to not settle and here I am thinking about settling!” That I would even entertain that thought for 5 minutes astounds me now, as I look back on it.
So I did what I tell everyone else to do — I did some Sedona Soul Adventuring. I took my own advice. I did a “Core Belief Transformation” session and discovered there were some beliefs still running around in there about “not good enough” and “maybe I’m too old” and “maybe I can’t have a loving relationship”. In the session those negative beliefs were replaced with empowering beliefs — “I’m more than good enough” and “I deserve love”. Isn’t it amazing how these limiting beliefs can hold us back, even when we think there aren’t any in there?
I did a “Radiant Heart Healing” session and discovered that there was still some pain around my divorce, even though it was seven years ago! Those old hurts can stay and fester, if we don’t do something about them.
I did a breath journey and that really brought me into the higher love vibrations. I felt this huge surge of energy of totally loving myself, which of course is the most important thing when we’re trying to bring in someone to love us.
I made a list of everything I wanted in my new relationship and I didn’t hold back. The list was jam-packed with 22 incredible, wonderful things of exactly what I wanted.
I set the intention that I wanted someone to come into my life right after my book came out, because I was so busy with the book, I wouldn’t have time to have anyone in my life. My book came out last October 16 (2016) and hit Amazon #1 International Best Seller in 5 countries. One month later, I was in Los Angeles filming an appearance on the Radical Dating reality TV show and helping people in this reality show to clear blocks that were holding them back in finding the relationship of their dreams. I was using one of the same processes that Rick used with me in the “Core Belief Transformation” session. During the filming, the two people that I worked with had huge breakthroughs, which included a lot of crying and emotional release. As I worked with them, I felt a cracking open in my own heart. The entire experience was really beautiful.
Three hours later I was sitting at the beautiful Hotel Casa Del Mar in Santa Monica with my sister watching the sunset. I received a message from Match.com, my first communication from Richard.
Amazingly, about the time that my book came out, Richard was doing a Vision Quest at Mt. Shasta and he connected with the spirit of his mother, who passed away many years ago. She told him she was sending him someone. And now, one year later, we’re married.
Even more amazingly, he has 21 of the 22 items on the Wish List. The only one he doesn’t have is “Has a Grandbaby”. His son, Mark, is 22 so hopefully down the road this Wish will be taken care of too!
I’m so glad I didn’t settle. I’m so glad I got all the things on my list (even though at the time I was concerned that it was too much!). I listened to the advice that I give everyone else and kept on doing the work to clear out the blocks from bringing in the relationship of my dreams.
I know with every fiber of my being that we can all have the life we want. It’s simply a matter of moving and releasing the old energy that isn’t serving us and bringing in the energy of connection and staying in that energy. It’s simple, it’s not necessarily easy, but when it’s done right, it works! That’s the sweet, holy truth.
Where are the areas in your life where you’re settling?
Your relationship?
Your work?
Your body?
Your money situation?
Are you living your life purpose?
Do you know what your life purpose is?
I believe there’s nothing worse than living an unfulfilled life. Please don’t do that to yourself.
If there’s any part of your life where you’re setting, please contact us. We’ll figure out what needs to be moved and released and we’ll bring you into the energy of connection and satisfaction – it’s what we do. Click here to get started:
Or if you’d prefer, call us toll-free at 1-877-204-3664 (US and Canada). For our friends outside the US and Canada call 01 928-204-5988 or click here and one of our Retreat Guides will call you.
Would you like to speak to someone today? We’re even open on Sundays, because we’re here for you.
And I almost forgot, watch this hilarious sketch from Saturday Night Live on “Settling” – and then don’t settle!
Wishing you a week filled with not settling,
Debra
Debra Stangl / Founder
Sedona Soul Adventures – Transforming Lives One Soul At A Time
(877) 204-3664
https://sedonasouladventures.com
Before Sedona, Julia says she was “half a person”. Her “life changing” Soul Adventure made her “Complete, content, whole and full of love”
“Two words come to mind when I describe my experience: LIFE CHANGING. I left home and arrived in Sedona half a person, I came home complete, content, whole and Full of love. I “found” myself amidst the beauty of a place I now consider “home”. I look at life in a whole new light and enjoy each and every day. Thank you to all the wonderful people at Sedona Soul Adventures that helped to open me up to a whole new world of possibilities.”
– Julia R., Stoney Creek, Ontario
Diane says the Egypt trip was “amazing”!
If you have specific questions, send me an email at:
[email protected]
Or call me – (877) 204-3664
I love talking about Egypt!
Every Sunday I tell you about the incredible transformations that have happened to people who have come to do a Sedona Soul Adventures retreat, but I have to say this one is almost unbelievable.
It started with me talking to one of our coaches who does long term after-care with our clients, doing a monthly coaching session after their retreat. Rick told me about a woman who came this past February (I didn’t get to meet her because I was in Egypt with our group). He told me that when she came for her initial Orientation and lit the candle to say a prayer and set her intentions, that she has gotten everything she asked for! Which is pretty amazing when you find out that what she asked for was:
A rather tall order, but I have to say, we are up to the task!
She did her Soul Adventure in February and ALL of those things happened, including she is getting married in January, in a destination wedding in Mexico! This is Hendrice and her fiancé, Antonio. Aren’t they a beautiful couple?
Her story and all of the synchronicities are almost unbelievable. I had so much fun talking to her on the phone this week and I just kept saying “oh my God!” over and over and she kept saying “oh wait, I forgot to tell you this part!” It just kept going on and on.
Probably the most amazing part of the story is that for three years prior to her coming to do her Soul Adventure, Hendrice had been praying for God to send her the man she was meant to be with. Shortly before her Soul Adventure she had done a session with a practitioner who told her she had energetic blocks to love. When we talked, Hendrice said she felt like during her Soul Adventure, all the blocks to love were just completely disintegrated.
She told me about the amazing practitioners she worked with, how Sher helped her to remove blocks from her heart and how Tina knew things she couldn’t possibly know about and helped her see what gifts she had to give the world. Tina also gave her the sacred message that her ancestors are proud of her for breaking through the constraints of the patriarchy (that meant a lot to her). She said she was afraid the breath session “wouldn’t work” for her, because she’s so in her head, but in that she felt a peace she hadn’t ever experienced before. Her session on the land with Yana was glorious, allowing her to really connect in with the energies of Sedona and to deepen her connection with nature.
The day after her Soul Adventure ended she when onto an online dating app and met the man she is now going to marry in January! She told me she had never done an online dating app before, so it was so strange that she had heard about this app and decided to do it. And what’s really interesting is that this is the type of app where you don’t choose people, you put in information and then the app matches you up, so connecting requires a lot of different factors. Both Hendrice and Antonio believe that their coming together was a direct result of divine intervention! And it happened the day after her Soul Adventure was completed!
One of the other most gratifying things that has happened since her Soul Adventure has been with her work. Before her Soul Adventure, she had a job where she was not only working as a therapist, but working as an administrator and director of services. She enjoyed the therapist work, but the administrative work was making it so that she was working long hours each day and working 6-7 days per week and felt like she didn’t have a life. She told me “before my Soul Adventure, I was in a job I hated and I was scared to leave” because she was afraid she couldn’t find another job that would pay as well. When we spoke this week she told me “my Soul Adventure gave me a peace and a trust so that I knew that no matter what happened, I would be okay, that I would be taken care of”. She left her job and found another one where she works regular hours, she loves it and she feels like she has a life again (especially now that she’s getting married!) Even better, this job pays her about the same as the other one. Hendrice told me, “I have freedom”.
And actually it was these parts of her Soul Adventure that I loved the most. Hendrice told me “Before I came to Sedona I was depressed, there was a lot of chaos in my life, I couldn’t get into that peaceful place or get centered”. She told me that since her Soul Adventure all of that has changed. She told me she feels a peace she never felt before. She said “even on days when I’m surrounded by chaos, I feel peace”. She told me the tools she received here have helped her banish negative thoughts. She told me “I know my beliefs are shaping my life”, so she’s utilizing that knowledge to shape her life into exactly what she wants and of course, finding her Soul Mate!
Hendrice told me she felt completely different immediately after her Soul Adventure. And now, nine months later, her life has transformed. She changed her job, got rid of the drudgery and is loving what she does and being paid for what she’s worth. She’s found the man of her dreams and they are living their dream together, with their connection with the Divine as a main centerpiece of their relationship.
She’s living a life of connection and that’s what it’s all about. Most people are living their lives being disconnected on one of the levels – physical, mental, emotional, spiritual. When you’re living your life in disconnection on one or more of the levels, your life is messed up, and you feel unhappy, dissatisfied, tired and bored or worse (depressed, angry, regretful). It’s a terrible way to live.
When you come here, we figure out where and how the disconnection is showing up in your life. It’s different for everyone and because of that we custom design a retreat that will remove the blocks and gunk that are causing the disconnection. Then we move you back into connection and give you the tools to not only maintain that connection, but to deepen the connection as you move through your life after you go back home. That’s why this work is so incredible and why it has such long term effects.
Are you ready to live your life in connection?
When you read about Hendrice are you thinking “I’ll have what she’s having?” Because a life of connection is only one phone call away.
Connect with us, speak with one of our Retreat Guides and they’ll bring you into the happiness and joy and peace that Hendrice is experiencing.
Or if you’d prefer, call us toll-free at 1-877-204-3664 (US and Canada). For our friends outside the US and Canada call 01 928-204-5988 or click here and one of our Retreat Guides will call you.
Would you like to speak to someone today? We’re even open on Sundays, because we’re here for you.
Wishing you a week filled with unbelievable miracles,
Debra
Debra Stangl / Founder
Sedona Soul Adventures – Transforming Lives One Soul At A Time
(877) 204-3664
https://sedonasouladventures.com
Martina says every part of the Peru trip was fantastic! Join us April 14-27
I love it when people who have gone on my trips say it better than I do! Here’s what Martina wrote to me:
“Whether you have been on a spiritual journey for years or are new to a lot of the concepts, this journey will open your mind to new ideas, concepts and perspectives about life in general as well as the meaning you make of it. There is no “religious” component to this trip, so it doesn’t matter if you are of any particular faith or no-faith – Jorge’s stories, legends and ceremonies will touch you, open your mind and provide for a new outlook that makes, as he puts it “the ordinary Extra-Ordinary”.
Everything was very well organized and communicated – we didn’t have to worry about a thing, but were very well taken care of. From the moment we all met up, everything was handled. We could focus solely on the experience without any thought about the logistics, or when or where to show up. It was such a nice break from a busy life…
Our Group:
As diverse as our group was in personalities, backgrounds and ages – travelers who sign up with Sedona Soul Adventures have a lot in common: An open mind, an innate curiosity, a willingness to learn and experience new things, and a strong desire to look for a deeper meaning in travel as well as life itself. Traveling with like-minded people makes such a difference. We easily connected with each other, had so much fun and laughter, and throughout the 2 weeks we have forged some true friendships that I believe will last for a long time.
Debra has been organizing these trips for many years – and thus has implemented many lessons learned from the past so that we had such a smooth journey with not a single hiccup. The journey had a great structure and flow – and the lessons along the way built really well onto each other.
Jorge Luis Delgado, our shaman and guide and author of “Andean Awakening” is a wonderful person, great guide and always has a fascinating story or legend to meet any question or situation. He combines history, legends, Incan Ceremonies as well as personal experiences, which bring the landscape as well as the many different historical and archeological sites to life. Jorge takes you beyond the usual or ordinary tourist tracks of Peru – and takes you to unique places even in the most “popular” sites like Machu Picchu. Every day feels special, every place has it’s own beauty and meaning. When we first met Jorge he greeted us “Welcome Home!” – and throughout the trip truly made us feel at home, and like we have been invited into a very special and intimate world full of beauty and treasures around every single turn of the path – if you only dare to look. I will read his book again, now that I feel such a personal connection to the many places he introduced us to.
Some of the highlights from the trip:
Oh, what to pick? Seeing Machu Picchu for the very first time brought tears of joy to every single eye in our group; I could have spent a week in Ollantaytambo; Amantini, where we stay at Joaquin’s home with his family’s very caring hospitality, is an experience not to be missed; the experiences and trips at Lake Titicaca were very unique which I will never forget.
Accommodations & Food:
The hotels we stayed at were fantastic: welcoming, lovingly decorated with the textiles and ceramics from the region, and had all the amenities you can think of – plus generous “servings” of oxygen and coca tea to help adjust to the altitude which came in handy.
The food was delicious, no matter where we went! The meats, fish and vegetables are so flavorful – and regardless if they were prepared very simply or with fancy dressings, always lovingly prepared and tasty. Especially the trout and chicken dishes that were available pretty much everywhere were delicious, and my new favorite is the Avocado-Tomato Salad that is simply out of this world!
Shopping:
Oh the shopping! Peru offers such treasures in all the different places, and every single piece I purchased has a story and reminder of the many wonderful places and people.”
– Martina Hutchinson
If you have specific questions, send me an email at:
[email protected]
Or call me – (877) 204-3664
I love talking about Peru!