1. Peru Spirit Quest?

Recently liberated from my corporate responsibilities at a global resource company, I Aaron Bryan Neil,  left Denver and set off for Peru, a country I'd long had a special relationship with.  I'd lived there twice, and my most recent job had me visiting my company's Lima office every two or three months.  A few things we're driving me to go back.  I wanted to look into a couple entrepreneurial business ideas.  I'd met someone online my last business trip down.  And, perhaps I was looking for a bit of that Peru magic, being once again in a moment of uncertainty, I looked to forge my best path forward.

This time down it wasn't a first class flight and five star hotel, but rather on my own dime it was coach and one of the cheaper AirBnB reservations I could find.  Fortunately Rosabel the older lady who was my AirBnB host was a friendly as could be.  She didn't mind at all that I arrived at past 2am in the morning to her small but clean and pleasant Miraflores apartment.  The sunshine, warmth, salt air, and tasty home cooked breakfast the next morning waylaid much of the doubt I had about making the trip.  In a few hours I would meet Cecilia in person for the first time at Cala, an oceanside restaurant and lounge.  

I arrived at Cala a few minutes late and walked up the wood stairway to the second floor dining room.  Busy waiters in white shirts buzzed to and fro.  I noticed Cecilia straight away across the floor, her thick curly brown shoulder length hair was unmistakable - "ovejita" little sheep was her nickname due to those locks.  I slid right into the chair right at ease as it wasn't my first (dating) rodeo.  She on the other hand was noticeably nervous and shy at first, as she warned me she would be, but gradually warmed up as the conversation progressed.  Cecilia was definitely attractive with her almond Peruvian eyes, slim but shapely form, and classy conversation.  Was it enough? I wasn't sure, but a lot of anticipation had built up online.  An hour and a half, lunch, drinks, and a hundred dollars later we called it a date.  

The next day I started checking around supermarkets and contacting suppliers of superfoods, one of the business ideas I wanted to check out.  Peru produced many exotic food products with high nutrient, antioxidant, protein, and other desirable properties.  On a number of levels this business idea made sense;  I spoke the language and was familiar with the country, and was interested in health and working in trade and naturally grown products on top of my business and trade background.  I wasn't sure if I was in love with some of the more mundane and mechanical aspects however e.g. inventory, regulatory requirements, labeling, customs, pitching to stores etc. The other idea I had involved setting up a network of healers for traditional medicine tours, focused largely on the thriving but controversial ayahuasca traditional medicine industry.  A "psycho-spiritual" concoction, its power is truly transformative but at the same time I had reservations regarding its potential risk, and social acceptance factors.  Meanwhile my friend Josh, who'd at the last minute accompanied me on an ayahuasca retreat five months prior, was moving full steam ahead at buying a property for a lodge in the jungle.  I'll keep walking down this path I figured while being open to other eventualities that might arise.  I'd been in valleys of uncertainty before, and always found the pass.  

Cecilia wanted to go to the cliff top park in Miraflores the next eve to watch the sunset, which sounded like a perfect date.  We played the questions game, and watched the sun set over the pacific.  Its fading light projected an orange mauve hue on the wispy clouds scattered across the sky.  That evening upon returning to the new more private hostel I was staying at, a message from my old friend Josh popped up on my facebook messenger; he would be in Lima next week.