Ari’s Burger: Vignettes of Iquitos (Part 3)

Abstract

This is the final episode of a three-part story about a visit to Iquitos at the time of the new millennium by the narrator, who lives in Colombia and has been drinking yajé (ayahuasca) with its indigenous shamans. For a book he is writing about the subject, decides to investigate its uses in Iquitos, where his host and guide to the rituals there is “Zappa”, an American expatriate who exports shamanic plants and runs ayahuasca ceremonies. Zappa is now trying to exploit a traditional plant remedy for diabetes and is unwittingly caught up in an international intrigue to do with the U.S. war against drugs. This episode starts when, after several disappointing ceremonies with unqualified or ill-intentioned healers, the narrator drinks ayahuasca with a skilled and ethical shaman.