Happy New Year

This post took longer to write than I expected. It was supposed to be ready on New Years Eve, but I got sidetracked hahhaaa… But here is a little recap of 2024 🙂

Overall it was a great year with travel, moving, and feels like I got a good dose of adventure and experiences…

In January I went to Tepoztlán with some friends. It’s a small town about an hour from Mexico City. I love that place and they believe aliens made a visit there at some point. Never spotted any even though I wanted to 🙁

In February I visited La Paz which is the capital of Baja California Sur. A cute town and best part was snorkeling with whale sharks. And my giant Margarita 🙂

Also got to go to the big yearly art show Zonamaco in Mexico City with my Swedish friend Sanna. I love art shows…

Apparently I became a carrothead too. Not a huge success if I look back at it hahhaaaa….

Changed back to blond pretty fast 🙂

In March I found a photography school and started taking lessons. So much fun and it’s rewarding practicing a semi new skill 🙂

Traveled to Japan for a wedding. I met Nick & Annie when living in Puerto Rico. It was one of the fanciest weddings I’ve been to 🙂

Stayed after the wedding in Japan visiting Kyoto and Hakone. Too crowded in Kyoto for my liking, but I can see the charm if you would visit when there are less tourists…

Really enjoyed Hakone. The hot spring spa and nature there…

I also booked a room at a love hotel in Tokyo and did a shoot, had some of the best sushi, a fun night at the Muscle girl bar and visited a pig cafe 🙂

One of the highlights this year was going back to Mycelia Retreat in Jamaica. Invited my writer/journalist friend Cyril from Sweden. It was my most powerful mushroom trip to this day and I went through every kind of emotion, but what a reset! I hope to revisit 2025…

In June I decided 3 years in Mexico was amazing but it’s time to go back to the US. Having a bit of a hoarder mentality it took some time to get rid of almost everything and it was hard to say goodbye to friends… Also spent the last 2 nights sleeping on the floor since I got rid of all the furniture hahahahaa… But I see a visit back in 2025 to visit them all again 🙂

Hunter got prepped with his papers and practiced going outside in his carrier and then his flight carrier. He was such a champ handling the whole trip from Mexico to Utah!

July was spent in Utah. I missed the nature and clean air while in Mexico so took full advantage of Utah…

Utah is where I first encountered pickleball and now I’m hooked!

Flew to Vegas and got my hands full with Tyler Faith. Maybe that’s when the idea of living in Vegas was born?

Also flew to Sweden for my yearly hike with my sister. Longest hike we’ve done so far, 7 days, 6 nights AND we made it up Kebnekaise. Definitely top 3 of 2024!!!

2 of my best friends had their 50th birthdays too which got celebrated!

In August I packed the car and moved to Vegas…

September was spent exploring what Vegas has to offer. Reunited with friends from back in the day, found great hikes, celebrated my birthday and a gym with pickleball! I’m loving it here and Hunter is very happy too as long as the neighbors cat Ocean keeps a paws distance 🙂

Finished off October with Halloween…

In November I had a looooot of shoots with fun people 🙂 Even made it out to LA, Nelson’s Ghost Town twice and got taped for the first time which was really cool…

Tried new hikes. Happy I have friends who enjoy hiking as much as I do 🙂

My sister came to visit and we did Vegas and LA. I love that I’m so close to my extended family and wifey Sandy now that I love in Vegas 🙂

And Masha from Russia paid a short visit too. Met her when I lived in Puerto Rico 🙂

Finally December and there was some christmas prepping to be done as yo can see in the previous posts so I’m not going to bore you with those pics again 🙂 My holidays were great. I got some relaxation in, I guess I’ve been pretty good since I got a lot of presents hehheeee… Hunter got presents too obviously and he is spoiled year around whether he behaves or. not hahhaaaa…

Everyone here recommended the show ‘Absinthe’ and I finally got to see it. Wow, it was so good! Funny, incredible acts and now I’m looking into taking lessons in roller skating because this couple looked so cool doing their act with roller skates. It was so fast paced and that they manages to stay on stage without just impressed the shit out of me! If you get the chance, see the show!

Did a mushroom trip and it was great 🙂

Didn’t have any plans for New Years Eve other than wanting some outdoor access. Went hiking with Angel and it was an easy hike and I always feel so good after being in nature!

Ordered lobster & crab nachos for dinner and watched the movie Small Engine Repair. It was pretty good 🙂

How were your Holidays? Any goals/plans for 2025? I’ still figuring mine out and fine tuning them. But some things I’ve been thinking about and on my bucket list are:

-visit Vietnam and Iceland

-try a new experience every month, like rollerblading, shows in Vegas, rage room, grow shrooms, race car driving, new recipes and the list goes on.

-having eyelid surgery

-yearly hike with my sister

-add more mindfulness into my life like yoga and meditation… So far I’ve done short meditations every day, but it’s haaaaard with my brain being all over the place hahhaaaa…

I’ll probably be adding to the list, but this is some of it 🙂

I hope your year has been off to a fabulous start! I’m off to LA next week for work and see to see my wifey Sandy 🙂

Hugs & kisses, Puma

Mycelia Psilocybin Retreat

Last week on Wednesday I took an Uber at 02.00 am to the airport. Tried to sneak out without waking Hunter up, but no luck with that. When I grabbed my bags and was ready to head downstairs, he came out stretching and yawning and walked me to the door.

Sooo tired and happy when it was about time to finally board the plane. I find out that the flight to Houston is being cancelled because the plane is broken. Or I guess in less dramatic terms, has technical issues.  Ugh!

There are not many options for flying from Mexico to Jamaica. They tried to find options, but all of them meant staying somewhere overnight and continuing tomorrow. I finally got the brilliant idea to look for a flight to Kingston in Jamaica instead. It wasn’t guaranteed I’d get on it though because it was overbooked. I thought some good thoughts, crossed some fingers, and at 08.40 am I flew to Atlanta instead. Pretty much passed out as soon as I sat down on the plane.

In Atlanta the pIane was overbooked and they started offering money to people to fly the next day instead. Luckily enough people took the offer and at 5.59 pm we took off to Jamaica finally! I think the Atlanta airport had very interesting artwork. Or is just me that has a dirty mind?

Got to the villa around 22.30 and met everyone. Chuck who I met last year from the US. So great seeing him again! Cyril from Sweden. More about him later. Dev from Australia, Alex who is Armenian, Derryck from USA (but grew up in South Africa and lived in Russia among other places) and Rob from South Africa but came from Cayman Islands the next day.

Thursday

Slept good and woke up at 7.30am. I always get excited if I have a pool or access to a beach and feel the need to get in instantly. Afterwards I had coffee and mingling while having a light breakfast. 

Around 11am Mama Orah came over to give us a yoga session. If you read my blog last year you already know I love Mama Orah. I believe she’s past 70 years old and she just radiates compassion and you want to hug her which I obviously did 🙂 While the rest of us are in the shade yoga-ing she’s in the sun like it’s nothing! I’m guessing it was about 31 Celsius! 

After that it was time for lunch and Marcel was the chef this time too. He cooks the best food and is a sweetheart! 

What I like about this retreat is that there’s no stress. You have time to relax on your own or with the group. I love meeting new people, and we were a great group with a lot of interesting stories and experiences on why we all came here. Cyril is a writer/journalist from Sweden who I had only been in contact with on Instagram a couple of times. About a month ago he posted about psilocybin on his feed. I sent him a DM that I had micro-dosed and asked him if he didn’t want to come to Jamaica on a retreat with me. Cyril had been traveling for work and rerouted his return by Jamaica so here we were meeting for the first time. 

Around 4pm we were on a private beach for our 1st mushroom dose. A lighter dose and I took 2 grams in a gummy and 1 gram of chocolate.

We all were swimming and a rainbow appears. So cool. I didn’t expect to feel as much as I did, but I had a lot of visuals. The clouds were in 3D layers and I saw geometrical patterns when I closed my eyes. Felt a bit restless and lied down on a towel on my own and let go… When I felt that I was coming out of it I started listening to my music and dancing. Damn, I love dancing when ending my trip. It’s like I release all of the built up and leftover energy. I feel so free and great after… We also had a beautiful sunset on the beach before packing up and headed back to the villa. 

Marcel had cooked us dinner and we sat talking about how our trips had been. Cyril and I sat up until midnight because he just has the craziest stories to tell about people he interviewed, wild parties, and wars in Syria and Ukraine he’d reported from. 

Friday

The day started with coffee, chilling in the pool, breakfast and then another yoga session with Mama Orah.

After lunch we had individual sessions with Stacey who was our facilitator. She is from Jamaica and very calm and wise. We talked about my intention for the upcoming journey and how much mushrooms I was going to take. There will be a longer and separate post about this because this was probably my most powerful trip ever in so many ways. I finally understand the meaning of “The mushrooms give you what you need, not what you want” and it was so true for me on this trip. This is us getting to ready to take off…

The night ended with Cyril and I sitting up talking about our experiences until 2am. I felt elated and drained after and still had some visions when I went to bed and closed my eyes…

Saturday

One of my favorite things form last year is when we all shared about our trips. This morning was no different. Everyone was curious about each others journeys. Seemed like everyone had a powerful one. Stacey was also around to answer questions and listen to us sharing…

At 4pm it was time to head to another beach for our last dose. I only took 2 grams and felt it in my body, but didn’t really have any visuals. It also started raining so we had to take shelter and it’s different when you are interacting with other people versus just lying down and letting go. I also believe the mushrooms felt I’d received what I needed the night before so now it was mostly relaxing. Witnessed a beautiful sunset before heading back to the villa to chill…

On Sunday we packed up and checked in and Sand & Tan where I stayed last year too after the retreat. It’s a simple hotel right on the beach and it felt good to reflect on the past few days.

My favorite was to just walk out from my balcony and go swim first thing in the morning. There was barely any other people there so we were just journaling, talking, eating and hanging out. I went paddle boarding every day and just laid on the board. Was even able to get one sunset on the water on the board. 

Lunch with gang. Anyone else think this sign is funny?

Dinner at the hotel…

Pulled myself together and worked a little. Can’t really say it feels like work when you’re on the beach in yet another beautiful sunset 🙂

Met this artist at the hotel and he painted this mural. I suspect he even might of planted this weed plant next to it 🙂

On the last night the last stragglers visited a strip club. I love visiting strip clubs in different countries. We had a couple of drinks and watched some great pole tricks before leaving and crashing in bed. 

My flight was not until 2.30pm on Wednesday so I had time to swim and have breakfast with Troy and John who runs the retreat and Cyril.

The guy who runs Sand & Tan buys fresh caught fish every day from the fishermen…

Had to stop for some great jerk chicken on the way to the airport too…

Made it home and I feel much more relaxed. Something I’ve taken home is to feel more present. Be in the moment. I sometimes do 5 things at the same time, but I think I’m a bit more focused now and able to concentrate on only 1 (or 2) things at the time. 

Hunter was very happy about me coming home and talked a lot before he slept glued to my side the whole night 🙂 

I think I will have some other exciting news to share in the next few days 🙂 Just finalizing details now wohooo 🙂

The next retreat in Mycelia is June 23 – June 27 and there are a couple of spots left. If you’ve ever been thinking of going to a retreat, I can’t recommend Mycelia enough! Here is how our itinerary looked for the days we were there.

Hope you all will have a great weekend! Got plans? I’m going to polish my notes about the big trip experience and hopefully post it tomorrow. Hopefully getting together with Dayana today before she leaves for her summer travels. Tomorrow I’m helping Astrid with some computer stuff, but will read and relax too 🙂

Laters, Puma

Super Fun Week…

Still working on this blog and I think I will stick with the design I have now. Just have to fix little things on it 🙂

Monday was Sarah’s last day in Mexico City. Went to the gym. So much fun when you have a gym partner that pushes you!

Hunter loves when people come over. Made Sarah scratch his scalp before sending her off…

Sometimes Hunter sneezes/coughs. I saw a video on Instagram of a cat doing the same and it was asthma. I called Hunter’s vet who came and picked him up for X-rays. He dropped him off an hour later and said Hunter doesn’t have asthma. Probably just something from back in the day when he lived in the woods. The pollution is pretty bad now too. Puh!

Let’s just continue on the Hunter topic… Hunter surveying what everyone is up to and him sleeping in the bookshelf with an iPhone as a pillow, amongst my clothes and on my shoes while he waits for me to come back home 🙂

On Wednesday I shot with Mistress Rose. She is so much fun and easy going so we had a great time. Just like when working out, it’s sometimes more fun with a partner in crime 😉

Went to lunch after we glamorously stuffed down sandwiches 🙂

About 3 weeks ago I signed up for a ‘dinner with strangers’ kind of thing. It popped up on my IG and I thought why not? It said it’s 6 people they put together and book a restaurant for you where you all meet. It was awesome and a great group. We also went to a bar after and met a couple of other people from other groups that had done the same thing. I love meeting new people and like a friend of mine said: “Strangers are just friends you haven’t met yet” … Obviously not all strangers become friends, but there’s a chance 🙂 Forgot to take pics. Only got this one from the elevator going home. The package? A nice fan bought Hunter a new bed 🙂

I have been wanting to color my hair a bit more natural color. So on Friday I went to a new salon that has great reviews. I asked for low lights and maybe some color to blend with the rat color on top which is my natural color. I showed several pics of what I was aiming for and said that I still want to be blond, but more natural. After sitting with what I thought was lowlights, I find out that they were actually more blond highlights. We then pick a color and I ask that the color is only going to go on the top part of my hair, not all of it. No, just the top. Sooooo, 6h laters when I’m finally colored, cut and blow-dried and stand in front of the mirror and see my new grayish color, I admit I was pretty disappointed.

The comparison of what I was looking for and what I got…

I wrote to them that I will be gray haired in a few years anyways so I don’t want to pay to be it just yet. They agreed the color is a bit off, so tomorrow I get to go back and hopefully be a little more non-grey hahhaaaa….

I also have friends from San Francisco in town and yesterday we had some BBQ during the day. Only made it home to paint my face and go to Casino Royale themed birthday party. We got fake money to play blackjack and poker with. It then turned in to some cash games. I love gambling and especially poker! Had a blast and forgot to take one single picture 🙁 There might of been some Tequila involved in that too…

I met the photographer this week too but unfortunately he’s leaving for the summer to Europe to shoot 🙁 Have to try to find other ones that I could shadow/assist and learn more.

Wohoooo, finally it’s time for Jamaica next week. I really look forward to going. I fly super early on Wednesday. OK, here’s a few leftovers and I hope you all had a great weekend! I might or might not update you next Sunday from Jamaica. But I will be posting on IG so make sure to follow me there @thepumaswede 🙂

XXX Puma

Hyrox, Baking, Shooting…

I just recently heard about Hyrox from some people at the gym. Kind of like Crossfit, but with a lot of running & cardio in it. Their IG says ‘World Series of Fitness Racing’. Yesterday they had a competition here in Mexico City, and a lot of people from the gym competed. Basically it was 8 x 1km running and 8 x workouts like sledge pull & push, wall-balls, skiing, farmers carry, etc. You could compete in teams, pairs, couples, solo, and different age groups. Cheered for Milla my Finn friend who I think finished in 5th place and a guy from Sweden, Hugo, who came 2nd. Also our team from the gym finished in 2nd place! Wow, I’m so impressed at their fitness level, so now I’m going to give this Hyrox-thingy a try for a month.

Realized I need to stop snacking on all of the crap too, so right now I have paleo bread cooking in the oven 🙂 Fingers crossed my motivation lasts for more than a week hahahhaaaa… I actually managed to finish baking it while writing this masterpiece of a blog and I must say it turned out fabulously! Will be making more of this!

The theme for shooting this week was wet, slippery, & latex-y…

It’s pretty much exactly one month until I’m going to Jamaica. Had to dig out my Jamaican bikini and see if it still fits 🙂 Last week when I spoke to Troy he said there was 1 room left. If you are interested in joining me at the Mycelia Retreat on May 23rd to the 26th – hit them up www.myceliajm.com 🙂

Hit the gym and it’s been so hot here in Mexico, so I’m sweaty before I even started working out! Pretty good though because I always feel like I worked out harder than I did 😉

Hunter is being his usual spoiled self. I like to start mornings with coffee in bed and Hunter gets some milk too to feel like he’s part of the morning chill. Also practicing with him being in the stroller. Want to be able to take him out on walks 🙂 So far we’ve been strolling around in the apartment only, but will hopefully try the elevator and at least take a peek outside next week 🙂

I finished a couple of books by Rebecca Yarros. Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, book 1 & 2 in the Empyrean series. The 1st book was exciting and it was a bit like Game of Thrones for young adults. The 2nd book I feel lost it a bit. The main characters’ dragon was always flying faster and faster and what got the most description and details were the sex scenes. But that was also so mind blowing and always better and better that I actually ended up skimming past them. Not like me if you know me hahhaaaa…

Still going to classes for photography and next week I’m getting a light and softbox delivered. Hopefully I will produce some fancy pics after that. On Friday I’m taking off to San Francisco over the weekend for another wedding. Will see some friends too so I’m excited. Other than that I will try to stay off refined sugars and get through some Hyrox training!

Laters! XXX Puma

Hyrox, Baking,Shooting…

I just recently heard about Hyrox from some people at the gym. Kind of like Crossfit, but with a lot of running & cardio in it. Their IG says ‘World Series of Fitness Racing’. Yesterday they had a competition here in Mexico City, and a lot of people from the gym competed. Basically it was 8 x 1km running and 8 x workouts like sledge pull & push, wall-balls, skiing, farmers carry, etc. You could compete in teams, pairs, couples, solo, and different age groups. Cheered for Milla my Finn friend who I think finished in 5th place and a guy from Sweden, Hugo, who came 2nd. Also our team from the gym finished in 2nd place! Wow, I’m so impressed at their fitness level, so now I’m going to give this Hyrox-thingy a try for a month.

Realized I need to stop snacking on all of the crap too, so right now I have paleo bread cooking in the oven 🙂 Fingers crossed my motivation lasts for more than a week hahahhaaaa… I actually managed to finish baking it while writing this masterpiece of a blog and I must say it turned out fabulously! Will be making more of this!

The theme for shooting this week was wet, slippery, & latex-y…

It’s pretty much exactly one month until I’m going to Jamaica. Had to dig out my Jamaican bikini and see if it still fits 🙂 Last week when I spoke to Troy he said there was 1 room left. If you are interested in joining me at the Mycelia Retreat on May 23rd to the 26th – hit them up www.myceliajm.com 🙂

Hit the gym and it’s been so hot here in Mexico, so I’m sweaty before I even started working out! Pretty good though because I always feel like I worked out harder than I did 😉

Hunter is being his usual spoiled self. I like to start mornings with coffee in bed and Hunter gets some milk too to feel like he’s part of the morning chill. Also practicing with him being in the stroller. Want to be able to take him out on walks 🙂 So far we’ve been strolling around in the apartment only, but will hopefully try the elevator and at least take a peek outside next week 🙂

I finished a couple of books by Rebecca Yarros. Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, book 1 & 2 in the Empyrean series. The 1st book was exciting and it was a bit like Game of Thrones for young adults. The 2nd book I feel lost it a bit. The main characters’ dragon was always flying faster and faster and what got the most description and details were the sex scenes. But that was also so mind blowing and always better and better that I actually ended up skimming past them. Not like me if you know me hahhaaaa…

Still going to classes for photography and next week I’m getting a light and softbox delivered. Hopefully I will produce some fancy pics after that. On Friday I’m taking off to San Francisco over the weekend for another wedding. Will see some friends too so I’m excited. Other than that I will try to stay off refined sugars and get through some Hyrox training!

Laters! XXX Puma

Mycelia retreat in Jamaica

If you’ve been following my adventures for a while, you’ll remember I visited Jamaica and the Mycelia mushroom retreat last May. It was one of the highlights of last year’s experiences for me. I’m now thrilled to extend the invitation for you to join me on my next journey at Mycelia.

I’m currently in talks with the Mycelia team to organize a special retreat tailored for my friends, readers, and followers. Whether you’re a curious first-timer or a bit of a psychonaut like me, Mycelia offers a unique setting to work on yourself.

Dates: May 22nd – 26th

How much? USD $3495 (excluding extra beach hotel days).

Before attending, there will be a call to make sure this experience is a good fit for you. Also a call with the facilitator before attendance.


I fell in love with Jamaica and the Mycelia Retreat and it was an unforgettable experience. The team, led by knowledgeable guides, created a fun and relaxing atmosphere. From Marcel’s home cooked daily meals to Mama Orah’s soothing yoga sessions, while Troy’s kept a watchful eye on us all 🙂 For me the whole trip was perfect.

Mycelia is located close to Ocho Rios in a beautiful villa nestled in the hills overlooking the Caribbean Sea.  It has an amazing 9 ft deep salt water pool and a hot tub where you can relax and work on your tan 🙂


It’s a 4-day retreat, including 3 days of medicine, the psilocybin doses are tailored to each individual.  We start with a smaller dose on the beach and the dosages increase in later sessions.  When the retreat ends we have an option to stay at the waterfront beachfront hotel and I recommend a couple of extra days post-retreat to process your experience.   

Many of us did last time which I really enjoyed because it gave us time to talk about our journeys, paddle board, and just hang out.    

Here are links to 2 of my posts from Mycelia last year if you want to get a feeling and read about my experiences there.

I recommend you check out Mycelia’s website where there’s more info. This is the website for Mycelia Retreat – https://www.myceliajm.com/

Mycelia was featured on Al Jazeera’s Mindset docuseries last week and you can watch it on their website or here’s the link to see it on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_DZwKOG1xA

I’m so excited as this will be my 1 year anniversary at Mycelia, and I hope you can join me 🙂 Feel free to reach out to me or Mycelia if you have any questions.

Who’s in?

XXX Puma

Carrot Top, Swedes, shooting…

Started the week off shooting. Hunter always loves to be close by, demanding attention as well. We ended up pulling up a chair for him and Ximena had to multitask between shooting and petting Hunter 🙂

Threw on some wigs and Psychonaut jackets too…

Tried to get a cute selfie with Hunter and you can tell how impressed he is with me – NOT!

Decided it was time to touch up my roots this week. While I’m sitting there, I start looking at different hair colors. Decided I want to try yellow hair. Hmm, might be more orange, but supposedly it’s supposed to wash out a bit and turn more yellow. Guess I just have to wait and see, but I kind of like it 🙂 #carrottop

Sanna, my Swedish friend here, had a small get-together at her place with a couple of other Swedes. So awesome to talk Swedish all night. The dessert was marängsviss, which is a Swedish classic. Vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, banana and chocolate sauce mixed up together. I’m drooling writing this now, sooo good!

On Friday I shot with a new photographer here. I’m waiting for the pics, but I think they will be super cool. Very fun shoot! Here is a pic the make up artist shot on her phone. Earlier this week I met an awesome lingerie designer here – Marika Vera. This outfit is from her and I’ll show the rest when I get the pics 🙂

Finished the book ‘First Lie Wins’ by Ashley Elston. It was recommended by Reese’s book club and it was a pretty good and interesting read. Nothing really stood out, but nothing really bad to say either. This is what Amazon says about it –

‘The identity comes first: Evie Porter. Once she’s given a name and location by her mysterious boss Mr. Smith, she learns everything there is to know about the town and the people in it. Then the mark: Ryan Sumner. The last piece of the puzzle is the job.

Evie isn’t privy to Mr. Smith’s real identity, but she knows this job will be different. Ryan has gotten under her skin, and she’s starting to envision a different sort of life for herself. But Evie can’t make any mistakes–especially after what happened last time.

Because the one thing she’s worked her entire life to keep clean, the one identity she could always go back to—her real identity—just walked right into this town. Evie Porter must stay one step ahead of her past while making sure there’s still a future in front of her. The stakes couldn’t be higher–but then, Evie has always liked a challenge…’

I also started photography lessons this week. Very good teacher and got my next lesson this week. This week there’s also the annual international art fair here in Mexico City called Zona Maco. I hope to go visit one of the events 🙂

Hopefully tomorrow I will post about a retreat I’m gauging interest for. It’s my favorite mushroom retreat Mycelia in Jamaica. I’m going to confirm the dates, but we’re planning to do it in May 🙂

Getting hungry and going to order some food before I rip into one of the chips bags I saw in the pantry 🙂

XXX Puma

Friends, Shooting, School…

It’s been a fun-filled and productive week. Walking in Mexico City you always discover new places. I walked on this street before, but now I spotted a photography school. I visited them and found out that all of the scheduled courses are in Spanish; no bueno for me. They also offer tailored private classes in English, so long story short, I’m looking for a camera unless I can get the one repaired that I have. I want to take classes in lighting first and learn Lightroom. Very excited about this!

En route there, I found this amazing seafood restaurant. Not very healthy, but anything fried pretty much makes love to my tastebuds hahhaaaa….

On Tuesday I had lunch with Dayana and another friend named Camile. They laughed when I suggested lunch at noon. Latinos don’t eat lunch until later, so we planned for 1.30pm. European as I am, I was obviously on time. Both Dayana and Camile (they’re Colombians) showed up 30 minutes late. It’s not even rude here, it’s just the norm. Sometimes people ask if the time is “Mexican time”, meaning that everyone show up about an hour late. We went to one of my favorite restaurants here – Estiatorio Nostos.

They have really good seafood and I had the responsibility of finding the right fish for us!

Lunch became drinks at some bar, and whoever came up with this bird-drink-glass, where you insert the straw up it’s a*s, must be someone with a great sense humor!

Couldn’t do an all-nighter, because I rented a location for the next days shoot.

Hit the gym 3 times last week. 2 classes on Thursday and after that I needed a caffeine fix after to make it home!

A friend’s girlfriend was having her birthday, so I joined in for a drink before they headed to dinner. I prefer wearing my onesie over anything, so as I soon as I come home, I switch. I think I spend about 50% of my time in it LOL…

I met a girl here through another friend who’s a filmmaker. We’re planning to do an experimental film, and it’s going to be shot on VHS to get the old grainy feel to it. Unfortunately her camera decided to not work when we were going to shoot, so now we are waiting for her to find another ancient camera 🙂

Another friend is visiting Mexico City right now, and we had a nice group that went out for dinner. Only managed to snap myself in the mirror as I came back from smoking.

After, there was some birthday dinner venue we popped in on. Weirdest place. It’s about 01.30am here, bright lights on, no music, and the place was packed. Felt more like a school cafeteria. Like why not dim the lights a bit and have some music? Strange, but fun…

I also talked to Troy in Jamaica. I want to put together a mushroom retreat in May. It was such an amazing experience there and I want everyone who’s interested to get to experience it too. I will have more info and dates in a week or two 🙂 That being said, I leave you with a selfie and Hunter hard at work with me 🙂

Have a fabulous Sunday and upcoming week!

XXX Puma

Highlights of 2023

Thinking back on 2023 and trying to summarize it with a couple of words. What comes to mind is adventure and experiences. I also have some questions about my direction and where I’m headed. Still can’t answer that one hahhaaaa… I love to travel and being in nature, so I hope 2024 includes that. I also hope I get to be healthy so I can keep exploring and experiencing!

Here are a few highlights from last year…

Visiting Patagonia in Argentina in February. Stayed in Bariloche and it was beautiful. Surrounded by water and nature. Also visited the little town El Bolsón where I would spend more time in if I visited again.

It was weird travelling and being in a country with such high inflation. You paid double for things if you paid with a card. To get cash you had to wire it to yourself and then line up at Western Union to get it.

Went to a wedding of a good friend in Palm Desert. Everything was kept off social media so I couldn’t post pics of the beautiful groom & bride. I really enjoyed Palm Desert and hope to go back.

After Palm Desert I went to LA and my sister came too from Sweden. We stayed with Sandy and her family so I got the good stuff all at once, family & friends while visiting LA. Took advantage of Sandy’s make up skills and got some work done too… I’m trying to plan a trip to LA asap to see Sandy as I miss her a lot!

In April I visited Puerto Escondido here in Mexico for the first time. Wow, what a cool beach town. Not busy and developed like Tulum. Very chill and relaxed. Would definitely go back here too 🙂

In May I went to the Mycelia Retreat in Jamaica. Definitely one of the top experiences in 2023 that made a big impact on me. Such a beautiful time with mushrooms and an amazing group of people. I hope to host my own retreat this year. Let me know if you’re interested in coming 🙂

In June it was time for a yearly hike up north in Sweden for my sister and I. 3rd year in a row and we plan to keep this going. This time we did the first part of the Kings Trail. 6 days and 5 nights and we loved every day of it!

In August I visited Oaxaca the city. Very beautiful. Drove to the small village called San Jose del Pacifico. It was mushroom season and had a great mushroom trip out in the woods there.

In October it was time for Medellin in Colombia. First time trying paragliding and another mushroom trip 🙂

And the last adventure of the year went to San Miguel de Allende. That trip included trying Kambo and San Pedro for the first time. Very powerful and intense experience.

Not to forget, Hunter celebrated 1 year as a new family member. I love him so much 🙂

Soooo, how about you? Got goals, direction or things you want to do/achieve in 2024? I hope you gotten a fabulous start to this new year!

XXX Puma

Ja Mon…

OK, I’m going to attempt to talk about my week in Jamaica. A short summary would be – amazing, magical, fun, and when can I go back? 

But here’s the longer version in case someone else is interested in trying a psilocybin retreat.

Before going I filled out an intake form. Questions like: ‘Are you on any medication? Any trauma in my life? Expectations?’ Etc… I personally haven’t experienced any big trauma in my life. I always trust the medicine (in this case psilocybin) to take my awareness to where it needs to go… I had a Zoom call with the facilitator Evelyn, where I could ask questions and talk about any concerns I might have. 

On Friday the 26th it was finally time to fly to Jamaica. Uber picked me up at 3am. Flight to Miami and then connecting to Montego Bay landing around 1.30pm. Long line in customs. I got picked up by Troy who runs Mycelia Retreat and Chuck, another guy participating.

We stopped and ate some jerk pork on the way. Soo tasty!

It was about a 2 hour ride from the airport to Osho Rios. We checked in at Sago Palm. We then went to the hotel Sand & Tan, what they called the ‘Sister Retreat’. Justin, another participant, joined us there. We watched the sunset and had dinner before going back and catching some sleep.

Saturday 27th

Had breakfast on my own at the hotel. Since the rest of the participants were arriving later, I walked to the beach after breakfast. On the way there I was offered free lunch, getting my hair braided, and weed hahahaa… People were really friendly and a lady I talked to walked me to the beach. For $10 you got a beach chair and umbrella… A guy on the beach offered fishing tours and snorkeling on his boat and when I kindly declined, -”But how about some weed”. I learned that everyone’s last offer was always weed LOL…

At 1.30 we got picked up at the hotel and went to the main villa where you stay during the retreat. Wow, what a place….

A massage was included and Keela massaged so well I fell asleep.

By the time I woke up, the four other participants had arrived. Seemed like very nice people. Troy picked us up Indian food for dinner and everyone sat talking and getting to know each other. Slept like a baby in my big room 🙂

Sunday 28th. 

Coffee was at 8am. At 9am, Marcel, our fabulous chef, served fresh fruit and a porridge made of ground plantain and peanuts with local honey. At 10am we were introduced to Mama Orah, our yoga teacher. I had expected a strenuous class, but it was the best yoga in my life. I think she said her practice was more African style. Very relaxed, slow movements, breathing while she shared a lot of wisdom. We were all blown away after. The last picture of Mama Orah just captures how cool and fun she is!

Marcel served us a delicious lunch after and we had some free time. Other people got their massages and most of us lounged by the pool. 

Around 1.30 there was a group meeting with Evelyn, our facilitator. Some people didn’t have much experience with psilocybin so questions and concerns were answered. I never did psychedelics in a group setting and was curious how other people’s energies and experiences on shrooms were going to affect my trip. 

Around 3pm we were driven to the nearby beach, Sugar Pot. Not a lot of people there and we picked a spot under some trees. We were given 2 gummies that had about 1,5gr of psilocybin in total. This was an introductory dose so that everyone was eased into it. 

Everyone eventually wanted to be on the beach so we moved the chairs there. We were swimming, listening to music, talking and laughing. It was very relaxed and I felt the group coming together more and more.

Very light trip and I only had light visuals when closing my eyes. I think it was a great idea to start with a lighter trip to see how everyone was handling it and bonding people together. We left after about 4 hours and were cracking up with laughter in the car riding back. At the villa Marcel had cooked us a delicious dinner with jerk chicken, bone in chicken, vegetables and rice with beans. Then everyone sat around talking about their observations while tripping. Such a great and fun day!

Monday 29th

I was having coffee around 8 and people dropped in after they woke up. At 10am we had another great yoga session with Mama Orah. Slow moving, breathing and feeling your body. Mama Orah told us she would be joining us at the jungle ceremony too wohooo… We all loved her presence! After lunch we settled for another group talk. Evelyn told us what was planned for the jungle ceremony. We talked about our intentions for the ceremony. I shared that I want to give myself acceptance. I don’t have to be busy or creating something for my time to be considered valuable. I’m not wasting my life or time by reading, napping, or doing something that is not work. 

It was very interesting to hear people share. We were also introduced to Jordan who is a psychedelic guide. He also has been cross breeding strains to create what he believes is a great mushroom strain to take in the jungle setting. The sweetest and most humble guy. His family owns the property in the jungle where we were going.

I watched the mushrooms being prepared for tea.

I packed a bag with bug spray, head lamp, a sweater, pants and a scarf, and around 3pm we were all packed up and ready to head out. About an hour ride into the jungle and in the end it was just 2 tracks for the car tires. We parked and were given 3 mushroom chocolates that were about 2gr of psilocybin in total. It was about a 20min walk down to ‘our’ spot.

I’ve heard how amazing it was supposed to be down there, but I was blown away. First we went to a place by the river where we could get into the water. It was crystal clear and cold.

I was already feeling the mushrooms and felt so at peace in the surrounding nature. Hearing birds and crickets. Then we moved out to another spot they had set up with lounge chairs. We were in a circle and we got served the mushroom tea. Everyone passing a cup to the next person after giving it a blessing or whatever you felt like passing on in silence. The jungle became 3D for me. I was feeling so good. I tend to get very relaxed and prefer to lay down. I asked for a yoga mat and laid down. I put my scarf over me and cocooned up. I had such beautiful visuals. Not seeing them, but being part of them. Sometimes I was brought back by hearing the group around me. Mama Orah sometimes played a drum or sound bowls. Then it was all dark and and the fireflies came out and surrounded us. I thought they would be small flies lit up, but they looked more like birds on fire. It was so beautiful watching them. I wish I could’ve filmed it, but I wanted to stay in the moment. I remembered thinking that I never want to leave this spot…

After the effect of the mushrooms subsided, we moved up under the ‘dome’ made up from bamboo trees and watched the fire. I felt so happy. People were talking and processing their experience. It started to rain and Troy handed out umbrellas.

I think we were down there for about 5h before heading back to the villa. Marcel had prepared us soup and one by one we dropped back into our rooms. I felt drained and fell asleep without even a shower…

Tuesday 29th

Everyone talked about their journeys in the jungle during breakfast. Mama Orah came and gave us our last yoga class. I consider her to be one of the best things I experienced here. At the end of class we all just laid down and Mama Orah covered us with blankets. It was pouring rain and we all just took it in. 

This being the 3rd day, it was optional if you wanted to have another journey. In the morning I felt that I probably wasn’t going to because the jungle ceremony had been so great. But then I decided I wanted to. I drank a cup of mushroom tea around 7pm. I felt it kick  in so fast and chose a secluded spot by the pool on my own. Again I had such beautiful visuals and I was listening to music in my ear buds. At one point I tried to join people by the table, but my body and head told me I wasn’t done. I laid down again and let go… Lot of thoughts of my family, friends and people in my life that I care about and love. When I emerged from my trip, I saw that I was alone. I felt like everyone had abandoned me at first.. But then I realized that everything was good. I put my earbuds in again and started moving slowly to the music. First came tears. Not feeling sad, but it felt like I was releasing something from my body. I then put on disco music and started really dancing. I felt like I had so much energy. I danced until I was soaked in sweat. I probably went at it for an hour.

Then I sat down and just felt at peace… another guest named John came out for snacks and we sat talking for a bit before going to bed. My favorite part of this trip was the dancing at the end…  

Wednesday 30th

The retreat was officially over, but most of us had decided to stay a couple of more days. We checked in at Sand & Tan and I’m so happy I got to spend more time with the group.

A diverse group of people with different backgrounds, life experiences, and reasons why they had come here, but we all bonded together. We were lounging by the water,swimming,eating and paddleboarding.

We had dinner with Troy, Evelyn, and John at night on the dock. Talking about all the cool stuff we will remember. There was even talk about a reunion and I really hope that would happen since I would totally go back!

On Thursday John and I went floating down a river. Pretty relaxing except for when our ‘guide’ decided to sing very loud hahahaa…

Of course there was someone selling weed in the middle of it all too.

Also had time to hit the market in Osho Rios.

I styled up in Jamaican colors that night with my new outfit 🙂

And look at this superb cup I got from Roby, one of the participants. I think I had mentioned something about ‘size matters’ and possibly #tittytuesday hahahaaa…

Had time to catch a last breakfast with the group before a driver took me to the airport. Flights were smooth and landed back in Mexico around 8pm. 

It truly was one of the best experiences ever! The location, people, jungle, the trips… I wouldn’t change a thing and I believe I will go back. Reunion or not 🙂 And if any of you are looking for a retreat, I highly recommend Mycelia Retreat! <—– If curios, click the link and register and you can win a 4-day retreat 🙂 Here are some more pics…

And the best thing about coming home? Cuddles with Hunter 🙂

Remember, one love!

XXX Puma