Peru: the Beautiful, the Mystical and the Ugly

At the age of 58, Halle McQueen made the bravest decision of her life; to live in the Amazon jungle of Peru to study the plant medicine and build a small business.

Armed with her newfound bravado and blissfully ignorant about the dangers, Halle returned to Peru after visiting as a tourist, to fulfil her dream. However, her naivety and lack of knowledge about the dangers of living alone in the Amazon jungle exposed her to many experiences. Some were illuminating but others were very ugly.

Her Amazon jungle dream of meeting with shamans, making plant medicine and embracing the simple life lasted for 8 years before it all turned nasty.

She was systematically robbed and deceived by her new friends. When she had nothing left to give, her personal safety was threatened which culminated in a shocking personal assault.

Halle writes as she speaks; with brutal honesty and a wicked sense of humour as she shares her fearful times and gut wrenching sad times as she invites the reader into her private world. McQueen returned home with no regrets knowing that if she had not pushed herself to her limits, she would never have known how strong she was.