1

Capilla del Monte close to Cordoba
El Bolson in the Lake district

2

Where is standinista now that we need him?

3

Last I heard, he was consulting a wise man in Tibet or perhaps it was the oracle at Delphi. He's an elusive character, who speaks in sybilline riddles.

@ the OP. Anywhere that has mirror tiles on the bathroom floor should fulfil your needs. Failing that, the Igreja Universal in Brazil has a really good deal on all your sins wiped away by Jesus for a paltry 10% of your pre-tax income. Branches throughout the country.

4

I hope this doesn't cause any offence as it really isn't meant to and is purely a personal opinion (I admit I may be wrong). There is no magic or wisdom surrounding Inca ruins other than basic science, astronomy etc. Some of the people who made them were very intelligent, some were complete nutters, very much like people today. Absolutely everyone you meet is an authentic representation of the continent. The answers to the questions you are asking are inside your own head. Just by going somewhere or measuring something you change its nature so you aren't really experiencing something "authentic" so to say. If you go somewhere someone else tells you about it has already been changed by them and isn't authentic, as such just follow your nose.

Where the hell is Standanista by the way!

5

I think the most 'life changing' thing you could do is volunteer, however, you usually need to speak Spanish, have a reasonable amount of time to commit, and ideally some in-demand skills.

http://www.volunteersouthamerica.net/

6

I double #5, Incas besides being totally superstition and fatalistic civilisation were actually pretty rational and very pragmatic.
Seeking for inner self is much more complicated journey and it doesn't have any particular hook-ups.
Don't even think about attending those paid ayahuasca workshops, they are scams at best, sometimes they end tragic
Look into yourself, you will not find enlightening in particular places, they are only a mirror, you can see magic or simple rocks in them, all is in you, reality is just emptiness

You can of course always visit me in Samaipata, as I'm self proclaimed guru of Draconian Path hahaha

Edited by: ban_janti_return

7

An authentic experience in a colonial ranch teaching the locals English! Sounds really authentic. Why not just open up a Costa Coffee franchise, get the locals in with the program properly.

8

A few festivities or places that may appeal to spiritually minded people:

• Virgen del Carmen in Paucartambo
• Semana Santa in Ayacucho
• Virgen de la Candelaria in Puno
• Qoyllur Riti
• the blessing of the cars, and the stations of the cross in Copacabana, Bolivia

Anything that sounds like you expect it (count the number of buzzwords like authentic, traditional, sustainable, etc etc), probably was manufactured just for your enjoyment by enterprising locals who know what you want to hear.