Well, I'm excited- a documentary I wrote/directed and produced over the last 2 years, with my wife and partner Sheera- is finally airing on the History Channel- this Saturday, April 19th at 10:00pm- most everywhere. I'll post a bit more info on it- further down.
It's been a hectic week- because we're getting ready to leave for another Amazon adventure- this time for Animal Planet (Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom), BBC and CBC co-production- on the Red Uakari Monkey and a very cool conservation area down in Peru. 4 days by River Boat- from the heart of the Peruvian Amazon in Iquitos- so, 2 days down the Amazon, then 2 days up the Yavari to the Lago Preto wildlife concession -which you can read about online...it's a very cool place; Tapir, anaconda, Pink River Dolphins, Giant Otters and of course- the funky, freaky Red Uakari Monkeys that look like old bald men, with red heads and shaggy fur coats. If you're interested, I can pretty much keep up this blog- well into the Amazon- at least till we lose all cell phone reception...let me know...

In the meantime our Wade Davis, Bob Weir (Grateful Dead), Dr. Andrew Weil documentary took us to 5 countries around the world Peyote to LSD- is coming out this Saturday...it's pretty much and adventure travel doc- that takes in a huge chunk of history- from Richard Schultes' discoveries of hallucinogens in the 1930's, 40's 50's right into the psychedelic sixties and today...hope you can watch it!

Here's some background:

From Amazon jungles to the American Plains, British mental wards, Swiss labs, New York mansions and Grateful Dead shows, the history of hallucinogenic drugs is as fantastic as the visions the drugs produce. Wade Davis, is a modern-day anthropologist, author ("The Serpent and the Rainbow") and protégé of one of psychedelia's most intrepid forefathers - Richard Evans Schultes. Davis traces Schultes' life's work as one of the greatest botanist-explorers of the 20th century and reveals an illustrated history of the world's most mind-altering plants and substances in: PEYOTE TO LSD: A PSYCHEDELIC ODYSSEY, premiering Saturday, April 19th@ 2008 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on The History Channel®.

Winner of the prestigious 2008 CINE Golden Eagle Award, the documentary follows the career of Schultes, who journeyed into far-flung areas in search of ritualistic healing medicines known to produce powerful visions: Peyote, mushrooms, Ayahuasca. Davis, a former student of Schultes at Harvard and author of Schultes' biography ("One River"), travels to the exotic locations Schultes once voyaged to, seeking the same experiences. Along the way, set to the music of the Grateful Dead and featuring input from experts such as Dead co-founder Bob Weir, plus Dr. Andrew Weil, and LSD inventor Dr. Albert Hofmann, the documentary reveals how hallucinogens got from jungle shamans to the hippie generation. Questions arise about the attitude toward psychedelics: their great potential benefits versus perceived harmful side effects. Why is it that so many ancient cultures consider hallucinogenic plants- a medicine given from God, while in today's culture they are outlawed, and even reviled. PEYOTE TO LSD: A PSYCHEDELIC ODYSSEY is a long, strange trip that began decades ago, but is probably nowhere near its end. Even now, new uses for hallucinogens are being sought and tested by leading universities and medical institutions.

PEYOTE TO LSD: A PSYCHEDELIC ODYSSEY is produced and directed by Peter von Puttkamer of Gryphon Productions Inc. along with producer Sheera von Puttkamer and co-producer Wade Davis. Executive Producer for The History Channel is Michael Stiller. An exhibit of Richard Evans Schultes' photographs will run at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, April -Nov, 2008. See the trailer at www.gryphonproductions.com or on YOU TUBE.