Day 8-16 Colombia

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The next day we had to go through a military checkpoint and get our bags sniffed by the dogs before we were deposited in Capurgana, which is a lovely little place, there are no cars as there are no roads to it. That night we all got drunk again

The following day we were up early, (some of the group didn’t bother going to bed at all) to catch a boat to Turbo. The journey lasted for a couple of hours and it decided to rain on the way so I got drenched, there was no cover on the boat!!

There are no positive words to describe Turbo so the sooner you can get on a bus out of there the better, this did prove problematic as our grasp of Spanish left a lot to be desired, however 9 of us eventually got on a cramped bus for Cartagena, we did have to change buses enroute which is part of the fun I guess. 10 hours later we arrived in Cartegena and were deposited at our various hostels. I was in the papaya which I’d recommend, it had been a long day so only had time for a solitary beer before hitting the sack.

Cartegana is an old Spanish colonial city and most famous for being used in the film Romancing the Stone:-) The city has an amazing history, The city was founded on June 1, 1533, and named after Cartagena, Spain. During the colonial period Cartagena served a key role in administration and expansion of the Spanish empire. It was a centre of political and economic activity due to the presence of royalty and wealthy viceroys. In 1984 Cartagena's colonial walled city and fortress were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wiki

Also our very own Francis Drake took command of the city in a little scuffle with the Spanish and later on was the main port of entry for the slave trade managed by the Spanish.

Whilst wandering round the city early that evening I bumped into my old chums from the San Blas trip so decided to join them for a few beers. Soon after we then bumped into another lot from the trip so 10 of us ended up swapping stories for the evening.

We had a bit of excitement later on when 3 of us including a 6ft 5 Aussie nearly got mugged by a group of locals, they were waiting outside an ATM when a mate was inside. The two of us waiting outside looked at each other knowing what was going down and were gearing up for some trouble, then just as our pal was emerging from the ATM the police arrived (4 of them). Our gratitude was short lived though as they let the locals go and shoved the 3 amigos against the wall and started searching us for drugs. They wanted to find some so that they can fine us $100 each and let us go, which happened to another pal of mine in the city. Being upstanding gents we didn’t have any contraband so they reluctantly let us go. We decided to celebrate with another beer!!

The hostel was in Getsemani which is the liveliest Barrio in Cartegena, it used to be the centre for prostitution and drugs but has cleaned up although I didn’t see too much evidence of that whilst I was there! The nightlife was vibrant and every night you could hear the thud of bass till the early hours as you were trying to get to sleep. There are some famous nightclubs like Café Havana and numerous tapas bars, but you can’t go far before you bump into a bar or restaurant.

I spent 3 days in Cartagena and there was a strong undercurrent of vice throughout the place, moreso than I saw in any other place, it must be due to all the passengers the cruise ships deposit on a daily basis:-)

It was time for me to leave and so I caught a 4 hour bus drive to Santa Marta for 1 night prior to my 4 day hike to the lost city. Santa Marta was very hot (34C) and is the starting point for many trips in the area including mine. Ciudad Perdida (Spanish for "Lost City") is the archaeological site of an ancient city in Colombia's Sierra Nevada. It is believed to have been founded about 800 AD, some 650 years earlier than Machu Picchu. This location is also known as Buritaca and Teyuna.

The next day I arrived at the Expotur offices at 08:30 for the start of a gruelling journey into the jungle, after several hours in the jeep, half of it off road we arrived at the start of the trek. There were 5 of us in the group and after some of them stocked up on the local coca leaves we set off for the lost city. After half an hour we cooled down with a dip in the river, it was hovering around 30C for most of the trip and the humidity must have been over 95%. As we had to carry everything with us this meant that by the end of the trip everyone left a lot of space between each other to mask the scent!

The hike had no flat bits it was constant ascents and descents, after the relatively easy first day this was followed by 3 intensive days of 8 hour hiking, with mosquitoes as constant companions and ropey beds or hammocks this didn’t provide you with a good nights sleep which didn’t help. After two days we had nearly reached our destination and at 05:30 the next morning we left camp to climb 1400 steps to the lost city, which was an amazing sight. We were joined at the top by the army who were based there due to the threat of kidnapping by FARC rebels, a group had been abducted from the site some years earlier.

In my view the walk down the 1400 steps was far more dangerous than the rebels but we all survived that and then commenced the return leg which was even more daunting as we knew what to expect. On the last night I had a dodgy stomach and I was up most of the night and as it happens the last day was the worst including a 2 hour stint of constant ascent which nearly killed me!! Miraculously I made it back to the end of the trek where I bumped into my chums from the boat trip.

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