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Published: January 8th 2009
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Natural Pool
Just one of the many times that we needed to cool off, and what better way to do so in crystal clear waters. Doing nothing can really take its toll on a person. Basically the Caribbean coast needed to offer me more, its all well and good sipping smoothes and doing nothing all day, but there´s only so long an extremist like myself can be entertained for. So, I needed an adventure, and what better place than the Lost City to get one. Although a small voice and the sight of the walking wounded back from the trip was saying don’t do it. Ah am harder than that!
First day - Had lunch at the starting point, deated up and ready to go. Our guide informed us that we were going to walk for half an hour and then take a nice dip in a natural pool. Lovely, I think I can deal with the other six days.... little walk... little dip. After our relaxing swim, it soon turned in to sweaty hell, and a nightmareish hike. Talk about breaking us in easy. We then had a monster of a mountain to walk up and over in order to get to the first nights camp. The only plus side to this mountain was that it was slightly cooler... yes, yes this is actually
Dirty Trekkers
At the end of day one, after the heavens opened and the walk down the muddy path. a plus, as after spending two weeks in Taganga where the wind never blows I was pretty up for a bit of a chill. It was about 3 O´clock when we started our decent, and the heavens opened, walking downhill in the mud and rain, not the best combination for walking. The trails that we were walking along basically became rivers. This equalled 13 lost city trekkers at the end of day completely wet and muddy, what more could I ask for. After we got out of wet and muddy clothes we waited patiently for our dinner and our guides informed us of the future days walking and the prospect if we wanted to take a little trip to the cocaine factory.
Day two, woke up after a beautiful nights sleep in a hammock, very excited about the cocaine factory. WOW HOO! We took a leisurely little walk across the river and to the factory. I say factory in the loosest of words, more like a tent with a shit load of chemicals and charging gringos 20,000 pesos to see it. Extremely interesting stuff to see cocaine mixed with the litres of gasoline and other non identifiable chemicals, to
Cocaine Factory
We were not suppose to take a picture with the shaddy cocaine factory owner in... woops! get it to a whiteish looking paste, which is apparently pure cocaine, too strong to snort but perfectly fine to dab and smoke. So what did we do... yep we smoked the local product as instructed by the very nice and young looking cocaine factory owner. Wow, narcotics before 9 in the morning really makes a days walking tiring and strenuous. The rest of the day didn´t quite go as smoothly as day one, but boy was I pleased to get to the second nights lodgings. We arrived early and beat the 3 O´clock showers, so that we could take a dip in a pretty strong currented river.
Day three. Oh dear! We had to set out early as we knew that we had an extremely long walk ahead of us. 11 rivers to cross and 1800 steps to climb it’s just as well all our muscles and bones didn’t ache from the previous two days, ah? Having spoken to the walking wounded walking around Taganga and getting information off of them about the trip, I guess my main concern was when people were saying that the rivers literally come up to your hip, and these people were tall! So
Pure Cocaine
.......basically crack. an apprehensive Claire decided to take the day as it comes, and luckily the rivers barely made it passed my hip, and I wasn’t swept away by the strong current. Some of the group decided to take shoes and trousers off in order to keep them dry, pa! I was going straight in, I going to be getting wet from all the sweat any way. After the final river crossing, my fellow trekker, Kevin, kindly pointed out that my faithful trousers had split right down the middle of my ass, and were not keeping those pestered mosquitoes at bay. So a quick clothes change and I was ready to take on the 1800 steps. Normal size steps would be OK to climb, however tiny Inca feet only need little stoned steps, not too bad for me, but the guys with size 10’s, poor blokes. But it was the start of then ascent from the side of a river, with wet and muddy steps covered in slippery moss that was really challenging, “Be careful not to fall, it’s a long, bumpy way down!” It took us quite a while with regular stops so not to break our necks, but once we
Hello Little Girl
One of the village kids that we passed on our trek. got to the top it was stunning. A true Lost City was hidden away amongst the foliage and dense rainforest. A few soldiers “greeted” us on our arrival, their job is to keep Guerrillas as bay and make sure the tourists don’t get up to anything.... oh and oh yeah sell us ridiculously over priced cigarettes which they are clearly making a hefty profit from, cant blame them. We made it under to settle before the down poor came and smoked away at the local product purchased on day two whilst our loveable guides prepared a much needed feast. The day pretty much turned into night, we ate smoked and laughed the evening away, and then went to bed at the very late time of 8 O’clock!
Full day in the lost city. After breakfast we were to attend the Lost City tour brought to us by our solely Spanish speaking guides, hmmm this was going to be interesting seeing as only a couple of people within the group spoke a little Spanish. After a fairly painful and frustrating hour, our tour guide decided to pack the tour in and take us to the end point, a magnificent waterfall
and natural pool. Absolutely beautiful and extremely refreshing as the pool was in the shade, so never gets the chance to warm up by the sun. The rest of the day consisted of fun and frolics around the Lost City, and then back to smoking narcotics and waiting for food.... Well, there’s only so much fun you can have around some grass circles.
The 9 hour hike! After 2 nights in the Lost City it was time to depart, but not without our new friend. The group before us had found, probably stolen, a dog whilst on their way up, and although they had strongly stating that they were going to return the dog to the village that they had found it, it seemed to have slipped their mind. So we were to do the moral think and take the dog back, what good citizens we are. However what slipped our mind the 11 strongly currented rivers that needed to be crossed. Hence, lucky ol’d Popcorn (named due to the love of the delicious and so quickly consumed; popcorn, given to us upon arrival to the Lost City!) had to be carried across each river. This day was 9
Group Photo
This was taken at the end of the very frustrating tour, given to us by our Spanish speaking guide. hours because it was basically the first and second day put together. So, after once again putting on our smelly stale clothes on our unwashed bodies it was tie to start our finally ridiculous sweatathon. The long hike gave me a chance to recap on everything that had happened on the trek and the trip as a whole. I started to get sentimental as I walked back, probably because I was nearing the end of my adventure, the good time the bad time, and the rather drunken times. That kept my spirits high, whilst everyone else deflated and just wanted to get to the end, but I loved every sweaty 9 hours of it!
The End
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