Colombia: The Lost City Trek

I was unsure about dropping the $350+ to do the the Lost City trek, yet I had dreamed about climbing to the Lost City since I started researching my trip so I decided to take the plunge. I couldn't have been happier about it. We went through Expotour which, we believe, was a good choice. No matter who you go through you get the same meals, but what we perfered was our hiking group of 6 rather then 15-20.

Day 1: We were picked up at the hostel. We each had a small backpack and Kate and I brought a jar of Nutella to keep our sweet tooths at ease. Kate, Nina, and I (both are friends I met on the boat from Panama to Colombia) met up with our other 3 hikers (from Spain, U.S. and Austria). We had the smallest group which was really nice. We drove about an hour before Kate and I dove into the Nutella. Unfortunately we were unaware of the bumpy, hour long road which turned our stomachs before even setting foot on the trail.

With that aside we started our journey. The first day was straight uphill yet, at the end of each difficult pass there were shacks handing out fresh fruit and vending drinks, chocolate, cigarettes and any other guilty pleasure you could want.  The fruit breaks almost became comical seeming to appear every 1/2 hour.

We ended up at a small house with 50 hammocks which also had a 'piscina natural' including a waterfall, places to jump and sit. Awesomely refreshing after sweating like a dog for the last 4 hours.

Day 2-3: We continued the trek, hiking about 3-6 hours a day. More fruit stands, snack shacks, endless goodies from our fearless leader Miguel (Guia sin miedo) and plenty of opportunities to swim. The views were extrodinary as we traversed along the mountainside and we often shared the path with mules, cows, and indigenous families. 

A highlight was when Miguel took us off the trail up to a series of three waterfalls. We all climbed to the top and went swimming.

It was really great to have Miguel as our guide since he grew up around the area which seemed to give us the advantage of going to neat spots we might have not seen with another guide.

Day 4: We walked the 2,000 steps up to the Lost City. We were told that the city was so high up because of the necessity of privacy while the Spanish invaded. It took us about 2 hours to walk around the area which is only 30% escavated. We were also told there are a number of other 'lost cities' around the area yet are kept secret by the indigenous people who consider themselves caretakers of the land and keepers of the past.

That night, one of the indigenous men (Taironas) sat with us and talked about his life, religion, and history. When the men turn 18 they are given a gourd which is filled with crushed seashells. Throughout the day they chew coca leaves and mix it with the shell powder to create a paste. They take the paste from their mouth and mat it around the gourd creating a white structure. When the formation becomes distorted they bring the gourd to the Shaman who reads the structure like a diary and tells them about their past, present, and future. Since the indigenous people don't have a written history they use these gourds as a way to explain their life. 

Day 5: We retraced our steps back to the start, up and down the mountains. To pass time Kate and I were shamelessly talking about running away with our cook to his farm in the jungle thinking he didn't understand a thing. Until he turned around and proved otherwise.