Colombia 2011

Ciudad Perdida: Day 3

30 September 2011

After breakfast, at 7:30 we started our 3rd day trekking. This day, we would walk to the nearest camp to the Ciudad Perdida.
Today course was interesting. We walked along the river, climbing rocks, and finally we arrived in the river crossing using sliding cage. It was not frightening as it looked like though.
We arrived in the 3rd night camp about 1pm, there we could sleep on hammock or bed.
Despite of the bedbug rumours, I chose the bed, which seemed to be the good choise, because the next day, the hammock guys said it was damned cold in the hammock!
There was nothing to do other than playing cards or chatting with fellow travellers or siesta since the day was raining hard.
I played cards with fellow travellers. I introduced them thrilling game I used to play in Indonesia called "Changing Your Name".
During this trek, I learnt games like "Shit head" (my favourite) or "Ass hole", then "Take 2" from other travellers.
The Australians also played thrilling game, accompanied with screaming and laughters.
We kept playing cards, or chatting, until dinner time, another nice meal!
There was no electricity in the camp, only candles that night.

breakfast

the river next to our camp

starting the walk of the day

walking along the river

the Kogis

big river crossing using sliding cage

the scenery

sugarcane processing unit

we had banana time here

continue to walk

hmm, coincidently taken picture

the water stream

the pig we met on the way, belong to Kogis

the walking path

the river to cross

crossing the river

swimming with fellow trekkers

the river on the way

walking along the river

small water fall

with fellow trekkers

interesting trek course

trek course

our 3rd night camp

the mess hall of the camp

lunch

the river next to the camp after the rain

our 3rd night camp

dinner

Ciudad Perdida: Day 2

29 September 2011

Woke up on a hammock, this day was supposed to be an easy day with only 3-4 hours walk to the next camp. After the breakfast, we said good bye to fellows from the return groups, and started our second day walk at 7:30. The French guy Pierre had left a couple hours before us to do the fast track course, so we were 7 now.
The highlight of the walk this day might be meeting with the Kogi. We passed a Kogi village with lots of huts. One of the characteristic I recognized from the Kogi was that they didn't like to smile or talk, especially the adults. The children often begged for candy, or other things we had, including the water bottle, hand towel, metallic clip on our backpack etc.
We arrived in the second night accommodation about 12:30.
After choosing our beds, we went to the river for swimming with Ali and friends.
We were alone in the accommodation, since other groups stayed in other camp, 20 minutes further walk from our camp.
After having a nice lunch, we were stuck in nothing to do since nobody in our group had playing cards.
Fortunately, the camp guy brought us several old playing cards. We then played the cards, except the Irish fellows who did their long siesta, till dinner time.

Morning, the new day

the hammocks

the guides competed preparing breakfast for its group

first breakfast in the jungle

walking and walking

and resting enjoying the view

this shady course was preferable

cool off

the Kogi's children

Kogi village

the Kogi after bath

river hopping

the camp for the second night (and fourth night), hooray, it's bed!

rarely we got sunshine, so was perfect time for laundry!

way to the river next to the camp

swimming in the river next to the camp

Ciudad Perdida: Day 1

28 September 2011

Finally they picked me up at my hostel Kayros in Santa Marta on 8:30AM though being promised to be picked up at 7:30AM. The lady took me to Magic Tour office in Santa Marta, just in front of the Cathedral.
Friendly Dutch, Wilco introduced himself, and later the pretty Australian Cathlyn and funny young French fellow Pierre. Two Irish guys Eamon and Nicky joined us, then with the old Land Cruiser, we picked up Australian Darryl and English Lisa from remote Dream Hostel (thought the two were couple!:).

The Dutch boy spoke Spanish very fluently and officially was appointed as our translator :) lucky I had this smart and charming but a bit fat fellow in the group.

It took about 2.5 hours, including non-asphalt road to the starting point village called Mamey. Packed with 8 trekkers at the back of the Land Cruiser, the ride was not that comfortable, but we didn't feel it that much with the nice conversation with the new fellows (on the way back, the ride on the non-asphalt part was felt almost unbearably uncomfortable, with exhausted smelly body and rain).
We took lunch in a place where we met other groups that would start the trek like us, and groups that just returned from the trek.

Our guide in the first day was Magali, a mid 20 years old girl, the sister of Ali, our main guide who joined us from the next day.
After paused at a military check, we started our journey about 2PM.
The first 1 hour was an easy flat walking with few river crossing.
I gave up, letting my shoes wet after failing stone hopping in the first river crossing.
After 2 river crossings, we saw other groups walked before us swimming in a natural pool, jumping into the water from top of the rock. We then joined them.
It was quite refreshing, the water was clear, and many fish were there.The next one hour was like hell with up up up and up.
I trained by jogging 3km everyday 1 month before the trekking, but I felt like in the limit of my endurance.
It appeared that in my group, I was the second slowest walker after Lisa.
While the crazy French boy was fast like Captain America. No wonder he wanted to do the trek in 4 days, one day less than us.There were 2 stops, one in front of a house where we got oranges, and the other one on the height with good view where we got watermelon (I remember we fed the chickens and ducks with the seed and the remain of the watermelon).

After a muddy a bit long downhill, a little less than 4 hours from the start, finall y we arrived at our first night accommodation.
We chose our hammock then took a shower, cleaning all the sweat from the walk.
The water was cold but refreshing.
There were many people in the camp (or cabana), including the people who were on the return way.

Our first dinner was really nice, and chatting with the new fellows was qu ite fun.
But the mosquitos bit cruelly my leg.
My only trouser (Gap) was torn, possibly for frequent big steps I took on the walk while wet.
Magali kindly sewed my trouser... so sweet of her...

This camp was the only camp during the trek that had electricity from the generator.
I slept, but not so well, on the hammock with the background of singing of many creatures from the jungle surround.