Saturday, August 22, 2009

Ciudad Perdida Trek part 3

The hike back down...











coca plant
















Laura's finger got stung by a wasp on our last night...


And a few days later it looked like this






We made it!

victory lunch

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Ciudad Perdida Trek part 2

The Lost City











corn grinder








This is the sweetest cat. Laura wanted to steal her. She belongs to the site caretaker and makes sure that no rats hang around the kitchen.



Us with our guide, Marron


Our trekking group


Monday, August 17, 2009

Ciudad Perdida Trek part 1

The hike up to the Lost City
After two consecutive night bus rides we arrived exhausted in Santa
Marta with not an article of clean clothing. We were looking forward
to relaxing on the Caribbean coast for a couple of days before looking
into a trek to la Ciudad Perdida. However, after literally just stepping off
the bus we were informed that the prices had just gone up and if we
wanted the old price we would have to join a group that booked the
previous week. The catch was that they were leaving in 20 minutes. We
have been exposed to lots of "panic panic panic, you must buy now or
never!" sales pitches but after a little asking around this one turned
out to be legit. It was certainly one of the better decisions we have
made on our trip as we joined up with a great group, a knowledgeable
guide, and had spectacular weather.




After his mandatory military service this soldier is planning to move to Spain to be a chef in his relatives' restaurant.


Mules carried all of our food for us.




Lucky mule shoe


Hammocks with mosquito nets at the first camp.










Josh and the Giant Avocado






Bulls were also being used for carrying cargo along the trail.
































The last long climb up to the city.