I see a splash after every step Stephanie takes. Her shoes are soaked even though we just started walking. She's wearing a garbage bag as a rain jacket to protect our bag from the rain. We need to move fast. Otherwise the river will be too high and its stream will be too fast for us to cross. The path goes up and down. Water is running down the mountain; a hundred dried up streams wake up. So the path turns into a small creek, and sometimes, when going up, the path turns into a waterfall. So we climb up and down small waterfalls, while more and more water is coming down. One quick step after the other. I smile from ear to ear.
That morning the sun was shining and the sky was blue. We woke up early.in the final camp at the foot of Ciudad Perdida, the Lost City. After a cup of coffee and the same breakfast as the previous three mornings, we headed out. We walked aside the Buritaca river for no more than a yard, before we crossed it. A robe and two guides assisted us to the other side. Right there started the 1200 step stairs, which is the entrance of Ciudad Perdida. The stairs were steep, which makes it hard for any enemy to attack the city. No Spanish colonizer had ever reached the city. Unfortunately, the Spanish deseases did, resulting in an epidemic which ended an era. The place had been deserted for nearly 400 years, before treasure hunters found it only three decades ago. The remains of the city houses were round walls, one feet tall. These are standing on different levels. The higher the level of your home, the more influenced your position was in the community. The top level is where the elders came together to discuss the tribe's fuzzles and duzzles. Once I reached the top level, I understood why they built their city here. In every direction you can look for miles down over the enormous forest, beautiful mountains cover the horizon, a large waterfall elegantly drops down in a small creek, not more than two stone throws away. Of course, this was also the place where all rituals took place. We took the picture, which you'll find a million times when you search at Google Images. And we sat down for a short break. The guides handed out lolly pops. Behind us 30 Colombian soldiers looked at us. They are stationed there to protect the site, and basically they've nothing more to do than checking out tourists like checking out animals in a zoo. With the exception that the humans sit on top of Ape Rock and the giraffes, zebras and crocodiles walk in circles around them. After a while the stick licking creatures made their descend back to the camp.
During lunch the weather started to change. Clouds appeared and not much longer rain drops started to fall. Little drops at first, but they got bigger and bigger. And it didn't stop. Lunch time was over by now. People started moving. It surprised me during this track that after every break, everyone knew exactly that we were leaving without the guide announcing it. Suddenly everyone was getting their stuff, and before we knew it we took off. So we were always the last ones to leave, and also this time, we were the last ones to leave. In no time everyone was packed and sacked, rain covers over their backpacks and go! Stephanie turned a garbage bag into a poncho - including the funny pointy hood - in less than a minute. She put the bag on her back, the poncho was large enough for the bag to fit underneath it, and took off. I took our final stuff from the lunch table, shuffed it under my rain jacket. I said goodbye to the hikers who just arrived in the camp and were done for the day. I ran off. I slipped through the mud with my Adidas sneakers. I did a pootje-over like Rintje Ritsma did in his best days. I kept running to catch up with Stephanie.
She was walking fast, jumping over one poodle after the other. I said she would stomp through them in half an hour. She did so only 5 minutes later. Our guide Enrique was right behind us. The rain became heavier. Thunder and lightning joined in. We couldn't pay attention to all of that. We had to focus on the path, one quick step after the next. Still with as much caution as possible. Water everywhere, waterfalls everywhere. We had to - almost totally vertically - go down a few. Up and down we went through the forest. Somehow I had passed Stephanie. I kept on walking quickly, a few seconds ahead of her. All of a sudden the path turned to the right. There was the river, 10 meters wide, the stream seemed forceful. I stopped for a moment. Woww was my only thought. Our cook Jose stood on the other side. He waved at me that I should cross now. I crossed the Buritaca, it was just below my waist. I took one cautious step after the next, safely making it through the other side. I looked around; Enrique and Stephanie were wading their way through. Stephanie's smile popped out of her pointy head garbage bag. She signaled that I should take a picture, but unfortunately it was pouring down rain too much to take my camera out.
We made it. We crossed the river. We could walk much slower now. And enjoy the nature that's around us. All our group members were far ahead of us. Enrique was behind us, although after a while we didn't see him anymore. He was looking for avocados. In the rain toads come out. Strange creatures. It continued to poor down rain. Stephanie was actually checking with a flat hand up in the air. Apparently her garbage bag was a better dry keeper than any 1000 dollar rain jacket. We took a curve and suddenly our Belgian group member was standing still in the middle of the path. He was looking into the bushes. He pointed at something. Look, he said. There we saw a crab. We were 100 kilometers away from the beach, 1000 meters above sea level, and there we saw a soaked Belgian guy pointing at a crab. The Belgian guy joined us and we continued walking. We reached a few little huts, where two Italian guys were taking shelter against the rain. We didn't really see the point in this and kept on walking. One of the two Italians joined us. A little later we crossed a bridge. At the other side of the river the path ran down.. into the water, and back up again a few meters farther. I gave it a try. Half way, the water up to my ankles, Stephanie called me. She also found a small path going up. I went back. The Belgian guy and I were still considering which way to go. I went up, he went down. Stephanie and I took the small path, which returned to the big path. There we waited. Three seconds later the Italian guy showed up from the bushes; he had followed us. Down the main path Koen showed up, making swimming movements. Apparently he had nothing in his bag that wasn't already wet.. The four of us continued. The path was easy to walk on until we ran into a big waterfall.. We had no other option than to cross it. I went first. I stepped into the waterfall sideways, just in front of the point where it hit the rocks. I stopped half way, reaching out my hand. Stephanie took it and stepped into the waterfall, also sideways. We moved a bit farther, sideways, and then Koen grapped Stephanie's hand, moving sideways. And finally the Italian took the Belgian's hand. So at that point two Dutchies, a Belgian and an Italian were holding hands in a waterfall, sideways. This took quite some time, so the second Italian caught up on us. The second Italian grapped the other Italian's hand, and we all moved, sideways. Safely to the other side.
We lost the Belgian and the two Italians somewhere during the walk, so it was back to Stephanie and I. The path had become a little creek, and thunder and lightning were closing in on us. The surroundings looked familiar, so directly I had the idea that we got closer to our camp. Thunder became louder, Stephanie saw lightning hit the earth. Lucky for us, we had to go through an open field. We walked a bit faster. I was wondering if stress increases your electrical charge, and if that would attract lightning. If so, the fear that you may be hit by lightining could actually cause you to be hit by lightning. We were at the other side by the end of my thought. Five minutes later we reached another open field, fairly high up on a hill. Conditions clearly hadn't changed. I was walking in front. Stephanie said: Wll you be careful. I replied: yes, dear. I'll duck when lightning strucks. Luckily there turned out to be no need for me to duck. Not much later we reached the camp. Such a glorious moment. We sat down and had a hot coffee. Fifteen minutes later Enrique was the last one to safely reach the camp. He found two avocados.
During lunch the weather started to change. Clouds appeared and not much longer rain drops started to fall. Little drops at first, but they got bigger and bigger. And it didn't stop. Lunch time was over by now. People started moving. It surprised me during this track that after every break, everyone knew exactly that we were leaving without the guide announcing it. Suddenly everyone was getting their stuff, and before we knew it we took off. So we were always the last ones to leave, and also this time, we were the last ones to leave. In no time everyone was packed and sacked, rain covers over their backpacks and go! Stephanie turned a garbage bag into a poncho - including the funny pointy hood - in less than a minute. She put the bag on her back, the poncho was large enough for the bag to fit underneath it, and took off. I took our final stuff from the lunch table, shuffed it under my rain jacket. I said goodbye to the hikers who just arrived in the camp and were done for the day. I ran off. I slipped through the mud with my Adidas sneakers. I did a pootje-over like Rintje Ritsma did in his best days. I kept running to catch up with Stephanie.
She was walking fast, jumping over one poodle after the other. I said she would stomp through them in half an hour. She did so only 5 minutes later. Our guide Enrique was right behind us. The rain became heavier. Thunder and lightning joined in. We couldn't pay attention to all of that. We had to focus on the path, one quick step after the next. Still with as much caution as possible. Water everywhere, waterfalls everywhere. We had to - almost totally vertically - go down a few. Up and down we went through the forest. Somehow I had passed Stephanie. I kept on walking quickly, a few seconds ahead of her. All of a sudden the path turned to the right. There was the river, 10 meters wide, the stream seemed forceful. I stopped for a moment. Woww was my only thought. Our cook Jose stood on the other side. He waved at me that I should cross now. I crossed the Buritaca, it was just below my waist. I took one cautious step after the next, safely making it through the other side. I looked around; Enrique and Stephanie were wading their way through. Stephanie's smile popped out of her pointy head garbage bag. She signaled that I should take a picture, but unfortunately it was pouring down rain too much to take my camera out.
We made it. We crossed the river. We could walk much slower now. And enjoy the nature that's around us. All our group members were far ahead of us. Enrique was behind us, although after a while we didn't see him anymore. He was looking for avocados. In the rain toads come out. Strange creatures. It continued to poor down rain. Stephanie was actually checking with a flat hand up in the air. Apparently her garbage bag was a better dry keeper than any 1000 dollar rain jacket. We took a curve and suddenly our Belgian group member was standing still in the middle of the path. He was looking into the bushes. He pointed at something. Look, he said. There we saw a crab. We were 100 kilometers away from the beach, 1000 meters above sea level, and there we saw a soaked Belgian guy pointing at a crab. The Belgian guy joined us and we continued walking. We reached a few little huts, where two Italian guys were taking shelter against the rain. We didn't really see the point in this and kept on walking. One of the two Italians joined us. A little later we crossed a bridge. At the other side of the river the path ran down.. into the water, and back up again a few meters farther. I gave it a try. Half way, the water up to my ankles, Stephanie called me. She also found a small path going up. I went back. The Belgian guy and I were still considering which way to go. I went up, he went down. Stephanie and I took the small path, which returned to the big path. There we waited. Three seconds later the Italian guy showed up from the bushes; he had followed us. Down the main path Koen showed up, making swimming movements. Apparently he had nothing in his bag that wasn't already wet.. The four of us continued. The path was easy to walk on until we ran into a big waterfall.. We had no other option than to cross it. I went first. I stepped into the waterfall sideways, just in front of the point where it hit the rocks. I stopped half way, reaching out my hand. Stephanie took it and stepped into the waterfall, also sideways. We moved a bit farther, sideways, and then Koen grapped Stephanie's hand, moving sideways. And finally the Italian took the Belgian's hand. So at that point two Dutchies, a Belgian and an Italian were holding hands in a waterfall, sideways. This took quite some time, so the second Italian caught up on us. The second Italian grapped the other Italian's hand, and we all moved, sideways. Safely to the other side.
We lost the Belgian and the two Italians somewhere during the walk, so it was back to Stephanie and I. The path had become a little creek, and thunder and lightning were closing in on us. The surroundings looked familiar, so directly I had the idea that we got closer to our camp. Thunder became louder, Stephanie saw lightning hit the earth. Lucky for us, we had to go through an open field. We walked a bit faster. I was wondering if stress increases your electrical charge, and if that would attract lightning. If so, the fear that you may be hit by lightining could actually cause you to be hit by lightning. We were at the other side by the end of my thought. Five minutes later we reached another open field, fairly high up on a hill. Conditions clearly hadn't changed. I was walking in front. Stephanie said: Wll you be careful. I replied: yes, dear. I'll duck when lightning strucks. Luckily there turned out to be no need for me to duck. Not much later we reached the camp. Such a glorious moment. We sat down and had a hot coffee. Fifteen minutes later Enrique was the last one to safely reach the camp. He found two avocados.
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