La Ciudad Perdida, part one

La Ciudad Perdida. Lonely Planet describes this trek as an 'Indiana Jones style adventure', and they are not just kidding. I had heard from several traveler friends that this 6-day trek was a highlight of their travels, not to be missed. So, my friend, Sarah, and I decided that was all we needed to hear and, despite knowing few details, signed up enthusiastically. The group headed out on November 4th - election day - and I left thinking that I wouldn't find out the new president-elect of my country for 6 more days. Our group of 8 set out with our quiet guide, Beto, and his assistant and cook, Ismael. Right off, we were told that the road that the trek usually takes by Jeep prior to starting the actual trekking was washed out with all the rain - which would add 2 hours to our trekking time that day (from 5 to 7 hours.) Oh - did I mention that October and November are the rainy season in this part of Colombia? Travelers are recommended to do this trek anytime but the rainy season. Hmm. Anyway - we started off. 2 hours up we stopped at the village for lunch - no problems at all. The hike started to get steep, and long. Peter, one of the Swedes didn't feel so well and hopped on a mule (Peter and Lars flew straight from Stockholm to Bogota and bussed it directly up to start this trek. More on them later.) We continued along. Then it started raining. Downpouring, actually. The trail, which was already pretty crappy - torn up by mules and muddy as can be - got quite a bit worse. It was useless trying to avoid the muddy parts at this point and we had to start slogging through. Lars was wearing Tevas and, sick of them getting stuck - just decided to go barefoot through the mud slosh. Then it got dark. This proved to be even more interesting. At this point we had no hope of seeing the trail and were really slogging through the mud - up to our knees! We finally arrived at the 'hostel', essentially someone's home with a space for hammocks strung up for us. Here is what we looked like when we arrived. Wet and muddy!
That night, Lars started having the both ends disease and was in pretty rough shape. Uh oh. Oh yeah, and I whacked my head on a cross beam while coming back from the outhouse in the dark - and had some concussive symptoms. Great! (what is it with me and head injuries?) Slept, or at least lay down horizontally, in our hammocks. My first adventure with hammock sleeping, not as easy as I thought it would be.
Up the next morning and went through the routine: put on same wet clothes from the day before (we each had one day/wet set and one night/dry set), still wet of course, slathered ourselves in Deet and/or this stuff they sell there called 'No Pickex', a soap you don't rinse off (pretty sure it would be too toxic to be sold in the states,) then slathered the sun screen, treated the water for the day and after a lovely breakfast made by Ismael - we were off!
Oh, wait, what do you know? The family had a TV! That first morning I got to find out that Obama won. Yay!!! Glad to not have to wait for 6 days to find out. But no details. All they said was 'El negro gano!' (the black man won.) Was thinking of all of you celebrating at home, and feeling very far away - in the middle of the jungle. Here is where I saw the news!
The second day was not as difficult. Only 4 hours - and we walked through the villages of the indigenous people in the area, the Kogui. (More on the Kogui later.) This time we made it to the cabin before the rain started. And we even got to stay in real beds that night! Lars and Peter had made it this far, but travelled the second day on mules and were both feeling pretty sick and weak. Mules weren't possible on the last day and they had to head back without getting to the lost city, which was a bummer.
The third day, and trek up to the lost city, was in a lot of ways the most challenging. Maybe not physically, but somehow emotionally. Definitely the most technically challenging. In the beginning we had to traverse, essentially bouldering, across a rock face with a straight, steep drop down to the river below. Oh, and the rock was wet - of course! Then we crossed the river using this pulley device that the indigenous people made. High above the rapids. You know how I love the heights! I didn't look down. Here is Maarten going across. Then the trail proceeded up the river - and we crossed it 8 more times on foot. The rapids were crazy strong. Here is Maarten again demonstrating one of the crossings. There is NO way I would have made it across without either a rope or the guide holding onto my hand. I felt the current pulling me down every time I crossed. One time the river was up to my chest.
Finally we arrived at the entrance to La Ciudad Perdida, the lost city. No wonder this place wasn't discovered until the 1970s. The stone steps rise right out of the river, and climb and climb.... (continued in part two.)