The Lost City

I did it! Five days of hard trekking in the Colombian jungle and mountains.
First it was a two hour jeep ride, the second half of which was a very very bumpy ride. After lunch we started the Trekking, taking a dip in the river along the way, and ascending an incredibly steep mountain for 60 minutes (with a stop off to stroke a pig and eat bananas). Each day we had a few fruit stops and at least one stop to swim in a natural lagoon or river, often with waterfalls, natural rapids and rocks to jump off. Tres fun, and a great relief to the intense heat of the day. It's like a day long sauna here!

The first night we slept in hammocks and thereafter in beds with questionable matresses and mosquitoes nets. I got bitten, though not as badly as my companions. Have i got more B Vitamin in my blood? (Apparently mosquitoes dont like the taste or smell of blood rich in B vitamin). My paranoia of bed bugs prevented at least two good nights sleep for me! One of the guys trekking got attacked by the little vampires on the first night, which implanted some anxiety in a few of us.

Bugs were a fairly large part of my venturing here. Ants trotted along the dirt tracks whilst carrying leaves of various shapes and sizes. Huge spiders could be seen here and there; I saw a few under rocks and one, upon my approach, jumped into the water and disappeared? Big water spiders! In the evenings we talked, read and ate by candle light and fire flies, accompanied by numerous insects collecting and dancing around the flames...with the inevitable death of a handful of Moths. Other animals i encountered included wild pigs (which concerned me a little), red and yellow striped snakes, mules, beautiful horned cows, chickens, fish, hummingbirds and beautiful colorful Paloma (Bird). Apparently there are Tigers in the jungles here too, though i saw none. I did spend some time trekking alone, far ahead of my group, and wondered what i would do if i saw a tiger. I found a large stick to defend myself just incase! and contemplated my lack of tree climbing skills.

I really got into my monkey energy; climbing rocks with vigor and excitement, feeling majestically present in the colors, sounds, smells and visions of the exotic jungle. Everything was bursting with life force, oozing with saps and intrigue. I found myself enchanted, feeling at one with the vines and veins of the earth as i wove through winding paths and waded through crystal clear rivers. I found a deep peace as i moved through the jungle.

Our guide was a very wonderful, affectionate and genuine man. His son also came along, leading the mule and singing a lot. He had a good voice, it was a nice addition. They introduced us to the indigenous tribes here; the Indianas. A medicine man was visiting one of the villages so people from all over were coming to visit him. Learning about the culture here has been fascinating. The women are married off once they begin menstruation, and the marriage is arranged by their parents. Before marriage the man must undergo three months "training" with a Shaman. During this time he chews, all day long, coca leaves and ground shell (the activator) which he had collected and ground himself. He keeps it in a device made from a dried fruit and uses a stick to pound the shells and eat from. This helps give him more energy and is also said to increase his sexual abilities in preparation for his wife! Oh and the women like sex, so i am told.

Once married, if the wife agrees, the husband may also sleep with her sister. Apparently they like sharing. Sometimes.
The woman is said to do most of the work here. This involves gardening, growing and harvesting the fruit and vegetables. Looking after the animals, cooking, cleaning... but men chop wood (i'm sure they do more than that, but it was the only information i was given!) If a woman is found to have been cheating on her husband, the husband is entitled to go to her family and tell them about her disloyalties. Her family must then find him a new wife! If he wants to stay with her, however, she must be punished by going to a kind of prison and for three hours a day must work nakedly in-front of the community. I think the punishment is the same for the husband, although it seems like the woman is punished more readily. If both husband and wife are found to have been cheating, the community makes them have sex all night long for 8 days...and ties them together during the day! If the wife becomes widowed she is allowed to take another young husband, but when she becomes old he is allowed to marry her daughter (if she had any from previous husband). I thought it must be a very interesting psychology for the daughter in such a situation, knowing that her farther-in-the is one day to be her husband!

The Lost City was more impressive than i had expected. Photos can express better than words, but neither will really do it justice. All in all it was a magical experience. There was a total of eight people in my group, five friends from London (including two couples) and two Colombian Men. Everyone added a unique character and depth to the group, and i enjoyed getting to know this little family over the days. Then, we all went our separate ways. Impermanence my long standing companion.

After a lot of walking, now back in Santa Marta, my body really knows it has worked! I spent the last two days sitting and eating fruit and linseed bread rolls. Have been Wondering the streets a bit too, which is always nice. Lets me soak up the culture a little, watch the locals do there thing, buy some street food, haggle, observe, stretch limbs. The room i have been staying in is next to the Hostel bar so sleeping is not much on the menu, but i shall be leaving today to Taganga. Actually, i ought to start getting ready for that now...