The Lost City

In severe need of a post carnival detox, me and one of my carnival buddies Shawn signed straight up for a four day trek to find the Ciudad Perdida (the lost city) - somewhere to the south east of Santa Marta.

It´s a beautiful trek through the jungle and "finding" the lost city itself was magical. I was the first up the many steps and wandering through the city alone, as the early morning mist lingered on the stone terraces, felt like I really was discovering something ancient and mysterious. It was exciting to climb up through the different levels of the city (once of 2000 people) and you're rewarded with an incredible view when the centre of the site reveals itself. 

Having had such a delightful time exploring on my own I was somewhat surprised to find armed soldiers guarding the top section. Turns out there's still gold there and an army base to protect it. Seems the main source of amusement up there is watching the gringos through binoculars - was certainly causing a lot of laughter in the ranks. 

Had a good group and our guide Jose was excellent. Very cheery and although he didn't speak any English he spoke so patiently and clearly it felt like you understood everything anyway!

Ant crossing

The Lost City is in Kogi Indian territory and we frequently passed them on the trail, dressed in their traditional (pretty grubby) all white garb. It´s quite apparent they don´t like gringos, but the kids will happily take your sweets. 

Kogi village

I finished the trek in style, riding out atop of a sturdy mule. My unfortunate excuse however was that I was overcome by a severe and prolonged bout of vomiting in the mid morning and could barely walk 20m without having to stop and turn my guts inside out. The trail of green bile following me down the path was impressive.