Colombia Part I

Cartagena
After an hour and a half in the air we caught our first sight of Cartagena. It was a mix of everything, high-rise apartments, hotels, yacht clubs, ports, suburbia and the magical old city surrounded by its fortress walls. We grabbed a taxi to Calle Media Luna, where many of the hostels and cheap hotels are located. Here we strolled around with our backpacks on checking out our different options, a strange feeling becaus it was the first time we were travelling without our van since the start of our trip. We settled for a room with two beds for the three of us, at Hotel Familiar. We soon learned that Federico, the Aussies and the Germans, Axel and Katrina were all staying there as well. We walked the streets of Cartagena stopping for celebratory beers at a great little pub then adventuring through the gates of the old city taking in the beautiful colonial buildings, plazas and courtyards. In the evening we met up with the whole gang who were awaiting the arrival of their vehicles, and enjoyed the night by hanging out in a small plaza drinking Aguilas and eating street food. The routine for the next few days didn’t vary much, Cartagena was really hot and zapping our energy until the night time when everyone seemed to come to life. On Tuesday we went to the port to get our baby back, and after a very long and tiring day we drove Patience out of the Port, into downtown Cartagena and then parked her in a lot across the street from our hotel. The whole experience was so exhausting that we spent another two nights in Cartagena before we finally escaped.

Taganga
Our first driving experience here was a little intense, it was hot and loud, busses and trucks were flying by with only inches to spare, and there were motorcycles everywhere, zigzagging in and out of traffic with no fear what so ever. We figured out quickly that the gas pedal and the horn were our best weapons to escape the rush hour traffic. If you drove like that in Canada you wouldn’t have a licence for long .After a long hot day on the road we were finally entering Santa Marta, but on our way into the center we spotted the Germans big rig, hard to miss in these parts. They were parked at supermarket so we stopped in to say hi. They told us that they were camping for free in Taganga so we followed them back. They led us down some dirt side streets, through some slums and to a parking lot down by the beach just as the sun was setting. It wasn’t somewhere we would have felt safe by ourselves, but they’d already stayed there a night and said it was fine so we unwound with a couple of well deserved cold beers and then went to bed. The next day we booked a trip to the “Lost City”, a six day adventure into the jungle and said goodbye to Karina and Oliver.

La Ciudad Perdida (The Lost City)
Day One
We spent another hot night in the parking lot and then got up early for our 8:30am start to the trip. Of course South American time is the same as Central American time so we didn’t actually leave town until about 9:30, but we all piled into an awesome converted land cruiser with bench seats and no doors and were off. We drove for an hour on pavement and an hour off road until we reached the town of Machete where we ate lunch while the guides sorted out gear and food. The first day may have been the hardest due to the heat and the long and steady ascent up to the first camp, but thanks to the refreshing swimming hole and the many fruit breaks along the way we didn’t dehydrate. We arrived at a beautiful camp where we enjoyed the views and showers, followed by a huge dinner after which everyone passed out in their own swinging hammock.
Day Two
Day two of the trek started with breakfast followed by a visit to a beautiful waterfall and swimming hole. We were waiting for three other Aussies to join our group but after lunch we gave up waiting and headed for the second camp. The hike to camp two was full of great views and passed by a couple of indigenous villages. When we arrived we had just enough light left to jump off the 15ft rock into the refreshing river. What a way to end a day of trekking! The wait for dinner was almost too long but when we saw the huge plates of food being served we forgot about the delay and stuffed ourselves with beans, rice, meat and Plantains.
Day Three
Day three started with a ton of river crossings, a brief swim and lunch break and then a steep ascent and 1600 stair climb to La Ciudad Perdida. These stairs and the city itself were built between the 11th and 14th centuries by the Tayrona Indians before they were chased to higher ground by the Spaniards. The stairs originally went all the way from the beach dwellings up to the Lost City and around the thousands of terraces up in the hills. Finally the moment we’d all been waiting for, the arrival at the Ciudad Perdida....amazing!! Here, nestled in the jungle, were hundreds of circular terraced platforms with stone trails and stairs leading all around the city and surrounding villages. We only saw a few of the terraces on our way in, but our accommodations were only five minutes away from the main terrace and we were going to do more exploring the next day. Once again it was a bit of a wait for dinner so we took advantage of the time to sneak off and do a bit of exploring on our own. It was magical to be alone in the ancient city! We were also really lucky as we were one of the last tour groups that are going to be able to sleep at the city as they are moving the accommodations down to the river. Good timing!
Day Four
The next morning we were stuffed with empanadas and then taken back into the city for a tour. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you look at it, just as we were starting the tour a big giant military helicopter flew in and landed right on the main terrace. Apparently once a month the high up government officials are allowed to bring a bunch of guests up to La Ciudad Perdida. A bit strange, but I guess that’s what power does for you. After that spectacle we were led away from the main terraces and around to see a few other terraces and some recreated dwellings before going to the pool of youth for a quick dip to take off a few years. The city was so much bigger than either of us could have ever imagined and we only saw a corner of what is actually out there. It makes it even more amazing that it wasn’t “discovered” until 1975! It was a wonderful morning in La Ciudad Perdida and our guides and thankfully translator gave us an awesome insight into the city. A few hours later and we were back at accommodation two for another swim, a jump off of a 20ft rock and an awesome dinner.
Day Five
Since we’d decided to do the trek in 6 days we had a great sleep in while the rest of the group got up early and headed off. Then we got up, had some breakfast and went back to the river for a swim. It was an easy hike made even easier by a mule carrying our packs back to the final camp. We got there nice and early so we were able to hang out in the hammocks reading our books and napping until a giant group arrived on their first day of the trek all excited and full of energy. Quite a difference. We got up, chatted a bit had some dinner and celebratory fruit wine and then settled in for our last sleep in the jungle.
Day Six
Another fairly leisurely morning and then the long dusty descent back to the jeep. We got super lucky and had 5 and a half beautiful sunny days in the place that always rains until the last 5 minutes of the trek when it started pouring. We ran for cover in our lunch shelter and watched the rain bucket down for the next hour while enjoying lunch and a nice cold bottle of beer. We felt sorry for all those trekkers that were starting at that time. Stuff never dries up there and the trail would be pure mud, yikes! When the rain finally stopped we jumped in the jeep and headed back to Taganga. What an awesome experience!! We were exhausted and dirty when we got back to town so luckily the owners of the hostel where our friends from the trek ,Vanessa and Will, were staying let us use the shower to clean up. Then we went to dinner at an awesome sandwich place and used the internet to let everyone know we weren’t kidnapped before retiring to the van in a new parking place right by the soccer field.

The road to Villa de Leyva
The next morning we got up early and headed South. Still in the lowlands we sweated our way through the day until we finally decided to stop for the night and lucked upon this awesome place to camp for the night right by a river and all to ourselves. Another day of driving and we finally made it to San Gil where we were directed to another campspot 7 km away, again right on a river and almost to ourselves. We’re loving that Colombians know what camping is!! The next day we drove into Villa de Leyva expected to find a nice place to camp by the lake only to find out that there was no lake, but instead there was an incredible little colonial town with the original cobble stone streets and huge central plaza. We were directed to the Colombian Highlands Hostel where we could camp with our car and were shocked to run into the Germans Karina and Oliver and Max all at the same hostel! Small world! We set up camp for the next three nights, explored the city streets, caught up with everyone, did some laundry finally, went for a hike, chatted with the amazing owner of the hostel and chilled out.