Cartagena, Santa Marta, Hike to Ciudad Perdida

COLOMBIA, land of unmistakable dangers and forbidden fruits.

Rolled around Cartagena, one of the most beautiful cities in South America for a few days, exploring the fortifications and stone walls sieged by Sir Francis Drake and other pirates looking to exploit the Spanish gold exchange. Major port town used for slave trading and stronghold for the Spanish Empire in the New World. Underwater walls are built to create a bottleneck that would strip the hull of ships to prevent any pirates without knowledge of the routes into the harbor from entering. Large canon still line the walls of the old town, an indication of the important treasures once hidden within.

Cafes pour into the streets, and cobblestone curving roads cut through pastel colored colonial architecture. There are, of course, the requisite gargantuan cathedrals and statues of Simon Bolivar to be found everywhere. City has a definite Rome-meets-Caribbean feel, and it´s easy to see where it gets its notoriety.

After a couple days in Cartagena, we moved up the coast to Santa Marta, a much older town, albeit not as easy on the eyes. Littered beaches and smelling streets gives the impression of what Colombia looks like when it lets its tourist guard down. The bus to Santa Marta had holes in the floor revealing the twisting drive shaft, and leaked copious water from the roof onto the passengers. Commandeering the bus, the Colombian passengers demanded to be returned to the station and put on a respectable bus. One lady, apologetic at the state of the bus, began exclaiming "We have GRINGOS on this bus! This is shameful, we´re a tourist region! I´m so sorry, Gringos...I mean can you BELIEVE THIS?..." Ironically, Lane and I were perhaps the only two unfazed. "The bus isn´t on fire yet, Señora, let´s just keep going!"

In Santa Marta, we arranged a 6 day hike to the Ciudad Perdida (Lost City) in Parque Tayrona. A semi-rough 3 day trek out and a 2,000 stone step climb up the side of the jungle to ruins of local indigenous not discovered until 1975 and still mostly covered by jungle overgrowth, giving a mysterious feel to the civilization. Local indigenous groups are not allowing the further excavation of the area as it is still apparently a graveyard for ancestors and contains gold artifacts.

Our guide, in addition to pointing out the coca plantations from atop of the mountain ranges we were crossing, let us know that along with our $220 fee for the trip was included a discreet $35 payment to La Guerrilla and other insurgent groups that occupy the area and love the teachings of Mao as a payment for NOT CAPTURING US. I´m still trying to figure out how I feel about this tax. How nice of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia to honor such a contract!....you know, between their cocaine production and whatnot. Why, you may ask, did our guide know about this payment? Because he used to work for them!

Had a scare late in the trip when our cook/porter was swept by a current over a waterfall and holding on by a fingernail to a rock at the edge of another waterfall. He nearly refused to let go of the food bag, something that may have killed him. Group had to perform a rescue and first aid to treat shock and some bruises. Somehow, 2 hours later he was perfectly restored, and treating the accident like another day at work. He would later be bit by a scorpion. We tipped him well.