Day 253 – Day 2 of the Lost City trek

After our 5:30am breakfast, we pass our first Colombian Army patrol. Since an incident in 2003 in which 8 tourists were kidnapped and held for 3 months, the army has kept the area safe from the guerillas and drug cartels that previously ruled the region. We also passed several Kogi villages, home to the descendents of the Tairona people who built the Lost City. They have somehow managed to survive with very little outside influence, and appear to be entirely self sufficient. They are curious about us, but very reserved – something easily interpreted as hostility but which is apparently a societal trait. This was a fairly long day with about 8 hours of walking in challenging terrain covering a distance normally split into two days, and we were glad to reach camp and another refreshing swim. Bunk beds are welcome but the bed bugs aren’t.