-=The Lost City=-

well.. maybe I shouldn´t make so many small entries, but I´m paranoid, I would loose it if there´s a power down ;)

so this trip takes you five days through the jungle, over mountains and across rivers (many!) to get to the lost city that founded the center of the Tyrona tribe 500 years ago. There are so many things I want to tell about that adventure.. first of all, there were wonderful people in our group! we had fantastic vibes and I haven´t heard people complaining or being grumpy (and it was a really tough hike). Then the people guiding us were incredible lovely and always giving a helping hand! their engagement can easily measure with a high end place as an expensive life-aboard.. and they spreaded mighty good vibes!! heard a lot about the Indian culture, the jungle and even the situation of the cocaine production.
I´ll upload some pictures of the hike later on.. there are some really good ones :) So we got broad to the "end of the road" somewhere in the mountains and started then hiking uphill :) of course we got a pouring, but really pouring rain for a good while, so everybody got soaked and muddy. Was wonderful to get to the camp (shelter, hammocks, food) and get a hot chocolate and change to dry clothes (some people got even those wet :-/ but stayed calm :) I had one set for walking that never dried in the wet ambient and a dry set for sleeping with long pants (still got some nasty flee bites at my legs :-/
so the people guiding us, also cook and serve food and it was super tasty, what we eat throughout the whole trip! the hiking was mostly dry but there were also some river crossing, where you had to fight against the current, holding on to a rope to not be taken by the strong river! :) to go back, we even took the high route.. an Indiana Jones platform on a rope (see pictures later on ;)
We met one of the Shamans along the way.. the Kogi (native people) live still very simple and survive with agriculture and farming in the mountainous area further away from the beach.
500 years ago, they fought the Spanish people but lost then over 100 years too many people to illness and fled further up to the mountains (where today still "virgin-villages" exist).
Then at the second morning you can get a little introduction how to make cocaine :) well.. just to the "pasta", the first 2 of 3 steps. They charge you 15 USD and then they take you to a small tent in the jungle, the "laboratory" ;)
it´s all pretty simple.. you take 12kg of coca leaves and grind it with 2.5kg of salt. Then you add 1.5kg Sodium to it to get the juice out. The juice stays in a barrel for 24hrs, together with 20lt of gasoline, 2lt of water and some sulfuric acid. Later on neutralizing acid with base and add another liquid to it (highly illegal in Colombia). they get it from a plant, KaliumMagnesiumOxid (something like that). You mix it, until it get´s a crust.. filtrate it through a sheet and get some clear liquid. This one get´s mixed once more with sodium and filtrated another time.. voila: what you get is the "pasta", that will be further refined by the guerilla and brought abroad (loosing 20% of weight in the process).
so a gram of good cocaine costs in Colombia about 15 USD (85% pure) but the guy who makes it, sells the pasta for 1200 USD, gaining about 500 USD for his work (rest is cost of materials). There are the Paramilitar and the Guerillias still producing cocaine in huge quantities (must be HUUUGE quantities).
These camps I heard can be as 6 day hikes inside the jungle and the work is very risky. Food has to be brought in with mules, pasta taken out for refining. Men and Women working there, never leaving the place, living in fear of an attack of the government or an enemy group! really hard life :( it´s amazing how this can exist.. it´s all so clandestine, but still pretty big set up.. and of course, a lot of corruption!

the way out is the toughest part, because it takes you 3 1/2 days to get there and then 1 1/2 day to get out :P but we all made it! was sometimes really meditative to walk through the jungle :)

the city itself consist only out of terraces, because this is where they put their wooden huts on ;) hehe :) it´s said that still a lot of treasure can be found, but it´s forbidden to search for it anymore (legacy of the Kogi).
We´ve seen some beautiful butterflies, moths and a big spider :) and had (when not just pouring) good view over the hills and vallies.. was a wonderful hike, challenging and fulfilling, interesting and inspiring! :D

Once back in Taganga, I prepared my bike and went out for a while.. just a mellow night ;) but still.. can´t complain about absence of being interesting to other people ;) don´t know if this is Colombia or a South American thing, but I really enjoy being here on my own ;) hehehe :)))
was just a bit hangovery the next morning and drove from Taganga to Aquachica, where I spent last night (finally watching cartoons on cable again ;) hihi :)
oh.. and I met also a guy who teaches Paragliding.. it´s as cheap as 800 USD and includes accommodation. I really HAVE TO DO IT!! :D let´s check if it´s valid in Switzerland and then it´s better than just go for once Paragliding.. get the license :)) so but one thing at the time.. I finally reached this morning the other guy in Venezuela with the skydiving.

So the plan is as followed (incredible how easy it turns always out when it´s time):
I made it today to Bucaramanga, but the buses leave from Cucutan that lies another 4-5 hours from here. So I want to start early morning tomorrow and leave some stuff here (travel light over the mountains, coming back here anyway). Then find over there a place to store the bike for 10 days and get a bus to Caracas, where I should be picked up by the dropzone people. Making my AFF in Higuerote and maybe some extra jumps. Then coming back to Cucutan, picking up bike, coming back here to Bucaramanga, picking up stuff and then go for the Paraglide license (that´s also just right here, so why not just do it ;) hehe :) seems, there will be a few weeks flying high!! :D

the ride here was really beautiful! goes up in the mountains and Bucaramanga is just built in the hills (or mountains, referring the temperatures of the shower ;), lying over them as a patchworked blanked.. lots of curves (fun driving, but careful). and other curves that are less dangerous and belong to the Colombianas ;) hehe :) ..you just have to LOVE Colombia!!!
met also a quite high concentration of Swiss people here (why?? coke? ;) and some of them were traveling in groups and appeared almost as Isreali people do.. closed to the rest of the world and speaking some rare, rough language ;)

The people here are really friendly and I got even accompanied by a police force on bikes to get down to the city :D haha :)) was really fun! they advised me rather to stay here in town for the night and I drove down with them.. they had their flashing lights on and were signing cars to slow down or signing the back man when to follow and when not (in the dangerous passing maneuvers they did ;) I wouldn´t have driven that way next to cops if I would not had to follow them ;)
Colombia is a really nice country (enjoying also the fruit juices! :) only toilet seats and shower heads are not developed here ;)

hmm.. now I´m sure I left out a lot, but I´m done for the moment with writing.. most of all what I want to say is: I´M HAVING A BLAST DOWN HERE!!!! :D hahaha :D