Today, seven hours of strenuous hiking took us right up to the base of the mountain on which the lost city is built.
In the course of the day, I learned an important lesson: if I don't get snacks in regular intervals during a hike, I get really, really grumpy. According to the agency, this hike was supposed to include everything, even snacks, so I didn't bring my own. Unfortunately, it turned out that their idea of a snack was watermelon - which gives you just about zero calories. So, in the evening, I stole some small sugar packages from the dinner table to prepare for day three... not the best kind of snack, but at least there is some energy in it!
My bad mood got to the point that I didn't even see the point in hiking anymore - especially because nobody had bothered to build ANY bridges on this trail. So for each and every stream we had to cross we first had to climb down to the stream, cross, and then climb up again. And then, in the afternoon, we came to a wide river. The guide said, "ok, this is where we cross the river." I looked around, but there was neither bridge nor boat in sight - he actually meant for us to wade through! The water went well up my thighs - of course I was wearing long pants - and the current nearly threw me off balance. I guess I'm lucky I didn't have to see the face I was making at the end of the day! ;-)
Throughout the hike, we saw the occasional farm, and they all had cows (among other stuff). However, in my European eyes these cows looked slightly wrong, like they had too much skin in some places - must be a different race:
We also passed two indigenous villages of the Kogui and Wiwa tribes. Their villages looked like they were taken straight out of a stone age museum: round clay huts with straw roofs, simply dressed villagers going about their business, and naked children running around playing.
Our guide had warned us that we should ask for permission before taking pictures of people. But when I witnessed the following scene, I decided to refrain from photographing people at all. Someone in my group approached an indigenous mum and her child, gave them a small packet of cookies, and then asked for permission to take pictures. She could hardly refuse at this point, having already taken the cookies. But she felt visibly uncomfortable being photographed. So I decided not to partake in this scheme of bribery and pressuring people into things they don't want.
Another incident I didn't feel too good about was when someone gave cookies to a group of children - and they actually fought over the cookies! I wonder what they learn about the world when every day they see these strange white people handing them cookies...
Landscape-wise, today was pretty similar to yesterday: jungle as far as the eye can see. To illustrate my point about extreme humidity, look at this tree:
Yes, it does have a ton of other plants attached to it, and they survive purely on humid air and water trickling down the stem. The humidity actually goes to an extent where it doesn't even make a difference if it's raining or not. Add to that the fact that there is next to no wind - and thus no relief from the heat, - tons of mosquitos, and the constant feeling of being grossly sticky because of the sweat-repellent-sunscreen mixture. In the future, I'll think twice about hiking in the jungle! There is enough to see outside of it.
In the course of the day, I learned an important lesson: if I don't get snacks in regular intervals during a hike, I get really, really grumpy. According to the agency, this hike was supposed to include everything, even snacks, so I didn't bring my own. Unfortunately, it turned out that their idea of a snack was watermelon - which gives you just about zero calories. So, in the evening, I stole some small sugar packages from the dinner table to prepare for day three... not the best kind of snack, but at least there is some energy in it!
My bad mood got to the point that I didn't even see the point in hiking anymore - especially because nobody had bothered to build ANY bridges on this trail. So for each and every stream we had to cross we first had to climb down to the stream, cross, and then climb up again. And then, in the afternoon, we came to a wide river. The guide said, "ok, this is where we cross the river." I looked around, but there was neither bridge nor boat in sight - he actually meant for us to wade through! The water went well up my thighs - of course I was wearing long pants - and the current nearly threw me off balance. I guess I'm lucky I didn't have to see the face I was making at the end of the day! ;-)
Throughout the hike, we saw the occasional farm, and they all had cows (among other stuff). However, in my European eyes these cows looked slightly wrong, like they had too much skin in some places - must be a different race:
We also passed two indigenous villages of the Kogui and Wiwa tribes. Their villages looked like they were taken straight out of a stone age museum: round clay huts with straw roofs, simply dressed villagers going about their business, and naked children running around playing.
Our guide had warned us that we should ask for permission before taking pictures of people. But when I witnessed the following scene, I decided to refrain from photographing people at all. Someone in my group approached an indigenous mum and her child, gave them a small packet of cookies, and then asked for permission to take pictures. She could hardly refuse at this point, having already taken the cookies. But she felt visibly uncomfortable being photographed. So I decided not to partake in this scheme of bribery and pressuring people into things they don't want.
Another incident I didn't feel too good about was when someone gave cookies to a group of children - and they actually fought over the cookies! I wonder what they learn about the world when every day they see these strange white people handing them cookies...
Landscape-wise, today was pretty similar to yesterday: jungle as far as the eye can see. To illustrate my point about extreme humidity, look at this tree:
Yes, it does have a ton of other plants attached to it, and they survive purely on humid air and water trickling down the stem. The humidity actually goes to an extent where it doesn't even make a difference if it's raining or not. Add to that the fact that there is next to no wind - and thus no relief from the heat, - tons of mosquitos, and the constant feeling of being grossly sticky because of the sweat-repellent-sunscreen mixture. In the future, I'll think twice about hiking in the jungle! There is enough to see outside of it.
