To get to the lost city in the morning, we first had to wade through yesterday's wide river again - and this time, I remembered to take a picture of it:
After this, about 1200 stone steps waited to be climbed by us until we could see the first terraces of the lost city.
Then, finally, we could explore the lost city, or Tayuna! The city is beautifully done, with stone terraces and cobblestone paths or stairs connecting different parts of the city.
As parts of it are overgrown with moss, it really appears like a lost place. The fact that there was only one other group of tourists there contributed to this feeling - very unlike Machu Picchu, where buses bring hundreds of tourists every day.
Somehow, the city seemed very empty. It must have been populated by many people: goldsmiths, warriors, priests, peasants, etc. - but I couldn't really picture it in my head. In Machu Picchu it had been easy to imagine because there were ruins of stone houses. Here, all that remains are stone terraces - which may have been the foundations for wooden houses, but there were no traces to help the imagination.
Apparently, the Tayrona knew a lot about the surrounding mountains, and also knew how to represent this knowledge in maps. There is one stone thought to represent the entire Sierra Nevada, and this one probably was a map of the immediate surroundings, indicating other settlements:
After about 1850 steps, we arrived at the very top of the city. The views from up there were exceptional:
The big platform you can see in the next picture can be used to land helicopters - for example to take presidents visiting from other countries to the site (according to our guide, this happened recently with Chile's president).
After an abduction of tourists in 2003, there is a permanent military presence at the lost city. Their raised Colombian flag made the guide explain what the flag's colors represent; apparently, it's yellow for the richness of the earth, blue for the two oceans, and red for the blood spilled in the fight for independence. Quite similar to what the colors in Bolivia's flag stand for - I wonder if that is because the same people, most notably Simon Bolivar, were involved in both countries' fight for independence?
After a while, we started our long hike back to civilization. The way down was very slippery, and most of the steps were not made for big European feet. But the humidity that made the stones slippery also provided for these views of gorgeous mossy walls:
The rest of the day's hike was grueling; crossing rivers for two more times led to wet socks which in turn led to blisters and chafed heels. Ouch! Also, I felt strangely weak and couldn't keep up at all - it seems my body didn't like today's lunch, and promptly rejected it before dinner...
After this, about 1200 stone steps waited to be climbed by us until we could see the first terraces of the lost city.
Then, finally, we could explore the lost city, or Tayuna! The city is beautifully done, with stone terraces and cobblestone paths or stairs connecting different parts of the city.
As parts of it are overgrown with moss, it really appears like a lost place. The fact that there was only one other group of tourists there contributed to this feeling - very unlike Machu Picchu, where buses bring hundreds of tourists every day.
Somehow, the city seemed very empty. It must have been populated by many people: goldsmiths, warriors, priests, peasants, etc. - but I couldn't really picture it in my head. In Machu Picchu it had been easy to imagine because there were ruins of stone houses. Here, all that remains are stone terraces - which may have been the foundations for wooden houses, but there were no traces to help the imagination.
Apparently, the Tayrona knew a lot about the surrounding mountains, and also knew how to represent this knowledge in maps. There is one stone thought to represent the entire Sierra Nevada, and this one probably was a map of the immediate surroundings, indicating other settlements:
After about 1850 steps, we arrived at the very top of the city. The views from up there were exceptional:
The big platform you can see in the next picture can be used to land helicopters - for example to take presidents visiting from other countries to the site (according to our guide, this happened recently with Chile's president).
After an abduction of tourists in 2003, there is a permanent military presence at the lost city. Their raised Colombian flag made the guide explain what the flag's colors represent; apparently, it's yellow for the richness of the earth, blue for the two oceans, and red for the blood spilled in the fight for independence. Quite similar to what the colors in Bolivia's flag stand for - I wonder if that is because the same people, most notably Simon Bolivar, were involved in both countries' fight for independence?
After a while, we started our long hike back to civilization. The way down was very slippery, and most of the steps were not made for big European feet. But the humidity that made the stones slippery also provided for these views of gorgeous mossy walls:
The rest of the day's hike was grueling; crossing rivers for two more times led to wet socks which in turn led to blisters and chafed heels. Ouch! Also, I felt strangely weak and couldn't keep up at all - it seems my body didn't like today's lunch, and promptly rejected it before dinner...
