Tubing Down the Don Diego

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Awoke to bright blue skies. Maybe things were looking up. We both calmed down some after the initial trauma of our storm damage. In retrospect, other than all the hassle of dealing with everything long distance, it would have been extremely traumatic had we actually been home. Hearing your house being torn up can’t be a pleasant experience. So for now, we will do what we can and move on.

Chris was on time and we were on the road to Taironaka Park, which was reconstructed in the 90's. We boated up river to a very nice restaurant and museum site.  A few Hollywood films have been shot here and some of their props are still on the grounds. Toured the small museum after which we enter the hut of the shaman of the Kogi people. Chris gave a very in depth talk, with books and pictures, about the history of the three tribes and also about the Lost City.

Ciudad Perdida (Lost City) was discovered in 1972, when a group of local treasure looters found a series of stone steps rising up the mountainside and followed them to an abandoned city which they named "Green Hell" or "Wide Set". When gold figurines and ceramic urns from this city began to appear in the local black market, archaeologists headed by the director of the Instituto Colombiano de Antropologia reached the site in 1976 and completed reconstruction between 1976-1982.

Members of local tribes—the Arhuaco, the Koguis and the Wiwas—have stated that they visited the site regularly before it was widely discovered, but had kept quiet about it. They call the city Teyuna and believe it was the heart of a network of villages inhabited by their forebears, the Tairona. Ciudad Perdida was probably the region's political and manufacturing center on the Buritaca River and may have housed 2,000 to 8,000 people. It was apparently abandoned during the Spanish conquest.

Ciudad Perdida consists of a series of 169 terraces carved into the mountainside, a net of tiled roads and several small circular plazas. The entrance can only be accessed by a climb up some 1,200 stone steps through dense jungle

The shaman blessed us and did the traditional tying string around our wrists. Said our

goodbyes, after giving the shaman a significant tip. Apparently, he wasn’t satisfied with the tip Chris gave him and began haggling for more. Reminds me of a few rabbis I know. These blessings come at a price! Left the hut and took a walk up and down the gardens back to restaurant. Ordered lunch for when we return from tubing. Time to tube! Another hike through the woods and we were at the Don Diego River. 

Absolutely beautiful. Much calmer than San Cipriano. No need for life jackets. Floated peacefully down river. Eventually returning to the restaurant. Ate a fabulous lunch and then it was back in the tube to go see the howling monkeys. I gave Chris the camera hoping he would take better pictures because he has better eyes. Maybe he has better eyes but not much common sense. The next thing I know he is trying to take our picture going down a small rapid – not paying attention, he wound up in the branches and tipped over. He got banged up a bit and the tube and the camera went

floating down the river. Thankfully, the camera had a float strap. Our tube guide took off like a shot and retrieved both the tube and the camera. Chris’ hat, however, was gone for good. Geoff took over the photography after that episode. We did see some monkeys high up in the trees.

Got back on land and headed back to Tayrona Park where we are staying for the next couple of days. There was a bit of a hassle getting into the park – they wanted another fee. We finally got that straightened out, only to be stopped when we got to the gate. Finally we were allowed to pass. On we went to our little hut. The Ecohabs are beautiful 2 level huts overlooking the ocean. Of course, the wifi sucks -- have to go all the way down to reception to get a signal. Other than that, it is peaceful and lovely with hot water even! We had a wonderful day – one that we deserve after the stress of yesterday.

Dinner here is a bit more upscale than we have been used to lately. No more camp style – pass the potatoes-dining. These table are set with an abundance of dishes, silverware, and glasses galore. The couple next to us struck up a conversation just as we finished dinner. They are from Toronto and had a few Colombian travel stories to share, as we did.

Tomorrow we have nothing scheduled and plan to do nothing. Well, probably take a hike down to the beach out front and see what that is all about.

Next time… Sand and sea