Open publication - Free publishing - More fashion
Location: Northern Coast, Colombia & San Blas Islands, Panama (Mar, 2012)
For now, Yibbida Yibbida - that’s all folks!
Location: Ciudad Perdida, Colombia. (Mar, 2012)
Location: “Death Road”, between La Paz & Coroico, Bolivia. (Dec, 2011)
Here’s something a bit different. Combining the old (film) with the new (photoshop) to create a pretty interesting collection of images. Enjoy!
Parque Tayrona, Colombia.
Jujuy Province, Argentina.
Montana de los Siete Colores, Argentina.
Machu Picchu, Peru.
Cusco, Peru.
Altiplano, Bolivia.
Banos, Ecuador.
Dog Island, San Blas, Panama.
Huacachina Oasis, Peru.
Location: Pampas, Amazon Jungle, Bolivia. (Dec, 2011)
Location: Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia. (Dec, 2011)
Location: Iguazu Falls & Pumamarca, Argentina. (Dec, 2011)
Once a small fishing village, Taganga’s recent history mirrors many other localities throughout coastal South America with a greater tourist presence causing locals to turn their attention to providing for the onslaught of temporary residents. Not much more needed to be said about this small town in the north of Colombia, a short cab from Santa Marta and a slightly longer bus ride into Tayrona National Park. It’s possibly one of the cheapest and easiest places going around to acquire a dive ticket, and if you are into idyllic palm tree laden beaches and beautiful (if not eerily nebulous) sunsets, well.. this just might be the place for you. The real fun came when we trekked into nearly Tayrona to check out the lush rainforest and pristine beaches with a couple of friendly Aussie girls; sadly for you the camera went flat half an hour in so you will have to wait a while for the film edition. Check out these photos in the meantime!
Next stop: Panama.. following a 5 day sailing adventure through the San Blas.
I feel a bit guilty about only just recently stumbling across this series..
When mentioning future plans to travel through Colombia, one is often met with responses that centre around staying safe and avoiding danger. Although Colombia does have a turbid history and a complex present condition including conflict between the military, left-wing guerillas and right-wing paramilitary; this is a stigma that most Colombians are trying hard to throw. The result of this are some of the most genuinely friendly folk in all of South America.
Now for a bit of history. On the north-eastern coast of Colombia lies a region where the jungle meets the caribbean sea to create astonishing scenery and an abundance of nature. Here, after withholding a peaceful existence for several thousand years, the native people attempted to fight off the Spanish conquest, but were forced to flee into the mountains. They forged four new societies with closely relating beliefs; three of which remain intact today in a manner unaffected by modern cultural intrusion. One of the major cultural hubs for these native people was discovered by marauders just thirty-five years ago. The indigenous people maintain that they were aware of the ancient city’s existence however feared that if discovered it may draw unwanted attention. This city goes by a number of names; local Colombians call it Ciudad Perdida or The Lost City, whilst the native people call Teyona.
The Tairona people, who were experts in crafting the finest gold jewellery, are said to have built the city around 800AD. It was likely to have been a cultural hub for many other surrounding villages but was abandoned at the arrival of the Spanish in the early 1500’s. Local tour guides began taking small groups of travelers on treks into the city, until in 2003 a group of 8 were kidnapped and held hostage for three months by a local Guerrilla organisation known as the ELN. Shortly after, tours started back up again and have continued with heavy military protection ever since; current dangers are more likely to come from an army of ticks and mosquitos than guerrillas.
We recently took the 5 day trek into the Lost City with two girls from the south of the Netherlands (one of which wore denim overalls the whole time), a German dude, a local guide and a local cook. Luckily we were able to follow the cook as he shot through the jungle with jaguar like agility. Whilst a couple of other groups waited on elderly group members to negotiate the plethora of slippery rocky sections, river crossings and steep ascents over muddy paths, we did our best to follow the Colombian jungle phantom cook as he darted down steep stone laden paths (that I would prefer to describe as controlled falling) and dense jungly terrain only stopping to prepare a fruity snack for the group, to point out a large Boa constrictor or to point off to the side of the trail and recount a time when he and his amigos had a near miss with a jaguar collecting bananas.
I would have to say that the five days in the jungle were some of the best that we have had over the last 3 and a bit months and that the Ciuadad Perdida trek is a must do for anyone seeking adventure in the north of Colombia.
Here is an article about the native people of the Sierra Nevada written by a professional writer in a manner much more compelling than I can currently muster.
The jungle was not lacking in the fog category.
