Monday, 24 May, Lost City Trek, Day 5

I’m over my mini-meltdown--after wallowing for a couple of hours at rock-bottom, the last two days have been way better. My clothes were all soaked of course, but in the rational light of day I realized that I’d only have had dry clothes for about ten minutes a day anyway before getting caught in some sort of rainstorm. The important part is that yesterday we got to the ruins!

I won’t write too much about Cuidad Perdida. I’ll just say that I felt like Indiana Jones, crossing a river at four different places to get to a narrow, moss-covered stairway leading up into the jungle and finding, upon climbing those stairs, the foundations of a whole city with citadels, houses, a rich side and a poor side, a marketplace, the shaman’s house....













This is the Fountain of Youth. Omar told us that this ancient city was once a bustling and famous spot: people would come here and swim in the fountain’s rejuvenating waters, and see a shaman who could cure illnesses. When the shaman died, though, a new one was assigned his place. He didn’t know all the remedies yet, so the sick began dying. Rumor spread that the city had been cursed, so rather than die, the residents all evacuated and went to live elsewhere.