The trek to Kuelap pt.2

Day 2 - we get up and set off across the hills around the river. My knee had been gradually getting worse throughout the first day and now starts to worsen. We trek across land and into the cloudforest walking along pre-columbian paths made from rough, pointy and slippery ancient stones. I end up walking with a knee support and a stick like an old man... We climb and are able to scramble into covered areas of the jungle to see unexcavated stone constructions hidden away on the hillsides! The ancient stones are covered in moss and climbing around them is about as close as being Indiana Jones as you'll ever get. We descend down a torturous path towards a tiny village where we can eat & sleep.

The next day we continue on horses, which turns out to be one of the most nerve-wracking experiences in a while! The path we take is up and across the mountains across roads that have been used for so long that the hoofs of the horses have, over the years, gouged the track into giant ruts. These ruts are full of rain water and mud. Our horses are knee deep and struggle over the hurdles, sliding and scrambling up and down steep banks, while we are battered with thorny bushes. the occassional shout of "cap!" indicates that someones lost a hat to the trees.

We pause on the hillside and eat lunch before continuing, occassionally disembarking so the horses can tackle the trickier parts without extra weight and we follow, jumping from mudd lump to slippy rocky after them, pulling ourselves up steep banks with our hands. We visit more hidden jungle ruins and eventually arrive at our next lodge where we are promised a beer and a hot shower... we get neither...