November 14, 2007
Day 777
Aiana and I wanted to check out the more remote areas of the Valle de Cocora, so we went on long uphill walk today. The path was muddy from the horses digging up the soil, but it went through some amazing cloud forest deep into the Colombian wilderness. The walk finished at Finca del Bosque, which was an old cabin with a great view of the forest in the valley below, but the thick fog blocked the lookout for all but a few minutes.
We hiked back down, packed everything up, and barely caught the last truck of the day going back to Salento. The vehicle was a classic jeep with seating for maybe five passengers, but I counted fourteen adults (along with a few children on their moms' laps) including Aiana and myself. I was standing on the back bumper and holding onto the roof along with four other guys. As we were driving, a guy haled the vehicle, and I didn't think it was possible to fit anyone else on board, but they always find a way in South America. As I was standing there wondering where the guy could possibly fit, I saw a new hand grab the roof just to the left of me, followed by the same thing on my right side. The guy rode all the way to Salento straddling the bumper behind me. It was a humiliating experience.
