The Only Risk Is Wanting to Stay

So goes the slogan of the recent Colombian PR campaign to try and shed their former image. Here is the owner of the hostel that I was staying at in San Gil doing his government PR ad. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFAtU8tJqqI
As you may have read yesterday, my total blog about my 3 day hike was lost--most likely because of carelessness in my tired state, but I would officially like to blame it on the computer. Just like my school days when something was lost, I just cannot bear to retype it and so I will give you the details in an abbreviated and bland way. I´m sorry.

Hostel owner: "I know a 3 day hike near here that is good to do, but there is no map and nothing is marked"
Me: "Great, sounds like something I should do by myself"
HO: "you can speak fluent spanish right?"
Me: "well......"

Day One: (may be good to follow on Google Earth--not sure if all towns are on there)
Start in town of Barichara at the beginning of Camino Real (4oo year old indigenous path)
Meet farmer Florentino who says he will go out of his way walking home to "guide" me on the path to the next town 2 hours away for somewhere around $0.60. Great. He has alot to say, I understand very little except that he is setting an record pace in his soleless shoes and I am dragging ass in my Merrells.
Arrive in town of Guane. Beautiful and calm. Talk to some Colombian tourists there who are seeing parts of their own country for the first time due to past unrest.
Florentine wants to guide me to the next two towns the following day (8 hour hike) as he and the other locals think that I will not make it in one day (they are right). I decline.
Wake up and start towards Villanueva, which should take me 3 hours. It takes 5 due to no signage and no locals to ask for directions. Cursing myself. Its very hot and I make the call to spend the night in Villanueva and depart for Jordan early the next day. In leiu of what happened earlier that day, I spend the night questioning about 30 locals regarding the direction of Jordan. Responses all contradict and approximate walking time estimates vary from 2 hours to 6. I plan on 6.
Depart early. The early part is through the countryside and I interrogate the 30 locals I encounter to confirm I am actually heading in the right direction. 15 of them look like the farmer on the Maxwell House coffee can (or whatever brand it is). After 3 hours I am atop a canyon and can see the destination town at the bottom. I am hopeful. Amazing view.
The next 2 hours down are rough. Finally at the bottom of the canyon, path disappears into a stream and dense forest where I totally lose my bearing. I half-panicking stumble around in it until I finally emerge right in front of farm house where the family outside is wondering what in the hell has just come out of the trees. They are nice and eagerly tell me what direction to head.
Arrive in Jordan, ghost town with lots of buildings, no vehicles and only about 30 people. Find the only house with a door open, ask to pay for lunch and find the logistics of getting out of there. None. But the house owner has a dirtbike and will take me out for a hefty fee. Great. Spend next hour riding on the back of his bike up the canyon. Think Motorcycle Diaries except the guy on the back is hugging the sh#t out of the man in front trying to stay on. He drops me off at the highway and I flag a bus to San Gil. Type blog and it is lost. Punch computer and swear off technology. Say sorry to computer and to the owner of the internet cafe and promise to leave quickly.
Take overnight bus to Cartegna. Its hot here.

BQ