Caverns and Sarcopho-guys!

by Jenny · Published June 8, 2011 · Updated February 28, 2014

Hmmm… I thought looking down at my rainboots uneasily. I was about to spend the next couple of hours scrambling over slippery wet rocks in a dark cave system wearing rain boots a size too big for me. Anyone who knows me, knows that rain boots + wet rocks + me = bad combination.
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For reference see photos of me laid up on my Aunt and Uncle’s couch for a month in Australia due to a broken tailbone!

Well, I love caves, so I pushed onwards concentrating hard on positive thoughts of seeing bats and old bones, and keeping all of my bones in one piece.

We were starting our day with exploring the Quiocta caverns of the Chachapoyas region, filled with impressive stalagmites, stalagtites and human remains. Also the ceiling of the caves were sparkly, like the underground part of the Labyrnth!
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We would then end our day seeing the remarably well-preserved karajia sacrophogi. Chock full of the mummified remains of important leaders of the Chachapoyan culture, complete with human skulls resting on top of them.
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It may not sound like a very cheery day, but as it turns all these old bones are set in lush amazing scenery, and are awesome. Also it’s fun to play with flashlights in caves.
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We felt like quite the adventurers. Which is appropriate because, as it turns out, the temple in the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark is supposed to be a Chachapoyan temple.

Bonus! This was surprisingly similar to how our day went, actually.

Jenny

I think of California as officially "home" but can usually be found a lot closer to the equatorial belt. After finishing a Masters program in 2011 I found myself trying to decide between a couple of different high-powered career options. I decided I wasn't quite ready to "grow up" and went with an entirely different plan which involved selling off everything I owned with my partner Tom and buying a one-way ticket to Colombia. Our plan was to travel "Till The Money Ran Out" and then go home to start our grown-up lives. Instead, we started our own app development company on the road and have been criss-crossing the globe, traveling, working, eating spicy food and refusing to "grow up" ever since. You can find me on Twitter, Google+, Facebook or send me a message using our About Us page.