Not really fully appreciating the presence of old carvings in large pieces of rock, the more cultural part of this journey is still ahead. Traveling across the south of Colombia, being mysteriously robbed for my shoes the next pile of rock is ahead of me, in the town of San Agustin.

San Agustin is more or less just statues. They are everywhere - like parasites. Calling for you from far away and making you hike for hours across dirty tracks and green fields. One of the most attractive things about these statues, are the condition of them. With the appearance of almost new and still surrounded by the smell of freshly manufactured piece of rock, I must admit that most of the statues were in mint condition. But when 50-80 statues are positioned within an area of 4-5 football fields, the scenery gets a bit boring after statue number 17. Driving me forward, is the knowledge of my ability to say "I saw them all. I did that" rather than the fascination of the actual statues. No guide were there to guide me, mainly because I refused to pay for one, and when no information is given on any statue, it felt like strolling through the streets of Copenhagen a nice summer afternoon. The apparent difference, was the ridiculously old statues.

As in Tierradentro, there was one site that gave me a chilling experience. Situated on a sloping ridge, the drama of the valley below was breathtaking. Gazing over to the other side of the valley, slightly below our altitude, waterfalls poured cold and fresh water into the biggest river of Colombia: Rio Magdalena. Running through one of the many valleys of the Andes, the power of the river was almost invisible to us, standing high above it. Arriving at this place, I again understood why they might have placed the collection of statues right here. Not even knowing what the statues were symbolizing or what their significance used to be, I spent the first 30 minutes overlooking them, just admiring the peace, the sight and the freshness of the nature.

In a flash, I realized that many people don’t even notice the nature. My company for the day, 4 girls of different age, origin and interest, almost jumped the statues and took pictures as their primary action. They enjoyed the sight and scenery as their last action and they are off course entitled to do whatever they like. To me, it was just an expression of a thought that never emerged from the back of my head. Some people don’t even notice the nature. As I travel, I meet people who just seeks the cities and the familiar setting of massive buildings. My understanding of this is actually very low, as the nature to me, is way more attractive. I grew up with it surrounding me 24 hours a day. I grew up playing in it and with it. I grew up with the almost mandatory Sunday trips up to the mountains close to our house. I grew up enjoying it - more or less voluntarily. As it might have been a bloody nuisance while it lasted, I could now clearly see what the effect of this imprint has been. The more time I am away from the nature, the more it draws me to it and this is one of the reasons I wanted to go to South America. The nature, the animals, the mountains, the colors and the stupidly vastness of it is more than a reward for visiting this exiting continent.

As I was flying high above the valley floor, the soft winds supplied crisp and fresh air to my nose, mouth and lungs. Trying for a split second to imagine how this masterpiece of a setting was discovered, chosen, constructed and enjoyed proved to be a task harder than I thought. The quiet sound of the birds, the muffled roaring of the river and the sizzling sound of the grass around us made a strong statement. Maybe this place is just meant for silent pleasure. Maybe I don’t have to feel or think certain thoughts while being here. I don’t have to portrait the site better or worse than it was - to me. To me - the site gave me visions and thoughts. I didn’t really notice the statues.

As I was given wings to fly and circle this location, the past times gave me a glimpse of its reason. I felt at ease, I felt quiet, I felt tranquil and I felt a connection with the past. This is peace and this is a re-energizing drug. Sniffing the last lungful of prehistoric drug - the hard return was waiting ahead.