I came out unscathed from the deadfall, although I witnessed it happening only 10 metres away from me, so it was difficult to get any peaceful rest. Also, I took the time to assess the damage and found that skin was torn from my shoulders and hips, and my toenails were ripped out—the exposed nerve endings kept surging me with pain—especially when I was back on the move.
Whilst following the river, I started to feel lost, and no sight of any communities or people as my guide promised — I was not meant to take on this part of the journey alone.

I began to have muscle spasms in my legs to the point it became debilitating, where I had to just take a seat and sit with my anxious thoughts. My chest was also in pain and I believed I might have picked up some disease from the insects.

The guide and I had covered 15 miles of walking on our first day on foot in the Darién Gap. Still, we hoped to have covered more ground that day to reduce as much time spent in this hostile jungle as possible. The longer you stay, the faster you begin to break down, as though the wild slowly digests you.
We were no longer on fresh legs as we had been on day one. Now it all depended on willpower to push through on day two, where we made it into the most remote, mountainous and central region of the jungle between the start and end of this journey.

I'm about to head onto my next expedition, and this time I'm venturing into Colombia. Colombia itself is a country rich in culture, diversity, and history, but there are still many areas of the area that haven't been fully explored, and as you may already know, I make it my mission and passion to get into the areas that are less traveled by. Even in a country like Colombia, it can have vast differences, depending on which areas you're going to be in.

As I prepare for my next trip to Colombia, I can’t help but think of the last time I visited the frontier town of Jurado in Colombia, close to the Panama border. It was June 2021, and I had visited the small town to begin building a network that would assist me in my plan for an expedition to cross the Darien Gap. I knew that if I was ever going to be successful, I needed a base of operation where I could reliably call upon contacts to help.
It had taken a long time to reach the town, firstly in a small 6-seater aeroplane that nearly rattled the teeth out of my head, and then two small boats, known locally as Lanchas. It was hot and humid, with temperatures often exceeding 30 degrees.
I found myself in a local bar and struck up a conversation with a man I recognised from the boat that had finally brought me into Jurado. He regaled me with tales of his career as a captain of one of the two boats that ply the pacific coast from Bahia Solano. While he did tell me his name, I will not divulge it here for security reasons. Having visited and written about my trips to Colombia on several occasions, I have a Colombian readership. I will not put anyone at risk by naming names for reasons I’m about to explain.

Making new friends and acquaintances on the road is one of my favourite things about being a solo traveller. I have not only explored all corners of the globe and travelled in the most unconventional ways, to the most amazing places, I’ve also met some of the nicest, kindest people out there. Travelling is not just about how many countries you visit, or how long you spend on a trip, it’s about the people you meet on the way.

It is now 40 days until I set off on my 50 mile expedition of the Darien Gap and I wanted to share my feelings as the trip draws closer.
Dangers I will face my preparation I have taken part in.