That saying ‘can’t wait to get home and have a cuppa’ is no lie.
Be it a freshly brewed cup of tea, catching your favourite tv show or climbing into your own bed, as much as we can’t wait to go away, coming home to our creature comforts is a feeling you truly can not beat.
But for me, there was something else, my comfort was in being able to say ‘I did it. I proved you wrong’

I felt sick, I felt overwhelmed, I felt relieved.
Is it really possible to have so many feelings hit you simultaneously?
The truth is ‘yes’

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.

The expedition's ultimate test would finally begin after leaving the indigenous village and attempting to cross through the most extreme parts of the Darién Gap by foot carrying a 27kg backpack containing a sleeping bag, hammock, video equipment and food.

A dangerous expedition will usually have one key selling point for a daring explorer, whether it’s the natural landscape that provides the challenge, perhaps political turmoil in the area, or deadly wildlife.
Few will have every risky attraction tied to their names, yet The Darién Gap has them all—with a laundry list of challenges you must face passing through this wild, remote region between North and South America.
Drawn to this hostile region was UK explorer Daniel Eggington, who had spent 5-years working towards going on this incredible expedition to cross the Darién Gap by foot. Many would deter Eggington from embarking on this mission, including legendary survivalist Bear Grylls. Still, Eggington was adamant about completing this challenge. He was further driven by the idea of educating people on the infamous region through his first-hand experience.
Still, the question lingers, what makes The Darién Gap so infamously dangerous yet spectacular?

People travelling to hostile regions to cover conflict and humanitarian crises, or to expose corruption and human rights violations, face numerous threats. Not only must they consider logistical issues and medical risks, but increasingly must prepare for the threats of intimidation, harassment and violence. This does not wholly focus on people working within journalism it extends to people who travel within regions defined as hostile.

Moreover, as the lines between journalist and citizen reporter become increasingly blurred with the more widespread adoption of social media and use of smartphones, even those not typically identifying as journalists can find themselves exposed to heightened risks. In particular, governments have resorted to comprehensive surveillance measures and means of intimidation in an attempt to thwart freedom of expression and undermine democracy.

The shared Border of Colombia and Panama the Darien Gap is home to one of the least exploited and most diverse regions in the world. Shareing two oceans to the north and west the pacific and to the east, the Atlantic the area includes two protected parks Panamas Darien National Park in and Los Katios National Park in Colombia. The area is 30 miles wide, from the North Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea, and 54 miles in length, when measuring from the city of Yaviza in Panama in a straight line the region is home to varying landforms, from swamplands on the Colombian side to the mountainous rainforests with its tallest peak, Cerro Tacarcuna (standing at 5,535 ft or 1,845 m), on the Panamanian side. With more than 3 million acres of wilderness, the ecosystem found within is one of the most hotly contested, a political and environmental quagmire.
The region has an abundance of rare plants and wildlife. Besides being home to rare wildlife, the region is also populated by diverse groups of people from the indigenous communities, to the armed groups, which won’t go into in this post.

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.

I board the GM Oliveira in the bustling market city of Manaus, the capital of Brazil’s Amazonas state. On the banks of the Rio Negro, this port-city is right in the heart of the world’s most famous rainforest.

People have lived in Manaus since 1669 and over the course of the last 350 years it’s built a reputation as a cultural, research and industrial hub. It’s home to the Amazon Arena, which hosted matches in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

The city’s zoo and botanical gardens are also popular with tourists, but I want to get closer to the rainforest and the river is the best way.

I sort my ticket for the seven-day trip West to Leticia through a local vendor. If you’re interested in how to get tickets