May 23, 2001
Location - Huariconca, Bolivia

There's excitement all around us! The outer walls of what may be the lost city have been sighted.

After a week of extremely hard work scrambling up the unrelenting mountain, the advance team of archaeologists has discovered what appears to be an Inca fortress that is believed to form the outer defence of the city.

Early on the morning of 22 May, Aberdeen archaeologist Bruce Mann suddenly discovered the stone-walls on a ridge. He almost missed them, as they were completely covered in dense vegetation. However his Indian guide Angel, who is more accustomed to spotting the secrets of the rainforests, quickly noticed them. During a rapid study Bruce found the walls made up an almost square building 16m x 15m. The walls are 1.2m high and 40cm thick. Another structure was located 200m further south, but has yet to be examined. However, the team is pressing forward to where they believe the main site of the city lies. They hope to arrive at the site before nightfall.

Having originally been hampered by late rains, it is now ironic that we are presently experiencing a water shortage on the ridges as the streams and springs are drying up. An aerial ropeway is being used to ferry stores across the Rio Merke, but expedition members are unable to cross the river in such relative comfort. Instead they are making a daring 'Indiana Jones' style crossing, pulling themselves above the torrent of swirling water on a fixed rope.

Unfortunately the Rio Merke is at the bottom of a 1000-foot deep gorge, too far below to provide a supply of water for the parties moving along the ridge paths. Bees continue to plague the explorers. WO2 Craig Halford has over 50 stings!

As the ground beyond 'Smiths Camp' is too steep for mules, native Indian porters are being recruited to carry forward rations from that point onwards. However, Capt. Katie Gledhill's mules and packhorses continue to bring supplies up from Quilapituni to Huariconca (Advanced Base) and down to Smiths Camp. Attempts to find an alternative route for the pack animals to get to the site have failed.

Yesterday Paul Overton took a group to Inca Pampa, a razor back ridge where a small swamp usually provides muddy water. However, all they could extract from the rapidly drying morass was just one litre of water. Thus, there is now only one way forward, which is the Huariconca - Smiths Camp route with its extremely steep slopes.

We are now moving our base to the one source of water we have found between Smiths Camp and the lost city site. This is the wallow mentioned in a previous report, a regular haunt of the peccary - a type of vicious wild pig. Necessity forces us to share with strange drinking mates! We sincerely hope that they are as accommodating! This wallow will continue to be our base during the forthcoming advance to the "lost city" site.

Col JBS is planning to start the deployment of experts and others to the site on Friday 25th May. Meanwhile Lt. Col. Ernie Durey is buying noodles and other lightweight food and high-energy supplements in Guanay. These are being driven over appalling roads to Quilapituni.