Along the Inca Trail : From Goldmines to Landmines

For Karin and her cameraman, newly arrived at altitude and loaded down with more than 140 pounds between them, the early part of the journey proves arduous and not without its bizarre twists. In fact, the expedition begins with a bang - literally - as a Brazilian military helicopter crashes less than a hundred feet from Karin two hours into her trek, leading to a bizarre and humorous first evening on the Inca Road. For Karin, this is only the beginning. Finally she and her cameraman make their way through Ecuador, finishing the first leg of the journey in Nambija, deep in the country's southern rainforest. Once a source of Inca gold, Nambija is a frontier mining town a long way from paradise. Surprisingly, Karin feels genuinely accepted by the people of Nambija, which she begins to see is a town like any other where children play and chores get done. Only here, the hum of mining equipment is like an endless theme song, underscoring the reason families move to Nambija in the first place: hope for a better life.