Today, the final decision to return was made. There's a touch of relief and a touch of quiet regret-as if closing the door to a place that had already become home, if only for a moment. At this archaeological site, we've already explored everything that could be discovered by human hands and patience. Layer by layer, trace by trace-nothing was left unturned.

Each new place we explored was like a new, eagerly torn present under the Christmas tree. That moment of hesitation just before the unveiling, and then the joy of discovery-not always spectacular, sometimes quiet and intimate, but always real. The earth was generous. History was generous.

For our sponsor, we found a wealth of wonderful artifacts. Fragments of everyday life, traces of beliefs, tools that once held meaning in someone's hands. A vast history encapsulated in objects that are silent, yet speak louder than a thousand words.

As an archaeologist, I have great hope that all of this will be treated well-with the respect due to something that has survived for centuries only to now see the light of day again. Yet, knowing how much our sponsor invests in these treasures, I have solid reason to believe they will be taken seriously. Not as trophies, but as a responsibility.

We pack up our gear. The earth will be left behind-quiet, closed, but not forgotten. We return enriched. And not only in artifacts.

The journey back is marked by the weight of what we’ve left behind. Some tools, some fragments of the site remain here, guarded by the jungle. Our guides will return when the conditions are right. The site is not abandoned; it is paused, waiting for the next hands to pick up where we left off.

The journal describes the following days of the trek, which proceeds slightly slower than the first. The additional burden of documents and some of the finds makes the journey more exhausting. My cousin pays attention to the details of nature: new species of animals and plants. Conversations with the guides emphasize their deep knowledge of the area and convey the emotion that this place is not just an object of research but also a part of their history and culture, although they seem distant from their heritage.

The reflections on the meaning of the archaeologist's work are quite clear: not only discovery, but also the responsibility for preserving the finds and their context. As the group stands before the river to cross it again, he wonders whether this journey is just the end or the beginning of a new phase-both for the team and for the place they are leaving behind.