After another good night’s sleep we went down to another delicious breakfast: eggs (the best fried eggs Erik says he’s ever had), homemade bread, ham, coffee/tea, fruit and fresh juice. We all filled up because after checking out we had scheduled a 4 hour horseback riding tour. I know what you’re thinking but 4 seemed reasonable seeing as they offered 3 day tours. But then again, I’ve never been on a horse.
We got there a little before 10 and they suited us up with big rubber boots and cowboy hats. Boy did we look legit…or not.
Apparently, larger size feet are a problem and I thought my yellow boots looked ridiculous until I saw Shawn’s white ones. The guide seemed a little stressed that Erik had shorts on – we all found it entertaining. We all mounted up – Erik got the feisty one that didn’t want to put on the bridle but seemed to settle down.
They are really well-trained horses; the only thing is when one starts running they all follow suit and some like to be out in front (not mine thankfully-he had to stop every 10 feet to eat grass). But I have to say when they start running it’s a rush and terrifying all at the same time. We headed out of town to go up the surrounding mountains. 4 MINUTES into the trip Erik was seriously questioning the decision of 4 hours but it was too late.
We got out of town, crossed a river and started heading up. The path was rocky and narrow but when it opened up and you could see the view, any pain quickly dissolved. It was spectacular!
We followed along the edge of the mountain (sometimes literally the edge) and crossed little streams until we reached our destination. We “parked” the horses and headed down the mountain (80 meters) to a waterfall. As soon as I “stumbled” off my horse with a little help I realized I could not walk normally and I was a little worried about the trip back.
The boys brought there suits and were undeterred by the water’s frigid temp. Erik compared it to when he jumped into Crater Lake-he could barely breathe.
I did notice beautiful blue sky being replaced by clouds and when the guide, Angel, said we better get going back I figured he had good reason.
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| Our guide, Angel - looks a bit more like a real cowboy |
I felt like as we started the very steep climb back up it was a race against time….and we were losing. By the time we were up and back on the horses it had started to sprinkle….and I was SORE (already!). I could only imagine after 2 more hours. We headed back and the sprinkle turned to a heavy rain at times. We got soaked. And the path got even muddier and a little scary at times when the horses had to go down the muddy, rocky, steep declines. Ryan was behind Erik and said he could see his horse slipping and sliding at times. But fortunately, they are strong animals and used to this trip. By the time we got back to the edge of town and on a hard surface, Erik and I had mixed emotions. He was pretty sore and I had to pee. Shawn, Zully & Angel were ahead so our horses wanted to run but neither Erik nor I could endure that. We finally made it back, safe and sound….and SOAKED. But it was all worth it. We both think it was one of the best things we have ever done. Vale la pena….but check back tomorrow.
We changed into dry clothes, said goodbye to Angel & Vilcabamba and headed back. We made a quick stop in Loja for a bite to eat and some groceries and we were back home by 6:30. Man, were we tired & sore. I can’t imagine what we’ll feel like tomorrow. We went to bed early and were sure we’d be sleeping like babies in no time……babies with. chafing thighs and a sore backside.
P.S. - We took hundreds of pics during this ride so for those of you who want to see more you can go to the album on Shutterfly. The address is: dailylifeinecuador.shutterfly.com and then you click on pictures and videos. I'm working on getting the videos uploaded still.
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