We had to be ready in the lobby at 9:30. The only thing we had on the agenda was horseback riding. I was unsure of what to expect. We got into a large van and headed Ritoque Expediciones, a company that offer an assortment of horseback riding adventures. After a quick (half an hour maybe?) ride to the ranch, we all unloaded. We were greeted by Maria. On their ranch, they have a lovely and rustic home and take care of three dogs, several cats, pigs, boars, chickens, cows, horses and a donkey. We chatted a little bit and then lined up for start mounting horses to get this adventure rolling. I was one of the first few people to climb up three simple wooden stairs in the middle of the horse pen so that I could climb on a horse. I was not afraid of riding or anything, but standing there, I got sort of uneasy. I stifled all arising fears, and I decided to just go ahead and ride. Then Maria and other cowboys go on their horses and began to give us quick lines of instructions on how to control the horses. Though I still had stray thoughts of danger and "what if," I just focused on trying to make this a smooth experience.
While other people were getting on their horses, I tried to guide mine around the pen. I noticed that mine didn't take instruction too well. Once everyone was on their horse, we headed out for the route. We began descending a dirt road with lots of greenery on either side. Soon, we had to cross a highway. Cool! One of the cowboys stopped traffic and we all crossed. Dozens of meters later, we were at the ocean shore. Yes, we went horseback riding on the beach. It was beautiful and a great experience. The horses tended to walk away from the nearing waves of water, but I was able to get close enough. I figured that this was such an unique opportunity so I took lots of pictures the entire route. My horse had interesting character. It threatened other horses by menacingly bringing his face closer to any other horse that happened to near. A few times, I was scared that they might freak out, but nothing serious happened. It also didn't really respond to me commanding it to gallop; however, it did gallop when other horses galloped near. The route took us through the beach, woods and desert. It was sooooo picturesque so I took many photos thinking about how I can capture the perfect desktop wallpaper or make an inspiring photo. How awesome??
This adventure ended up taking most of the day, and when we got back, the workers had barbequed chicken in the outdoor stone oven& potatoes, hot dogs, beef, chicken, steak and pork waiting on the huge grill to be eaten. We walked to set tables and enjoyed the hot dogs with a salsa made of tomatoes, olive oil, cilantro and onions. THOSE HOT DOGS WERE AMAZING! There was also a table covered with sides: saffron rice, potato salad, Chilean salad (tomatoes, cilantro and white onion) and another dish. It was all soo good. For dessert, I had a little cookie made probably of nutmeg and some really delicious coffee. Mmmmm. Probably, the best meal I've had here. The hospitality and adventure provided by Ritoque made that an unforgettably awesome day.
We said our goodbyes and got back on the bus. Once back to the hotel, we went out to Bravissimo Gelateria down the street. Then we ate it at the beach while sitting upon rocks and gazing at the horizon. Once again, it was amazing, and I am sooo thankful that I got to make this trip and experience these things. After it got darker and we got all of our shore excitment out of the way, we went back to the hotel. Later on, we went out again to celebrate one of our last few nights out. :( It was fun though!
Sooo, I stayed up late again. I figure that I'll just sleep when I get home. Our official catch phrase and reason behind almost everything we do is "You're only in Chile once, right?"
Tomorrow: look forward to the spa and a barbeque.
Good night.
~Briana
2 comments:
The first time we went to a ranch as a kid, I was scared to ride the horses, too. But, after a while, I got used to it and I figured that you don’t need special skills to ride horses. You just need a lot of courage to be able to ride the horse then everything will go smoothly. Now, I always do horseback riding with my kids every summer vacation.
Rodger Ciliberto
We often think that horseback riding is just a recreational activity. But it can be a good exercise too. By doing so, you strengthen some rarely used leg muscles. This can also improve balance and posture. However, owning a horse can be expensive, so it is a good thing that we have ranches that allow the public to ride horses for a reasonable price!
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