Well, it’s been another amazing day on Isla! I went riding for the second time and our one hour ride turned into TWO! Wow! We were taken all over Isla to the point that most of us were completely lost. Remember, Isla is not actually an island and there is a lot of ground to cover!
We started on the beach.
Heading onto the beach for the first part of the ride. We did lots of cantering!
Love low tide on the beach.
What a great surface for a canter!
As if any reminders were needed that I have the best life ever. 😀
And then we headed inland.
Heading into the coconut grove.
We saw several coati (téjón). Our guide was adamant that they are not raccoons and I look forward to telling him next week that they are in the same family as raccoons. 🙂
Fields of squash.
And then our ride turned into a safari. I wasn’t very quick with the camera, unfortunately.
We passed a turtle.
Mrs. (?) Turtle posed for a picture.
I saw cranes and FLAMINGOS here!
I saw where mangoes come from!
Heading into the mango grove.
It felt like a whole other world in there!
The mangoes are just starting to come in.
We did some literal bushwhacking:
Heading into the bush. Our guide was ahead hacking a path with a machete!
These cacti looked like an alien creature.
We came to a part of Isla that was once used for playing baseball.
We emerged on a flood plain.
The remains of a horse.
More of the alien cacti.
Coconut graveyard.
We passed a people graveyard.
The old cemetery.
And came to a new graveyard. I was riding in the back and the guide yelled out “Chica that speakay Spani, comay translate!’ (with all due respect to him and his accent!). We all joked that our rides are just a cover for language lessons!
The new cemetery. The folks resting here are all immediate family of our guide.
Those of us who had been to New Orleans were reminded of its graveyards.
Heading back towards the main road.
This truck is just like mine. It once passed me on The Road and the driver yelled out ‘Hola, gemela’ (Hi, twin)!
Pretty flowers at the stable.
Pretty dang good value for 100 pesos, huh?
I’m not nearly as sore as I was last week at this time as my saddle and stirrups were much more comfortable. My horse was a little headstrong, did a lot of head tossing, and was uncomfortable to ride at walk and trot, but was soooo smooth at canter! I could have cantered all afternoon on him!
We’re riding again on Monday. Can’t wait!
What a fun day!
It was worth getting completely cooked! 😀
Your horse’s bit was probably bothering him. Next time wiggle the bit just outside his mouth and see if it’s too snug.
Don’t ever wear a head scarf again. You are adorable in a hat! And you’re rockin’ those jeans.
Nancy, we checked the fit on the bit and for any wrinkles in the saddle blanket, but couldn’t figure out why he was so miserable. 🙁
As for headscarves versus hats, I love my hat, but it’s impractical for daily living. 🙂
Beautiful post for today..love the new cover photo.
Thanks, Mary!
oh wow, that is so cool ! You look like a natural on that beautiful horse.
Thanks, Kelly!
Hi Rae,
That ride would have been awesome, so many things to look at & experience. Well worth the fee.
Great pictures, it almost felt like being right there with you.
Keep enjoying!
Vicki, EIGHT BUCKS for the ride! I can’t believe it!!! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the post.
ALWAYS 😀