Saturday, December 18, 2010
Horseback riding today started at 8:30am, so I didn’t have a chance to sleep in before getting ready. By the time I got to Willie’s, Richard and Louise and Keith and Monica, along with Ally, were already there. Willie thought there were only four people riding and they weren’t able to get any extra horses, so Ally and our guide walked the 2+ hour journey up, and Keith took Ally’s place on the way down. The couples (all in their 60s) had never ridden before and even though we’d requested a two hour ride, Willie had decided the three hour one had better views. Turned out it was actually a four hour ride.
Most of the trail was through forest, and even though the sun was shining, the wind was chilling. Plus, the trees covered much of the sun’s warmth. My hands were freezing from holding the reins. We eventually came to an open area of old lava rock and saw our viewpoint, at the top of a hill. The horses moved at a slow pace climbing to the top where we had amazing 360 degree views of the area. The clouds were covering the top of Villarica, but there were three other volcanoes in the surrounding landscape. There was even a patch of snow of the side of the hill and a waterfall in the distance, but the wind at the peak was even worse, and even the sun couldn’t warm me.
The ride back seemed to go a bit faster and I was desperate for the loo as I refused to pee in nature due to the cold (normally I wouldn’t have minded, but it was just too chilly). I was also looking forward to standing on my own two feet since the ride was twice as long as I expected and I felt stiff. To my surprise, we were offered chorizo sandwiches with salsa for lunch and a cold beer. A perfect way to end our long ride. From the ranch, we could see the top of Villarica, and when Richard pulled out his binoculars, it was possible to see the climbers sliding down.
We didn’t arrive back into Pucon until 3pm and I walked to the black sand beach for a look over Lago Villarica. When I got back to the hotel at 4pm I instantly fell asleep for the next 1.5 hours. A small group of us had decided to go to the thermal baths at 6pm, so I changed into my bikini and met everyone for the 30 minute drive. The pools were extremely relaxing and almost too hot for me after prolonged exposure, but it felt amazing to be warm. Sarah, Sameena, Nick, Ted and I spent a good hour plus in the water chatting about life before drying off. Sameena and Nick were in serious need of the water since they’d both made the long trek up the volcano. Arriving back at the hotel at 9:15pm, I felt thirsty, hungry and tired. Nick, Ted, Steven and I went across the street for a quick bite. I ordered tomato soup and mint tea. A perfect meal to keep me warm. By the time I got back to the room, I was overcome with sleepiness and happy to climb into my small bed.
 |
| Sarah, Me, Sameena and Ted at the thermal baths |
No comments:
Post a Comment