Writings By Location| Horsing Around in Pucón | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
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| The Great Wall of Pucón |
It was impossible to top all of that rock cimbing, so we hopped back on our horses, and made our way back the way we came: cutting our way through bushes, ducking under trees (again, warning Erin each time), and galloping madly across a couple of pastures, during which I would dig my knees into poor Pelican's neck, trying to keep from sliding off and being dragged around by my ankles like an old Western villian's henchman. Before long, we were back on the dusty road, and from there, only an act from God would stop the horses in their quest to get home for a good watering-down — something, quite frankly, we could have used ourselves by this point.
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| Trail Leaders |
When we finally returned, Pancho tied our horses to a post, while Rodolfo and his wife invited us over to a picnic table to take care of business. Although "business", in this case, didn't mean paying the bill (not yet, anyway). We were asked whether we wanted a cold beer or a glass of Chilean wine, and to go with that was a small, but elegant feat of cheese, bread, and homemade sausage. We sat and talked for some time about what our travelling has been like, what it was like to work here, and how their family has been developing. With the dogs quietly resting in the shade now, one of their cats would come by every so often, acting like he wanted to be pet, but ultimately trying to snatch a piece of sausage from my hand.
Our "half day" ride was stretching into mid-afternoon, and we started feeling just a little sorry for our cab driver, who was just waking up from a siesta, after patiently waiting outside the front gate the entire time we were gone. We paid our bill, and signed their guest book with fond comments and praise, including one of our calling cards. We realized as we departed, amid hugs from both Rodolfo and Carolina, that we'd had more than our fair share of enjoyment today. It wasn't just a few hours of horseback riding, it was meeting new people, and acquiring new friends.
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