And in said universe, I am typing on a Spanish keyboard, so forgive me in advance for strange characters & typos, should they appear.
At present, I am sitting in an exquisite 300 year old Spanish colonial hacienda that sprawls in acres of long, low stucco through breathtaking gardens of bouganvillea, datura, & spanish moss. Deep blue doors are locked with keys that look as if they would unlock someone´s dungeon. Century-old art & furniture that smells of history surprise us around every corner. I am sure the porters go off to giggle every time I walk into our bedroom & go Holy crap!
This does NOT bear any resemblance to my actual life, so I have obviously been sucked into someone else´s.
I can´t possibly encapsulate even the last two days here, so I will stick with summary:
Everywhere we go, we are ringed with green volcanos sheathed in clouds at their summits. The indigenous people trudge at the roadsides with the long braids & swaying skirts catching the air as they carry huge bundles or haul reluctant pigs to market.
And the horses (because that´s what we all really care about, right?) -- mine is a little dark bay Criollo with some Spanish blood thown in and with his little fuzzy ears, he reminds me very much of riding lifeshighway´s horse, Pete. I am still trying to reliably remember the little booger´s name, but I think it is Capuli (you put emphasis on every syllable of names in Ecuador).
He is only five, so he is still learning the ropes, but he has a good mind & a sweet face that I can´t resist petting. He is best friends with our guide´s horse, Tostado, who is a striking bay roan Appaloosa/Criollo/Columbian horse, & as a result, I am constantly reminding Capuli that he is not to stick his nose right under Tostado´s tail.
We are off today for about a six hour ride traversing the side of a volcano (Imbabura) to reach our next hacienda. If it is as mind-blowingly incredible as this one, I may simply pass out from sheer sensory overload.
If there is more free (although shudderingly slow) internet, perhaps I will be able to share more later in the week! For now, I must go fill many water bottles & stock snacks into my packs so I can keep the blood sugar up all day!
At present, I am sitting in an exquisite 300 year old Spanish colonial hacienda that sprawls in acres of long, low stucco through breathtaking gardens of bouganvillea, datura, & spanish moss. Deep blue doors are locked with keys that look as if they would unlock someone´s dungeon. Century-old art & furniture that smells of history surprise us around every corner. I am sure the porters go off to giggle every time I walk into our bedroom & go Holy crap!
This does NOT bear any resemblance to my actual life, so I have obviously been sucked into someone else´s.
I can´t possibly encapsulate even the last two days here, so I will stick with summary:
Everywhere we go, we are ringed with green volcanos sheathed in clouds at their summits. The indigenous people trudge at the roadsides with the long braids & swaying skirts catching the air as they carry huge bundles or haul reluctant pigs to market.
And the horses (because that´s what we all really care about, right?) -- mine is a little dark bay Criollo with some Spanish blood thown in and with his little fuzzy ears, he reminds me very much of riding lifeshighway´s horse, Pete. I am still trying to reliably remember the little booger´s name, but I think it is Capuli (you put emphasis on every syllable of names in Ecuador).
He is only five, so he is still learning the ropes, but he has a good mind & a sweet face that I can´t resist petting. He is best friends with our guide´s horse, Tostado, who is a striking bay roan Appaloosa/Criollo/Columbian horse, & as a result, I am constantly reminding Capuli that he is not to stick his nose right under Tostado´s tail.
We are off today for about a six hour ride traversing the side of a volcano (Imbabura) to reach our next hacienda. If it is as mind-blowingly incredible as this one, I may simply pass out from sheer sensory overload.
If there is more free (although shudderingly slow) internet, perhaps I will be able to share more later in the week! For now, I must go fill many water bottles & stock snacks into my packs so I can keep the blood sugar up all day!
