Beach Ride

JuanCa set up a horseback ride for us to the beach in Parritas, a town about 40 minutes away. I was a little concerned about the 10am start time since I’m such a sucker for a Saturday night at the disco. But, I only had two Imperials anoche and was bright eyed when he knocked on the door.

Beach riding was so different than mountain riding. Both are unique and breathtaking in their own way, but today’s ride was a line item I can cross off my 101 Things to Do List. One of my favorite photos of Dena is of her riding on the beach in Greece. So many times I’ve looked at that photo and hoped I’d get the same chance one day.

I knew we were going to be riding on the beach, but I hadn’t expected a beach like this. The waves were gigante, the beach was flat with drift wood in all the right places and lined by coconut filled palm trees. The water met with the sky in a way that you couldn’t tell which blue belonged to which. The hum of the ocean coupled with the breeze added just enough sound to squelch any thoughts about the stresses of life.

My horse, Cinderella, perfectly appropriate for a Princess I would say…si como no…was oddly like me. La guia explained that she is the alpha mare, likes to be in control. Maybe that’s why she tried to kick the girl next to me. Oops, lo siento.

The ride lasted about two hours and ended with a mid afternoon lunch – pescado con vegetales y frijoles. On the way out we picked our own carambolas (starfruit). To think, last year at this time I didn’t know what a starfruit was until Whitney introduced me to her favorite Whole Foods treat. Now…I pick my own.