Things you probably should not do in Colombia...
...How about going horseback riding at night through the countryside with vicious dogs nipping at your heels? Well, it might not be recommended but it sure was amazing!! Parents, do not worry, we did this trip under the guidance and recommendation of my language school... but ... I admit, several times along the way I wondered how wise or safe this particular activity was.
We arrived at a farm outside of Bogota at about 8pm (keep in mind that it is dark by 6:30pm here) and proceeded to jump on some horses and follow a guide through winding trails and farm roads up a mountain. At times it was so dark I could barely see the road and just hoped my horse knew where he was going. Once I had bonded with my horse, we had a lot of fun galloping up and down the road. There is no rush quite like galloping through the dark with what looks a rabid and very angry dog chasing you and trying to bite your heels. I honestly thought he was going to take a chunk out of my leg.
The view from the top was magical! We could see miles of farmland, the enormous reservoir for Bogota, and all the house lights glittering. It was not quiet though - our galloping had apparently woken every dog in the neighbourhood. On the way back our horses were quite impatient to go home (I assume that at 9pm it was well past their normal bedtime). One of the other girls and I took off at what was a shockingly fast gallop - these horses really wanted to go home! I haven't ridden a horse for years, and until I caught the right rhythm I thought I was going to fall off and be consumed by enraged guard-dogs. Once I remembered how to ride properly, however, we were off like the wind (that is, until a branch caught me in the hair and almost whipped me backwards off the horse). In the end, although it was not something I would ever have imagined doing before we got here, it is a memory that I will never forget.
I am, of course, diligently getting up every day at 6am to attend Spanish classes, and I have managed to obtain a few reports in Spanish that I am working through. But these moments of magic are a nice break from the stress of the long, polluted, noisy commute, the constant attention to potential ladrones (thieves), the countless stares that I get as I walk down the street, and all of the weird sounds that keep me up every night.
And for those of you who are thinking we are having this amazingly warm South American experience... it is seriously chilly here. I only brought two sweaters and I am wearing them every day - sometimes both at once! No one has heaters in their homes or in the classrooms, yet it gets down to 7-8 degrees at night and no higher than 20 during the day. It has been drizzling pretty frequently... it feels like Vancouver in April (though with less rain). We are definitely going to Cartegena for some beach time before we return to the Ottawa winter!
We arrived at a farm outside of Bogota at about 8pm (keep in mind that it is dark by 6:30pm here) and proceeded to jump on some horses and follow a guide through winding trails and farm roads up a mountain. At times it was so dark I could barely see the road and just hoped my horse knew where he was going. Once I had bonded with my horse, we had a lot of fun galloping up and down the road. There is no rush quite like galloping through the dark with what looks a rabid and very angry dog chasing you and trying to bite your heels. I honestly thought he was going to take a chunk out of my leg.
The view from the top was magical! We could see miles of farmland, the enormous reservoir for Bogota, and all the house lights glittering. It was not quiet though - our galloping had apparently woken every dog in the neighbourhood. On the way back our horses were quite impatient to go home (I assume that at 9pm it was well past their normal bedtime). One of the other girls and I took off at what was a shockingly fast gallop - these horses really wanted to go home! I haven't ridden a horse for years, and until I caught the right rhythm I thought I was going to fall off and be consumed by enraged guard-dogs. Once I remembered how to ride properly, however, we were off like the wind (that is, until a branch caught me in the hair and almost whipped me backwards off the horse). In the end, although it was not something I would ever have imagined doing before we got here, it is a memory that I will never forget.
I am, of course, diligently getting up every day at 6am to attend Spanish classes, and I have managed to obtain a few reports in Spanish that I am working through. But these moments of magic are a nice break from the stress of the long, polluted, noisy commute, the constant attention to potential ladrones (thieves), the countless stares that I get as I walk down the street, and all of the weird sounds that keep me up every night.
And for those of you who are thinking we are having this amazingly warm South American experience... it is seriously chilly here. I only brought two sweaters and I am wearing them every day - sometimes both at once! No one has heaters in their homes or in the classrooms, yet it gets down to 7-8 degrees at night and no higher than 20 during the day. It has been drizzling pretty frequently... it feels like Vancouver in April (though with less rain). We are definitely going to Cartegena for some beach time before we return to the Ottawa winter!
posted by Rachel at 11:41 AM
1 Comments:
Rach and Jon - I feel your pain! I should've brought my entire winter wardrobe with me! Are you getting the drastic changes in temperature (from 10o in the morning, to 23o in the afternoon, to 8o at night)? How about rain?
I'm glad that I'm finally able to follow your postings - we now have internet chez nous! Keep 'em coming!
Hasta pronto! xoxo
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