“Better than the strength of men and horses is our wisdom.” Xenophanes

Wisdom is something that sometimes eludes me……..as such was a three-hour mountain horse ride last Sunday morning. Some of you know of my love of horses, so every chance I get to ride I’m off into the sunset. In the past I was able to drag David along but ever since the dramatic Ecuador Andes’ high adventure ride, it was written into our pre-nup……..NO 🐎’s for David!

That morning about 20 adventurous aficionados gathered at the main plaza. Soon enough, the clatter of hooves was heard on the cobblestones. Horses were matched to the rider; mine a beautiful brown stallion named Pequeño, but with a Grande attitude. Introduced myself to my steed and very confidently and with one fell swoop I was back in the saddle.

David was there to see me off. The ride took us through the heart of the town, down to the lakeside and up towards the mountains crossing the Carretera. Then up we went. Once we ran out of cobblestones we then started on a narrow flat trail that ran alongside a rain ditch. A sharp right brought us onto a trail carved into the side of the mountain at times no wider than a few feet … this being Mexico, no guardrails. Many times I found myself closely hugging Pequeño so that my head wouldn’t be chopped off by low hanging tree branches along the overgrown trail.

Although initially the last to leave the plaza and mentioning that my horse had a little bit of an attitude, I soon found myself behind the main vaquero as we started the climb. We stayed in the #2 position for the remainder of the ride. The climb took us up to the top of the Tepolo Waterfalls at 968 feet above Lake Chapala (5,000’). We dismounted to a bird’s eye view of the town and lake and soon a tequila bottle was passed around (!).

I truly enjoyed my adventure, but it has been one of my most challenging rides. I’ll be recommending other trail rides to friends. The terrain and difficult conditions were not for beginners – about 7 of the riders turned back after the rain ditch.

The day after and thinking about how sore my whole body felt … was it worth it? ¡Claro que si!

This week David got to reach back to his fashion roots helping out our friend, Cheryl. He mixed and matched her wardrobe of casual wear, excursion travel, evening wear, and accessories for her upcoming 20 day Mediterranean cruise — with clothes flying everywhere as they discussed each outfit and its endless possibilities. Where was I during this fashion frenzy? Well, of course in the living room watching tv. I only came along because someone said 🐟 🌮 afterward!!

David wanted to attend a viewing of last year’s Hedy Lamarr documentary, “Bombshell …” being shown at the Lake Chapala Society. Our presence brought the average age down to 81 … and have never seen such a group of grumpy, unsmiling senior citizens in one place. The documentary was an eye-opening look into Lamarr’s dramatic life and the brains behind that beautiful face.

Since we are coming down to the wire here, I’ve taken our food supply down to basics: coffee, sugar, cream, and mocha cake (doesn’t the eggs & flour qualify as a breakfast item?). So this week we’ve eaten out a lot: enfrijoladas, huevos a la Mexicana, grilled octopus and baby squids, gambas en Ajo, black ink seafood paella, watercress salad, breaded chicken cutlet (David)……..etc.

In the last three months we have eaten everything but great Mexican food; excepting some great fish tacos and a chile relleno or two (Lakeside food is very “safe” expat/gringo oriented) … so going home and directly to Taco Bell for a cheesy bean and rice burrito!