This afternoon was the expedition Jemima had been looking forward to the most: horse-riding!
The hotel breed their own horses on an estancia near Santiago - a combination of Chilean, English and Arabian to get the right balance of strength, stamina and temperament. The stables were at the entrance to the hotel so we’d seen them as we’d left on our other adventures, but now it was our turn to ride them!
Kevin also decided not to join this outing - he’s not a fan of riding, whereas I used to have lessons 35 years ago so have some experience. But this was Jemima’s first time! We were joined by Jane (from the geyser outing), so there were only us three, plus Freddy (a local man and horse expert who led the way), and Nacho, who was our guide.
I’d opted for the Chilean rather than English saddle, partly because it was local, partly because it looked like an armchair: really thickly padded with sheepskin, plus shaped with a huge pommel to hold onto. After a brief lesson in how to hold the reins and steer (all in one hand, the Chilean way), we were given some Velcro leather chaps for our calves, a riding helmet (which we all chose to put over our caps, given the sun), and then each allocated a horse, mounting via some stone steps (very civilised). I can’t remember the name of mine, but Jemima’s was Deliciosa, meaning Delicious. And then we were off!
I had thought we might be led, given this was the beginners’ level group, but the horses were so well-trained it wasn’t necessary - they followed one another in a line through the roads around the hotel, through the edge of the San Pedro oasis, and then out into the desert. It was 5.30-ish,the sun was still strong, but lower in the sky, and there was no-one around apart from the odd truck on the road in the distance, and one other horse rider. Moving through the desert from this perspective was different somehow - still slow enough to take it all in, but from a different height, and in harmony with a horse - it was exciting and peaceful at the same time.
We stopped at the edge of a sand dune for some water, and that’s when the thunder started - just like the afternoon before, the horizon was lit up with a lightning storm over the Andes - safely far away but very dramatic: the sky turned dark grey, bisected by the lightning flashes, with a rainbow arching above the bright sandy desert floor still reflecting the sun. After a quick check no-one had vertigo, we started the route home, which took us along a high, narrow sand ridge, with a stony dune falling away either side. I was very relieved the horses all knew the way!
Then too soon for all of us, we were back. Jemima loved it and looked very at home in the saddle - Freddy asked the guide in Spanish if she had riding experience - he said he didn’t think it was her first time. (I had the inevitable questions about starting riding lessons when we’re home - we’ll see…) And I loved it too - it’s been a long time since I’ve been on a horse, but it is a wonderful way to experience a place - a highlight of my life was a sunset ride in the desert around the pyramids in Cairo (20 years ago).
Another amazing day in the Atacama Desert! Only one day to go…
I have a video that includes lightning as well as a rainbow, but it’s so fast I can’t screenshot it as a photo! Here’s the rainbow at least:
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