15 November 2011
Today we decide to split the day in half with a BBQ in the middle. In the morning we took an easy trek to see some old Indian cave paintings which were interesting but the big bonus on this trek was the amount of wildlife around us. We ran into herds of Lama type animals called Guanaco which in fact are a distant cousin of the Camel from when all the continents were joined. We saw lots of bones from where the native Puma had been hunting the Guanaco although it is very rare to spot a Puma which is a very shy animal.
This park has lots of bird life and the Condor is a magnificent creature that looks like a bird of prey but in fact is a buzzard like creature feeding off the meat of dead animals usually from Puma kills. We have also seen much to our surprise Flamingo’s and Rhea which is a smaller version of an Ostrich. We were also very close to a young grey fox foraging in the bushes and not at all worried about our presence so close to him. This Park is full of wildlife that can be seen very close up.
Lunch today was at a teepee type building with a major fire in the centre and full lamb carcasses spread eagled around the fire. This was the best meal of our trip. The lamb was so tender and tasty and the views from our teepee spectacular.
In the afternoon the winds picked up blew away the cloud and we were off to do our horse ride. Now this all sounded very romantic when in the hotel but for a non rider it was now becoming one of those “why did I sign up for this” moments. I mounted my trusty steed and was introduced to him but immediately forgot his name due to the fact I was concentrating too much on hanging on to his neck.
The knack of riding a horse so I was told is to let it know you are in charge. I decided to take control and steered my horse to the right, he decided however to turn left and follow the rest of the group out of the gate. I thought it best to give him a second chance and decided to ignore this disobedience and concentrate instead on gripping the saddle. I will deal with the issue of being in control in a few minutes I decided.
The group was about 10 strong including Sue and me. We also had Helena with us and two Gaucho’s who just looked on in amusement as I took control of my horse. This in fact became a lot easier when one of the Gauchos suggested I let go of the saddle and hold the reins. Apparently this stops the horse eating grass and he will in fact move forward.
With this new found skill and with a fully trained horse I now felt capable of dealing with anything that came my way. All of the horses are working animals and in the morning had been out with Gauchos rounding up cattle. Mine did act a bit like a bored tour guide doing his last shift of the week and puffed and sighed each time I decided to make him move left or right. I decided to ignore this very poor attitude just in case he went from bored to angry mode. It would be a shame I thought to upset his day even more.
We made our way up hills, down into valleys and my horse ridding skills were improving with every step. I sat back in my saddle and felt in full control. I remember reading somewhere that if you want a horse to go faster you just give it a kick with your heels. Well of course I decided this would be a good idea and sure enough my horse went from walk mode into a trot. Whoooahhh I immediately found out why more girls than boys go riding. Each time I went down the horse went up catching bits of my anatomy. I can tell you it is not easy to steer a horse when you are cross eyed.
Our route was through some wonderful countryside ending up with a fabulous view of one of the many waterfalls in the park. Even my horse who up to this point had only been interested in dandelions seemed to enjoy the view. Either that or he knew the stables were only just around the corner.
The day ended with a dismount in the stables and a walk to the mini bus looking just like an advert for Pampers. This was a great experience and the staff were tremendous looking after all of us, taking our cameras and shooting lots of pictures to help preserve these wonderful memories.
A few more photos:
