San Juan del Sur traffic jam (taken from the back of a pick up truck in which we were riding)
So after far too many days of doing nothing more strenuous than lifting a glass to our lips during happy hour, we figured it was time to get off our butts and do something.
Item 1 on the agenda: horseback riding. We booked a 2 hour ride from our current hotel. It was pretty darn good. The horses were lazy, lazy, lazy. But, we had a pleasant ride along roads through the hills and trees and to the beach. We even got to see a few howler monkeys (no photos, unfortunately).
I do have to say, the poverty in rural Nicaragua is kind of overwhelming – even worse than SE Asia. People living in structures made of a little bit of this and a little bit of that with no running water. The homes look like they will blow over in one strong breeze. But nearly all of them have satellite dishes ….
We were anxious to see the condition of the horses because so many of the horses here are skin and bones (more on that in the forthcoming final thoughts on Nicaragua post). Our horses were small, but seemed to have been decently fed. We were both kind of surprised at how strong and nimble they were. They trotted up hills that would have had both of us dying for breath. And they managed to walk along the rocks along the ocean without losing their footing. And, most importantly, they came alive when they hit the beach and we were able to get them to canter for a bit. There is nothing quite like cantering on a beach with sea water splashing up as your horse runs!
Riding on the beach
The beach
Check out how pristine the beach is — the only tracks are from our guide
Item 2 on the agenda: zip lining. We had each gone zip lining once before — in Costa Rica. This was a pretty decent experience. Something like 16 different lines. Some long, some short, some fast, some slow. And, we saw more monkeys (again, no photos). Unfortunately, the guides really rushed us along. We were barely off one run before they were pushing us down another. Still, it was a good time.
Robert Zip Lining
Lisa Zip Lining
Tomorrow, it is backing to sitting on our butts around the pool.
PigFish 