(Pre-Wedding) Honeymoon, Part XX - Back in the Saddle...

Time for our morning horseback ride.  This was sold as an excursion that would allow for beginners and experts to go together and break up over some long stretches.  Seemed perfect for us.  

Unfortunately, with a group of 8 people of mixed skills and one guide and one gaucho, we weren’t getting far in two groups.  We walked a lot.  There was a brief moment where they let us trot and canter but I had no idea how to stay stable so I was hanging on for fear of falling out of the saddle.  GG was a bit dismayed as well since the expert break off ride never happened (probably because of me and my scarily limited skills).  For the moments where I wasn't focused on how to survive the ride, I looked around and reflected.  It truly was amazing to be riding this beautiful Arabian horse around a surreal desert.  Unfortunately, those moments were fleeting as reality set back in and I had to not fall off my horse.  Tough morning.

I look much more in command than i actually was...

Our afternoons were lovely – plenty of time to swim, nap, eat lunch, email, etc as the afternoon excursions don’t go out until 5p at earliest.  Any earlier and the desert heat, sun, and wind would ruin us.

That afternoon, we did the “Cactus” hike – it was special as we would be hiking along the one main valley that has a supply of Andean water and therefore has green bushes, trees, and, unsurprisingly, many cacti. 
We were hiking along a crevice in the ground that you’d never see crossing along the desert – it was quite spectacular and odd to watch a full fledged river with water flowing through the driest desert on earth that hasn’t seen recordable rainfall in 12 years.

It was a great time and, even better, I didn’t fall!

Not the widest river in the world, but not too shabby for a desert!

Lots of green.

Yes, a desert waterfall.

Surviving another hike in one piece!

That evening, we had Christmas Eve dinner with Matt and Anna, the other honeymoon couple  we met at Explora Patagonia who had just arrived to Atacama that afternoon.  We ended up having a really fun meal with them, trading stories of what had transpired since we last left each other, as well as finding out that both Matt and I have some issues with parting with items and have used similar tactics to not have to throw out possessions.  The similarities were uncanny and hilarious.  It was our first meal with another couple while in Explora and it was really a fun time!

Next up Christmas in the desert!