Horse Crazy

More than a month has flown by with me working here at Zuleta, I can’t believe it!  I feel like I have been helpful and productive and certainly learning a lot.  I realized (again) that I am NOT a person that can sit in front of a computer all day long.  I can write a blog or do some translating for a few hours in the morning, but I have to have my breaks.  For example, yesterday I tried worked on a blog from 8 to 11 but was quite distracted the whole time (i.e. I was on Pinterest and facebook quite a lot).  Finally, I gave up and went to the stables, took a horse and went for a ride by myself for about an hour.  After I got back I was SO much more productive.  I finished up everything in a remarkably short time.  So, today I took a walk in the middle of the morning, and this afternoon I wandered to the stables and chatted with the workers and horses for a while to recharge my brain before returning to my translations.  It’s so nice to have so many nice little secret places to escape to if I’m feeling “antisocial” or chased by my computer. I don’t have too many pictures of my secret places, I’ll have to make sure I do that for the next blog.

Me and Rebeldia, a young horse that I was helping train a few days.

There are always gorgeous roses everywhere in the hotel.

The entrance plaza and cross.

My “office” is the window on the far right.

I have been lucky enough to go on several long horse rides recently, and I am getting to know the horses better.  My favorite is a little mare named Bailarina.  She’s feisty and clumsy but very sweet and a willing listener.  I need a horse that is responsive since I’m always rushing up front or to the back of the group or off to one side to get just the right pictures.  Plus, she’s learned to stay VERY STILL when I’m taking the actual picture, which is imperative.

Our horse trekking guide Rodrigo, he’s the best!

This is me on Valentin, Fernando’s horse.  Took me a while to train him in as photographer’s mount.

One particularly nice ride was an eight hour long trek off to the Lake San Pablo.  We went as a group of eight, five of them being tourists that have been coming for several years.  Mary and Linda are the two that started the whole gig five years ago and they have been coming every since, bringing new friends or family every time.

Picnic lunch overlooking Lake San Pablo on our whole day ride.

Linda and the group at the end of a nice long ride.

It was nice to have a group of horsey people stay for such a long time, they were here for seven days, which is a lot longer than most groups usually stay!  I got to know them quite well and spent a lot of time on horseback with them, frantically snapping photos for their surprise “end-of-trip” present from the workers: a small photo album with a nice little Zuleta embroidery on top.  They loved the gift and exclaimed, so THAT’S the reason for all your photo taking!  I decided I’m really not the most subtle. But they enjoyed it, so I was pleased.

Mary and her group on one of their first rides.

Trekking through the pine filled woods.

Anyway, I am happy to be here and feeling useful.  I think that there is probably a lot more that I could be doing to help out, but they are not putting a terrible amount of pressure on me and that’s just fine. I worked so so hard in Cusco, it’s nice to have a little rest and really have some time for myself.  I have been reading a lot, working on bracelets and hair wraps, playing piano, and hiding in the gardens or in the paddocks just thinking and talking to myself or anything that will listen.  It’s very refreshing! Luckily I already know I’m a little crazy so it doesn’t concern me >

Well, I hope all is well at home in the scorching heat of Minnesota!  Missing you all and looking forward to being home in less than two months!

Love love love ;

Maia