On horseback to the slope of Maderas

 After one day of relaxing, swimming and reading books at the Rancho Merida, we went to Haris (a German man with horses for rent) place to ask about horseback riding. We agreed on coming back at 9 the next morning for a 3hour tour on the slopes of the Volcano Maderas, on the way to Haris place we saw a howler monkey, birds and a snake with suspicious colours slithered over the path. The colours are those of dangerous snakes, but there are imposters, so I am not sure if it is a dangerous snake or an imposter.

The day after we turned up before 9 in the morning and got horses, I had told them that I really, really want to run, to gallop with a horse is like flying the moment they lift all their legs, and I want to feel it again. I think I need to take riding lessons when I get some money! My horse is the grey one and called Marihuanito, our guides horse is Pinto and Rei-Hans horse is Pimento. I got Marihuanito because he likes to run a lot, however it was difficult to run since we were going up into the woods, balancing on rocky ground and slippery paths. So we went slowly up on the slope of Maderas to a point where we could get an overview (the picture below). From there w could see the isthmus with the lake on both sides and the Volcano Conception shrouded in clouds. Granda is on the right side of the volcano on the main land, but it was difficult to see all the way to Granada because of the hazy sky. We could see Costa Rica in the south (not in the picture).

On the way back down we took another way and ended up in el Comminidad Merida where the school is, and most people live. Down there on the road we let the horses run for a while, and went down to a beach named Cabalito where the horses enjoyed cooling down in the water. Sitting on the horse the guide warned ut that they like to lie down with saddle, rider and everything, so we had to be prepared to get wet. The guide was carrying my camera so I was not to worried, but Rei-Han had her camera so I can understand that she got worried. The horses waded deeper inn and started to splash water with their front legs, right before they were about to lie down, the guide took charge and got them all up. We got out of it just slightly wet, but I was a little disappointed that I did not experience the lying down.

I really, really enjoyed this trip through beautiful fields and forest, with strong healthy horses (I recommend Haris horses if you go to Isla de Ometepe). When we were at Rancho Merida, there was a group of volunteers at Hacienda Merida, next door. They had just finished their studies, so they were new veterinarians

who want more experience and also want to help the community with their services. The program started by Hacienda Merida has been going successfully for 5 years, almost all of the students and new beginners from Oregon. So every day there was a zoo of animals lined up to get a veterinarian check up, dogs, cats, horses, donkeys, pigs, mules, cows and goats. All the animals that had been checked had this cute scarf around their neck, so there were all these dogs running around with a scarf. There were quite many fresh vets there, some with their spouses, and it was really interesting talking to them about the project and the work. They do it for free, so the people just have to show up with their animals and wait. Every morning before the gate opened there would be a line of people and their animals. Haris people took 5 horses and 11 dogs. One of the dogs is an Inka dog (picture above).As you can see it is naked! And it is a very rare rase, it feels strange to pet it, and it is not very beautiful, but it is friendly and cute. They also have 2 huge dogs, one boxer or something called Martha, and another weird looking giant called Agatha, then there were 4 tiny, skinny ones that I was afraid to step on, and some of uncertain origin. There were 4 cats, one called Emma with only 3 legs, 2 in the front and 1 in the back. One of her legs was grabbed by an armadillo when she was a kitten, and it had to be amputated. She did not seem to suffer from it at all, and did not care about if any of the dogs were around. She willingly came to my lap. After riding I spend a lot of time in the lake. A young man from Costa Rica was in Rancho Merida, and we stayed in the lake until long after dark, talking about life. He is a dentist and has a lot of interesting knowledge that I recognize in myself (that is interesting to me (since I have an "alternative" view of the world). I find that a lot of people understand where I come from and how I think over here, so maybe I was miss placed somehow in this world? There are people with a different consciousness  (that HAS awareness) out there, and I am so blessed to meet them so that they can teach me more about my own knowledge).

Look at the volcano! It never looks the same, ever, so you can never grow tired of looking at it!