Horses, Beaches, and Crocodiles

This morning Bryan and I woke up at 7AM.  And got out of bed at 7:15AM lol.  We sunscreened up and packed what we needed for today's excursion--towels, a different swimsuit top (which I didn't actually use), beef jerky (which Bryan did use lol), sunscreen, the camera, and Bryan's book.  As I finished Heir to Sevenwaters yesterday and had yet to select a which book to start next, I did not pack a book.  Shocking, I know!

We did not stop for breakfast, because we left the room at 7:55AM and had to be out front at 8AM to meet our ride.  Hunter and Amber were already in front of La Palapa when we exited the parking gate.  Ronal was there with the truck promptly at 8AM and we loaded up and headed to the horse ride spot.  When we arrived, the lady was still saddling up the horses, so we waited for a bit, watching the roosters, hens and chicks scratch around the yard.

Saddling up didn't take long, and we soon mounted up!  I was first on Colorado, Bryan was next on Negro, then Hunter on Palomo (who had a very soft mouth), and Amber went last on Tita.  I couldn't believe Amber--I know she doesn't like horses, but to wear shorts and flipflops on a trail ride!  That said, Tita was the perfect horse for her--calm and happy to go slow.  Since this was only Amber's second time a horse, and her last ride was a steep mountain trail with a fractious horse, Tita and she were a perfect match!  The boys handled their horses well, and Colorado and I did just fine once I made it clear that he WOULD listen to my signals and WOULD NOT throw his head up in protest when he didn't get his way.  A few slaps between the ears got that lesson across just fine!

We rode down a dirt road with forest on either side, admiring the trees and the huge termite nests.  Occasionally, Colorado and I would trot a little ways, as would Hunter and Palomo and Bryan and Negro, but mostly we kept to a nice walk.  At the end of the road was an empty stretch of beach.  The moment his hooves hit the sand, Colorado started trying to speed up.  I held him in check with a bit of help from our guide Carlos (Charlie) as he maneuvered us together for some group pictures with the ocean in the background.  The horses did not like the sand sucking at their hooves, but were mostly patient (except for Colorado of course lol).  

After that, I was more than willing to let Colorado have his wish and gave him the signal.  We galloped down the beach, the waves rolling in on one side, and the sand stretching up to the trees on the other.  It was exhilarating!  I was very grateful for the chin string on my floppy hat, as it quickly blew off my head.  Bryan and Negro ran with us for a bit, but the four of us pulled up when Charlie honked the horn on his mount--the ATV.  We had come to the beginning of the next pathway/road and needed to slow down in case people or cars were present.  Colorado started tossing his head again, but this time I let him--he was expressing both of our disappointment that our run was over.  That said, I kept a firm grip on the reigns until Charlie, Hunter and Palomo (who also ran a bit), and Amber and Tita (who did not) caught up.  We continued down the path until we reached Playa Conchal where we were to spend an hour snorkeling.  We bade farewell to Charlie and the horses (Charlie led them back with the ATV) and then we headed to the beach!

We found a big driftwood to set our stuff on.  Bryan went to a little vendor cart and bought him and me two bottles of water while Hunter and I reapplied sunscreen.  Hunter and Amber took their snorkel gear (provided by Charlie--except for Amber's mask and Hunter's tube, which they borrowed from a nice lady) and headed down to the water.  Bryan and I spread our towels out on the shelly beach and sat in the sun for a bit.  After I felt my sunscreen had had time to soak in (and after we pulled the towels back from the rising tide) Bryan and I got our gear and headed to the water with one of Amber's underwater cameras.  Bryan was a bit less enthusiastic than I--his glasses couldn't fit under the snorkel mask, so he couldn't see all that well.  Just as we were about to get in, Amber came out saying that visibility was horrible.  Hunter was right behind her saying the same, so Bryan turned right around and headed back with them to where we had our things laid out.  I, however, was all geared up (flippers and everything!) and decided to at least give it a try.  I got in after giving Amber her camera back, and immediately could tell that she and Hunter were one hundred percent right about the visibility.  On top of that--and probably the cause of the poor visibility--the tide was coming in and the currents were very strong.  Unhappy with the visibility and nervous about the looming rocks towards which the currents swirled, I aborted and headed back to the towels myself.  Hunter and Amber figured out that the very nice beach that they had visited previously was on the other side of the hill, so they headed there for sand instead of shells and some body surfing.  I laid in the sun with Bryan for awhile, after I had rinsed the shells out of my swimsuit in slightly calmer bit of ocean.  We laid out for probably 15 minutes when Hunter and Amber returned.  We figured at that point that it was getting close to time for Ronal to pick up back up, so we returned to the big driftwood log.  Hunter and Amber bought a Coke and a coconut, which they shared with us--yum!  Bryan and I brought a Coke and finished that and our water.  We all got dressed again over our swimsuits and waited in the shade for about 10 minutes until Ronal arrived.  We returned the borrowed scuba gear, loaded up the gear from Charlie, and got in the truck to be transported to the start point to our mangrove tour!

We had to wait for the last two people in our eight people tour before loading into our boat and starting off.

The mangroves are so beautiful, and it was a wonderful boat ride!  We saw several birds--Yellow crowns, Tri-colored herons, pelicans, kytes, and an osprey.  We also saw four crocodiles--the last two were swimming and the second one we saw was just a baby.  The first one, however, was super-exciting.

Our guide spotting him sleeping a little ways back in the mangroves.  He guided the boat in as far as he could, until the tangled mangroves stopped all progress.  He then climbed in the mangroves to take pictures for all of us, and THEN he let US climb up into the mangroves to get a good look at the crocodile!  I have always wanted to climb in mangroves, and it was a thrilling experience to haul yourself into the mangrove branches and thread your way to a good perch from which to precariously observe a sleepy four-foot crocodile!

We also got off the boat for a bit and walked on some solid land in the mangroves.  We saw a family of about eight sleepy Howler monkeys--including two older babies and one teeny tiny baby monkey on his mama's back!  Our guide did a Howler imitation and clapped his hands until he prompted one or two of the monkeys to start howling.  It was an amazing sound--more like a dinosaur bellow than anything I would have expected out of a monkey!


We also saw an acacia tree and its black ant protectors, and a massive termite nest of black-headed termites, who were busy fixing a tunnel.  Our guide was phenomenal, explaining the acacia-black ant relationship--the ants provide protection from other insects and bugs, and the tree provides nesting, shelter from rain, and food--as well as the biological characteristics of the termites--they are blind and unable to be in the sun.  We returned to the boat and enjoyed a snack of fresh pineapple as our guide returned us to the dock, and then drove us back to La Palapa.

It has been such an amazing day so far, and it's only about 2:30PM!  I'll write more later, but for now, we're going to go get some lunch!