Ariah wanted to take a trip to San Diego and Mexico for our long President's Day weekend. Saturday would be the chosen day for a blissfully cultural experience in the territory of Mexico, only minutes away from CA.
We heard of Rosarito Beach 1 hr into MX, where we would be able to ride horses along the beach -- 30 min for a great price! So worth it!
My horse was named Apaluso, whereas the others had more common names like Estrella for example. This will be an important detail as to the uniqueness of my horsie as you will see.
They were SO well trained, knowing exactly what route to take along the soft shore of the beach, when to speed up and when to slow down. I mean, really, if I tried to control my own horse it completely ignored me and only obeyed the command of the lead horse or vaquero guide. Even when I slid off the saddle a little and shreaked to make it slow down, the horse stopped not, and my only chance was holding on for dear life and pulling myself back onto the center.
After 15 minutes, we had already made it up and back with time to spare, so we got a picture or two:
And with time to spare, we went for ROUND II BABY.
But, this time was different. Apaluso and another horse began walking so close that my and Alissa's legs began kneading uncomfortably into each others. "Haha that was funny," it started. Then, "...Ouch!....Why are we so close?! ...That hurts!..." Would we even have legs come tomorrow? I already couldn't feel my rump, so if you don't mind, I'd rather keep the feeling in my legs if that's alright with you Apalu'.
Apaluso must've understood, I was speaking to him in Spanish after all. So instead he decided to rear the other horse and trail him closely instead. I could handle that.
"What's wrong horse?!"
I didn't understand why Apaluso tilted his head back and brayed, almost darkly. Was he upset?
Before I knew it, I was living a scene from Hidalgo or Zorro or something. I couldn't quite remember; it all happened so fast. As Apaluso's front hooves kicked upward toward the sky, I could feel my center of gravity shift forward drastically. Every muscle in my body turned stark RIGID. I think the only part of me that had any movement left were my vocal cords, as they let out the majestic trill of bloody murder...
My horse.....oh boy. My horse.....
Jumped onto the back of Alissa's. And stayed.
It was horrifying.
I'm sure I would've noticed Alissa's warbly screams too if I hadn't have been so preoccupied with my own circumstance, or perhaps if she hadn't have lost her voice the day before.
Forgive me, Alissa, but this video snippet helps prove my point. Plus...you're voiceless singing is priceless and deserves far more attention hahaha.
Anyhow, as I contemplated my life decisions in that moment of helplessness, I remember looking up and peering into the faces of my friends in the distance, each of whom had stopped and turned curiously to face the sounds of hysteric and warbly screams. In that instant I knew, if I could simply hold on, and if Alissa could ward off the hooves around her waist and horse head at her side, we would probably come to be known as the sole survivors of riding horses in their sacred moment of making horse babies.
Needless to say, it didn't take long for Mr. Vaqueroman to catch up to us and lead my horse in severe silence back to the rest of the stud. It was quite the ride, I'd say.
To end this experience on a strong note, I'd like to share a few very important things learned that day:
1) I should join a rodeo. I'd dare a bull to buck me off after this.
2) Alissa loves her camera more than her own life, which I believe can attest to some degree of passion she may have for photography.
And 3) Beware the signs.
So in the end, Mexico did not disappoint!
I mean, I thought the thrill would be in eating tacos and elote from street vendors. Or figuring out how many pesos really equals a dollar. Or snapping pictures at ancient Mexican cathedrals. Or even in window shopping along the busy streets of Tijuana!
But, since I can't remember the last time my life has fallen short of a weird story, I'm starting to realize: it just wouldn't be me without one.
Best of wishes to Mr. and Mrs. Apaluso! May the beaches of Rosarito ever find you together. <3 p="">
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