Who Knew you could ride a horse and almost drown int he same day!

-----------I know it has been quite some time......my apologies :)

I would love to share with you all about our trip to Jaracoba!!!!! So Jarabacoa is a small town in the mountains just south of Santiago. In the morning we visited the coffee plant and everyone learned about coffee production, I might have had a hard time focusing on the details, when they were coming out of the beautiful brown face of our young tour guide, I mean we are supposed to appreciate all parts of God's creation are we not? we whent back to the ranch/hotel and had a delicious buffet, highlight of that..... homemade french fries! and then cafe con leche on some huge rocking chairs.... Ok the best part was around the corner and I wasnt even aware of the experience I was about to have...we take about a five minute walk over this cool bridge and come to a little bard surronded by the most precious little boys and HORSES! yes we were to ride horses up the mountain to the waterfall!... Ok so at first it was pure excitment and then maybe a bit of fear, what its been maybe like a good ten years since ive been on a horse and have I ever ridden on up a mountain..NO! ok so we are told that the little guys are going to ride with us sitting behind us in the saddle bahahahaha! ok so a little one comes up to me, takes my hand, and points to his horse, OF COURSE!! somehow he gets me up in the saddle, he takes like a quarter of the time it took me to get up, puts his little arms around me grabs the reins and we're off!! I dont know If it was the holding on for my life while being violently bounced up and down, or seeing the biggest guy in our group with the smallest horse and smallest kid, I mean that poor little boy couldnt get his arms around the guy, much less see around him! or just the hilarious picture us gringos flopping around on the horses must have made! that I was in hysterics, tears rolling down my face almost peeing my pants, thought my jaw would break because my smile was so huge! My little boy Alexander was a true cowboy and of course all who know me also know that I was so in love with him and his little 12 year old self! ...Eventually I got used to the horse, and quickly informed my little man that we had to be the first to reach the top, he loved that, gave me a killer grin, and slapped the horse and we jetted off at a gallop! bHAHAAH I cant even explain how awsome it was, he was excited to win, and actually have the gringa who wanted to go fast, instead of the ones trying to get off and walk, I was excited that I didnt fall of! there were many close calls but , I was born for the rough country :) hehe.... So we arrive at this beautiful waterfall, freezing cold water, all our little guides were down the rocks in their shorts and swimming before we all were even done with our "ooo's and aaahh's" I saw Alexander jumping off this rock by the waterfall and it looked so cool! so we swim over there to play too!, Their faces were like really, you guys are gonna do this too! So basically having the time of our lives! until i decide that standing behind the waterfall wasnt enough I wanted to jump through it, to safely splash on the other side, i asked my little man If it was safe, he said "claro que si mira" "of course look" and proceded to jump through and pop his little head up on the other side, so without hesitation im jumping! I didnt jump far enough and crashed with a rock and got stuck directly where the million pounds of water was falling on my head, it spin me around and around I didnt know where up was I didnt knwo anything and I really thought I was going to die, my thought was "oh no poor rachel!" I was about to black out and then there was air! hooray!!!!! I made it but wow it was sooooooo scary.... but i guess that it was a good experience hehehe and my little guy was like" I was about to jump in and save you, and then you just popped up! " that would have been quite a sight me being twice his size, but he had a big heart! our ride back was just as cool, just kinda soggy and me and Alexander sang salsa songs inbetween gallops and then at the end we took the secret longer was back and left everyone behind , so our time together could be even just a little bit longer! at the end he held my hand and told me that he would remember me when I came back, I was in love with the horses, the little boys, the mountains the beauty....it was a priceless experience!