Horseback in the Jungle

Following on our trip to the coast, we had the cool opportunity to go on horseback up into the jungle. One fascinating part was that we ascended through multiple climates, each with differing flora and fauna. The coast is largely desert, then up into a dry tropical forest, and then into a cloud forest, which true to its namesake has a lot of rain.

 Here is Amy, taking advantage of a vine near the side of the trail, to work on her Tarzan moves. I think she got the highest of us all.

We each rode on our own horse, which the kids loved. We had all ridden some in the past, but the kids were especially excited to be by themselves. To be on the safe side, there were guides leading the kids' horses. The terrain was muddy and quite hilly. We definitely went up and down some really steep stuff. I thought the kids would be freaking out, but no. The air was continually punctuated by squeals of delight, especially from Bentz. One downside of the bumpy, hilly ride was that when we got back home, in addition to the hives, Bentz had a case of bruised scrotum that was wince-inducing to say the least. He didn't seem to mind, though, and kept asking when we were going back to the jungle to ride horses again.

Below is a shot of each of the kids on their horses. Such fun.