Mule ride! Sounds like a good idea, in theory. That is unless you’re 6 feet tall and your feet practically touch the ground once you’re riding the animal. This was the case for Dave when Angel, our host-dad, told us to hop on two of his mules to ride up to another portion of his property. Things were going pretty well for me and Lucera (which means skylight), who was very obedient and didn’t mind trudging slowly up the endless dirt path. Mora (which means blackberry) on the other hand, seemed a bit pissed off to have tall Jesus on her back, and showed her displeasure by ignoring signals to keep moving and opting for a respite in a tasty patch of Guatemala grass. Eventually Angel tore off a sapling branch and gave it to Dave to use as a switch, to which Mora audibly voiced her opinion.
In the end though, Mora got the last laugh while going up a part of the path that had recently been washed out by heavy rains. The slick soil was rife with huge cracks that just begged for an accident. Within a few minutes of heading up this part my mule was slipping a bit, and just as I turned around to check on Dave and Mora, I saw her lose her front foothold and awkwardly tumble into the side of the hill with Dave slowly falling off after her. I suppose it didn’t help that Dave’s “saddle” was actually a few feed bags stacked together.
And, just as he was starting to get to his feet, Mora gave him a little warning kick to remind him who’s boss. We walked the rest of this part – well, except Angel, who mounted Lucera with his 3-year-old and towed Mora behind him. Clearly this wasn’t his first rodeo.
Here’s Dave back on the horse — once we passed the treacherous part.
Las palabras del dia
Mula – Mule
Derrumbe – Landslide
Lodo – Mud
Cowboy – Gaucho
Hierba/Pasto – Grass
Lucera – Skylight
Mora – Blackberry
Katy Nally
The cloudforest adventure blog 
Leave a comment