Still in need of a pony.

Nate and I managed to drag ourselves away from Salta La Linda and its delightful assortment of anthro museums and locutorios long enough to take an excursion on horseback through the nearby mountains. Our riding party consisted of six British schoolboys and Alejandro, our patient guide. The schoolboys were keen on role playing games and Pixar movies. Aah, the exciting debates they had on our ride from Salta to the ranch - would a sequel to Monsters, Inc. be any good? Was The Incredibles awesome, or super awesome?

The ranch was a former convent, set in the hills high above Salta. We toured the old chapel, and then got down to the all important business of horse selection. Nate and I classified ourselves as "experienced" riders (after all, we had ridden independently relatively recently), and were accordingly rewarded with two of the better horses. I also proved myself to be a vastly improved rider by getting on the horses unassisted.

We were somewhat worried that riding with a guide would cramp our style, but Alejandro proved to be an excellent companion, knowledgeable not only about horses but also Argentine drug laws and drug production, cures for altitude sickeness, wine making, people of the countryside, Andean cuisine, etc, etc. And, he had no objection to letting the horses stretch their legs, and even permitted us to engage in the occasional race. At the insistence of the British boys, he even agreed to participate in one, his far superior horse quickly outpacing the rest of the field, and almost as quickly disappearing down the road and out of sight. -EMW