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“Are you sure he could carry me?” I asked, “I think we could do better if we did it the other way around.” The guide suggested they could cut me in half and the horse could make two trips. Genghis Kahn conquered the Romans riding ponies, and the Romans were some tough guys. Since the pony seemed like a better option than being sawed in half, I decided to give the pony a chance. Once I climbed on, I was surprised at how strong the ponies were. I weigh 96 Kgs, so nearly any foreign tourist should be able to ride the ponies with no difficulty. The horses were tacked with Australian saddles. For an American, they were a bit unique, somewhere between a western and an English saddle. There was no saddle horn, but your heels were down rather than up, as in English. The saddled did not have a scabbard for my Winchester rifle or a place to hang my lasso. But otherwise, it was comfortable. Philippine horses are extremely docile. So, getting thrown is not really a problem. The trick to riding the Australian saddle, and not ridding the ground, is to keep your weight back and in your heels. Six hundred pesos got me two horses and a guide for a half day horse trek. The ride was absolutely beautiful. We went out the back of the ranch and were immediately on a jungle trail. I had never ridden a horse through the jungle before. We passed mangrove trees and saw banana leaves a meter long. The local people actually use these leaves as makeshift rain gear. Some of them get very professional in their tailoring of their banana leaf garments and make a pointed rain hat which tapers into a cape. When we passed a patch of wild pineapple, I was shocked to learn that they grew on the ground. I had always assumed that pineapple grew up at the top of a tree, like coconuts. That is probably because most of my knowledge of Asia came from Gilligan’s Island, which may or may not have taken place in Asia. People love to see you ridding horses. Everywhere along the trail families came out of their homes to wave at us. Children chased us giggling and shouting “Hey Joe, hey Joe.” We came out of the jungle and followed a dirt road, which led to the hill. The terrain was nearly vertical, covered in sharp craggy rocks. If I were honest I would say it was a bit frightening, but I would never admit being scared, especially not in writing. The top of the hill was 600 ft above sea level. From the top, you could see the valley reaching to the beach, which gave way to a blue ocean, dotted with green islands. The ocean rolled away to the cliff islands across the bay. At the top we took a break, and Rannie let the kids sit on his horse. I selfishly refused to share my horse with the kids, but I did give them all some candy. The view from the top was breath taking, whereas the ride down was just breathless. The side of the hill, in addition to being incredibly steep, was slippery and uneven. My horse began fighting me, refusing to move, no matter how much I begged him to. Finally, I got off and walked. Half way down, I caught some strange looks from a group of locals trekking up the mountain. “The horse was tired.” I told them. On the return trip, we passed houses with walls of woven bamboo and natural roofs. We crossed rice fields and in a tiny village, the big attraction was a volleyball game, played on a dirt court with an improvised net, strung between two bamboo poles. Small children played and laughed, chasing after our small horses which probably looked massive to them. Horse trekking Coron was a great experience. It was a good first day activity, because. From the top you get to the beautiful ocean and islands which will be the focus of the rest of your adventures. Next month: By Sea Kayak to the Tagbanua Calamian Tribe
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