Horse Riding in the Mountains . . .

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I’m in the Drakensberg mountains. And they are beautiful.

This afternoon I went horseback riding. I wanted to go at some point during this trip and through the mountains seemed like a good choice. I was driven about 25 kilometres from the hostel to the edge of the Royal Natal Nature Reserve - where the stables are. I then saddled up for a two hour ride through the foothills of the Northern Drakensberg Mountains, a world heritage site.

I rode often when I was young, then again this past May in Jamaica. But I am horribly out of practice. I struggled finding a good posting rhythm whenever my horse went into a trot - let alone the few times he cantered. And his speed made me nervous - which also surprised me. I loved cantering along on the horses when I was younger - when did it become scary? I improved as the ride went on, but I am going to ache tomorrow. I’m already sore and I have bruises all along the insides of my legs from my calves all the way up. I’m signed up to go walking tomorrow - I really hope I haven’t done too much damage!

But the ride was really lovely. It is so beautiful here. The mountains and valleys are all a vivid shade of green. It is quite incredible. We rode alongside the Talega River, then over into an area called the Forgotten Valley, where we rode uphill to a lookout/rest stop before winding our way back. In that valley, I’ve never heard such remarkable quiet. There were sounds of birds and bugs and water trickling and the occasional breeze blowing through the long grass. But not a single human sound - no voices, machines, music, cars. No cars! Even back home in the quite of the countryside, you can usually hear distant cars. That was incredible.

I’m feeling a bit lonely, away from home and having left Durban. So I am happy to be surrounded by such beauty. It’s comforting somehow.

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