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Published: September 26th 2008
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Day 87 - Wednesday 24th September: Riding in Bolivia's Wild West
Get up at 8am after three and a half hours of proper sleep. Feeling lethargic but want to go horse riding today - the purpose of coming to Tupiza. Wasn't originally going to come to Tupiza but a number of people have recommended it, and they can't all be wrong, or can they? Coming into regular contact with other travellers you get advised to go to various places, most of which I don't do as you simply can't do everything, but there was something about Tupiza which intrigued me. Maybe its the chance to get some riding practice in before my stay on a ranch in Argentina in 3 weeks or the stunning scenery I've seen in photographs. Anyway, I quickly walk around the town (Tupiza is a small town of 10,000 people) comparing tour prices....decide to go on reputation rather than price and book a day's horse riding for 200 Bolivianos (17 pounds). Back in England I was paying the same amount for a half hour lesson! Whilst I'm walking around get a bus ticket for Uyuni tomorrow at 10am, as Salar de Uyuni tours from Tupiza seem
to end in Uyuni not San Pedro, Chile where I want to finish. Everything sorted. all that's left is to enjoy the horse riding. On my way back to the hostel to drop some stuff off, Piers decides he will join me on the horse riding tour.....pleased as it was just going to be me on my own.
At 10am we get picked up from the tour agency and a short bus ride later we arrive at the stables. There are 6 of us riding today, but shortly after riding out of Tupiza, we are split in two groups, as we are riding for different lengths of time. Myself and Piers are joined by a Danish guy who departs before lunch for some unknown reason. The scenery is superb, red semi desert, canyons and desert vegetation. You feel like you could be in the American Wild West....indeed Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid met there demise a short distance from Tupiza, so the links are there. We cover 12km before lunch, mainly just walking with the odd trot thrown in....I think our guide is measuring our ability. After lunch, riding gets more interesting, going through several rivers, riding along
the train rails and getting up to a fast canter. I'm loving being on a horse again, and it definitely feels like the wild west and the weather and surroundings cannot be faulted....I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be riding. The last part of the day, myself and Piers are joined by a French girl and with all of us having riden before its good fun cantering along the rails and through rivers back into Tupiza.
Once back in Tupiza, the three of us get an icecream and drink together to relax after a day in the saddle. Starting to feel the time in the saddle so its back to the hostel to freshen up before me and Piers get dinner. Have an early night after the exertions on the bus ride the previous night and of course today. Fall asleep reflecting on one of the best day's on my trip to date.....so pleased I came to Tupiza.
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