Arabian Nights

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Last night my Egyptian friend Rana and her boyfriend took a group of nine Americans out to the desert to ride horses. We left Heliopolis at about 11pm in three cars and headed out towards the pyramids. Driving up the pyramids you go through this slummy town, and it was on the edge of this town that the first group of horses trotted past us on the street. I don't know if people actually ride these horses during the day, but when we went there were men on horses all over this neighborhood. We got to the stable and Rana asked us if we wanted a tame horse or a wild one. Thinking of the tired, slow horses that one usually gets on a trail ride, I elected to ride a wild one. They brought me a big, beautiful stallion. And this horse was certainly wild- he didn't want to stand still, and every time that another horse ran he immediately wanted to take off with them. When we got out into the desert I finally let him run, and it was incredible. I had to hang on as tight as I could with my legs as the pyramids flew by on the skyline. We slowed down and trotted out to where several groups of bedouins were sitting around the fire at their camps. We didn't stay with them, although apparently sometimes people do this. When we were headed back and were almost around the corner from the stables in a field, my friend Andy ran by on his horse, and I let mine run with him. I barely caught a voice saying, "Owww..." in the grass, and then I realized that Andy's horse was still running, minus a rider. Poor Andy's stirrup had broken and he got thrown. He was okay, just bleeding a little on his eyebrow where he hit a rock. Other than that everybody was fine, albeit horsey-smelling and a little sore the next day. Okay, really sore. Some of my other friends thought that it was alright, although they wouldn't do it again, but I loved it, and would go again in a heartbeat.

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Comments

[Stacey]

cool!
that sounds like a LOT of fun!