Our first overnight on the great El Chepe Mexico adventure in the little town of Cerocahui (approximately a 40 min drive from the Bauhichivo train station), I agreed to go horseback riding. I'm not sure if it was the tequila or the high elevation that got me to do it. I'm not afraid or against horseback riding; I like horses. It just seems any "organized" horseback riding trip is slow paced, "nose to bum" the whole ride. Not to mention that I always get the crazy horse, not sure if its their shifty eyes, gleaming coats and wild manes straight from Mordor*, but those are the ones I end up with. This time was no different - meet Mono (Monkey, in Spanish). He was clearly the town's pride and joy racehorse, as he was gorgeous and ready to completely jump out of his skin to run over the Sierra Madres! Our horseman, Francisco, had to hold his reigns so he didn't bolt, which is fine since I didn't want to die, but was severely boring. My horse and my guide After about 10 minutes of pouting, one of the other riders with more experience offered to swap horses, as he was on a much more docile horse or so we thought. Meet Mono, another Mono, I dubbed him Mono Dos (Monkey 2) and instantly felt bad that he was "the second one" to the glamourous, pride of the village Mono (#1). Apparently the village children named the horses and apparently they aren't very creative or really like monkeys. The ride continued out of town and in to some idyllic graze land, over the river and through the woods. It was a relaxing ride and allowed us to see a little bit more of Mexico's country-side. Mono Dos knew exactly where he was going, there was no straying from the path he has ridden a hundred times. I resigned my self to enjoy yet another nose to bum ride, at least I wasn't on the crazy horse. Jackie Lope on the ride I was getting lazy on the ride, I didn't need to know were we were going since Mono Dos knew it so well, until we hit the top of the hill over looking the village to head back to the hotel. I'm not sure who's horse started it first, but they all started to get antsy and ready to bolt. We were all unsure it was alright for us to leave behind Francisco, but we couldn't help it, the horse couldn't help it. We had to run. So I let Mono Dos run. I got up in the saddle, squeezed my knees into his heaving sides as we went down the hill into town, hit the flat span of the main road I let him go. I have never galloped so hard before, it was in that moment that I got it, I understood why people loved horses. Speed and power like this was addictive. Then the dogs came, barking and running along side us, I could tell Mono Dos did not like this but was unsure if I was comfortable with more speed to surpass the dogs. I gave him a little whip on the bum to let him know "Let's leave these four-legged droolers in the dust!" He stretched out, full on sprinting when me in a full squeezing squat, holding on to his mane and dying of laughter as I blow by the locals staring at this crazy blonde girl racing through the town's main plaza. And just like that it was over, Mono Dos knew to stop at the fence just below the hotel he stopped and lined back up next to his herd in the shade, just as he had done a hundred times before. I like to think for a moment when we broke into that raging gallop he was just Mono. Thank you Mono Dos *My apologies on the Lord of the Ring's reference. It is the most evil place I could think of that doesn't get political. Click here to read more about Laura's luxury Mexico tour.
The holiday of a lifetime. The company is Alaksa-owned and thhat makes a big difference to the experineces you get i.e. meet genuine First Nations tribes people. The amount of wildlife was beyond my expectation, and seeing everything on sucha small, intimate boat made it even more spoecial and unique.
Liz O
1 day ago
Adventure Life covered all the details in planning our trip to Ireland. Any questions we had were answered immediately. Any trip glitches, which always happen when traveling, were resolved immediately. There were no worries, just fun!
Kathleen Weller
1 day ago
It was an outstanding, up-close, educational vacation of nature, culture, history, animals and geology! It was everything they promised! Binoculars were plentiful on the boat, but I'm glad I brought my own. Food was excellent. Rooms had black-out shades. Pack/wear multiple layers of clothing (I carried a small backpack when off the ship). Crew were delightful and very accommodating! Remember to jump FEET FIRST first when taking the optional polar plunge! Spend as much time outdoors as you are able and ENJOY!!!
Janet Dutton
6 days ago
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
1 week ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.