I hope so....

When we were in the Sacred Valley of Peru we got the idea that riding on horses up to some seldom visited Incan ruins might be a good idea. I would like to go on record as never needing to be on a horse again. I think I knew this in part of my self before we set up this ride, but now I know it in my whole being. Especially my knees. And my back. But this story is not about me and horses- it is about my sweet guy Eli. You see, the morning of the big ride Eli came up out of a sniffly sleep to rush to the bathroom for some quality time. Seems as if the different foods and such were catching up to his digestive system. This had happened to all of us in Costa Rica last year, but in that case we were sure we had brought a virus with us from Minnesota and we just tried to power through. Eli didn't say much about it, but I know that he was pretty miserable for much of that trip. So this time we decided to be proactive and on the advice of a travelling aunt we stuffed a couple packets of Immodium AD in our luggage. On the morning of the horseback adventure I popped some into Eli's mouth. He asked if there were any side effects and I assured him there were not.

We set out on our horses up through a gorgeous valley, sharing the path with ancestors of the Incans who were heading out to Palm Sunday services in their red ponchos and fabulous hats. Soon we were up high, the horses tracing along ancient Incan terraces. It was an amazing ride- the green terraces were sprouting wildflowers of every color- not only were we there at the tail end of the rainy season, but the Incan irrigation system is still functional, so the hillsides are alive with color. Hummingbirds are flitting around and we are craning craning craning for the sight of an elusive llama. Our guides only speak Spanish, and Jon is nearest to the guide, getting an earful of history and geography and geology. He is able to tranlate parcels and makes up the rest. I manage to ask about our chances of a llama sighting. We have been shut out so far. (Later, in the Pisac market, we will be offered to take our picture with a woman in her Incan garb with what we think is a baby llama in her lap. Closer inspection proves it to be a goat. Still cute. Still cost 3 soles for the opportunity). I find out that we are too low for llamas. They only live in the highlands. If these are the lowlands, I will never see a llama in the 'wild'. We are high. My knees are knocking as I look over the edge to watch the rocks my horse dislodges and sends sliding down down down. My head is a little spinny and I know that if I was walking and not on top of this horse my lungs would pop right open.

After a really quite breathtaking ride we arrive at the ruins. We pull our horses to a stop. Except for Theo. He ambles right by and disappears around a corner, not going too fast, but not stopping either. A little yelp of "My horse is heading for a ledge!" is hard for me to translate, but the guide interprets my panicky eyes accurately and wanders over to catch Theo and his horse and lead them back to us. We all gratefully dismount. My legs are afire and I have real trouble walking. After a few steps I'm back in action and eager to check out our surroundings. Not Eli. He is crumbled on the ground, already half asleep. Apparently there are side effects to his medicine- extreme sleepiness. He dozes as we explore. And then it is time to load back up on our horses and head back down. It took us two hours to get up here, I am hoping hoping that it is faster on the way down because as soon as I am back on that horse all my little pains flair up. We rouse Eli and he is helped onto his horse. His eyes can barely stay open. And here's why I love that kid to the ends of the earth. When I asked him if he was ok, if he thought he could make it, he kind of woke up a little, assessed the situation, shrugged his shoulders and murmured, "I hope so...." And we were off. Eli was riding behind me but I kept turning around and checking him out. He was dozing and would kind of lean lean lean one way, then shudder awake and reset. Then lean lean lean the other way. Shudder, sit up, and repeat. When our horses would get close I'd ask again, "Are you going to make it?" I never got anything more than that tired, "I hope so...." No complaining, no whining, just quiet perseverance and a general hope for the best. This is truly the attitude he brings to most unpleasant undertakings. A parent really couldn't ask for much more.

We did finally make it down, back to our hotel. I thought my legs were going to crack right off. I had visuals of someone cracking the wishbone of a chicken. Except it was my legs. We all rolled off, gave our guides a big thanks, and limped back into our hotel. Eli immediately went over to the box of Immodium, found the side effects panel and informed me with a tired smile that he was not supposed to operate heavy machinery after taking these drugs. Oops.

In this picture we are almost back to the hotel.... Eli looks fairly alert and upright. I look like I am done. Theo is leaning a bit to the left. The guide kept trying to fix his saddle to get him upright. I told them that this is also how he rides a bike. His center of balance is just a touch skewed and he goes through life leaning a bit to the left. I always make sure to walk on the right side of him on a sidewalk. If you walk on his left he crowds you right off....