Day at Hacienda La Margarita

We took a little road trip to the outskirts of the city for an afternoon of good food, a horse show and a little bull fighting. We took about a 30-minute cab ride with Eric and Sara and their family. They have been wanting us to check out Hacienda La Margarita with them for the past week. We learned it's a great place for a little family entertainment. We had lunch -- Stephanie and I had some great steaks --and then enjoyed watching a group of riders show off their skills. Horses pranced and maneuvered up and down a pathway with tables on both sides. The show only stopped a couple times to allow for a guy with a pooper scooper to clean up the path. For a Wednesday afternoon it was pretty packed. After the show was over, the audience could have their pictures taken with the horses. We of course had to get a shot of Laura with a horse. She didn't seem all that impressed, but she and her friend, Karina (Eric and Sara's daughter, who was adopted from the same orphanage) had a great time hanging out. After the horse show, everyone left their tables to go outside and watch a little bull fighting. Anyone who wanted to participate could walk into the ring with the bull. All that separated them from the wrath of the bull was a thin red and yellow cape. Most quickly learned that bull fighting isn't as easy as it looks. Fortunately for them, the bulls weren't that big and their horns were filed down. Men and women alike were thrown and slammed to the dirt. The most surprising moment was when two women -- one wearing stiletto heels -- entered the ring. The one wearing the heels was knocked hard to the ground twice, but got up both times smiling and laughing. No one was injured and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. At one point a man approached me with cape in hand and wanted to know if I wanted to give it a try. Though it looked like a lot of fun to get tackled by a bull, I decided to pass. It's probably one of the wisest decisions I've made in a while.