The Oracle
We were slowly making our way down the red dirt driveway in a well-loved CR-V after settling into our cabin at Hanna Stables.
Terrie turned her head around and made eye contact with me with a smile on her face. “So you met Santiago,” she chuckled, “I like to call him the Oracle.”
Prior to our ride with Terrie to the market, Ginger and I crossed paths with the owner of the farm on his way home from work with a bag of fresh fruits in hand. The three of us exchanged a typical round of hellos.
Ready for a ride
“What do you do?” Santiago proceeded to ask Ginger.
“I work in finance.”
Santiago paused, half-grinned... and then essentially told Ginger she was responsible for ruining the world. A (quick) conversation ensued about money, world politics, and the role of the stock market before Santiago excused himself to get ready for dinner.
Ginger and I stood there speechless.
Nice to meet you too?
At the stables
For reasons still more or less understood, this introduction could have been-- should have been-- harsh and unwelcoming, but it. . . wasn’t? I was hooked, needing to know more about this mystery man.
We freshened up and made our way down to the kitchen area for dinner where we ran into Santiago once again. Without skipping a beat, we jumped right into a discussion that touched on politics and religion… all before supper.
If there was ever a family dinner conversation about politics that ended without someone beating his fists on the table or without a relative telling another family member to f*ck off, I’d love to hear about it. And I’ll exchange stories about my pet unicorn. Maybe the heavy-handed red wine pours are to blame, but politics and religion at the dinner table are generally discouraged (although usually not avoided) where I come from.
Yet, there I was in a foreign country, having a-- dare I say it-- civilized discussion about the world. Foreign indeed.
A “thank you”
Hanna Stables offered a balance between the effort and the ease. We walked up to the stables on our second day to ride horseback up to the Xunantunich ruins. Our guide, William, worked with the horses at Hanna Stables, ran his own family farm, and spent his non-animal related time with the University of Arizona archeology team excavating the infamous “Stone Maiden.” The following day was spent traversing the depths of the ATM cave where the Maya performed rituals and human sacrifices.
At the end of each adventurous day we returned back to Santiago’s dinner table. The three of us would sit, long after all the rice and beans had been cleared, engaged in the kind of conversation that reminds me why I travel-- to listen, learn, and grow.
Santiago and Terrie quickly became like the cool aunt and uncle that you visit every so often. They’re your friends and your family. Never once did I feel as if I was imposing or unwelcomed. Leaving down the red dirt driveway on our way to the airport I was already brainstorming what topics to bring up with the Oracle next time around.
Lodge & horseback: Hanna Stables
ATM cave: MayaWalk Tours
xx Adventure Well
