After such an eventful evening the night before, you would think that today would be a little more sluggish. Oh contrare!
To beat the heat, buck and I hopped up on the horses and headed out to practice some dressage in one of the main rings. Both of the horses worked enthusiastically even in such heat. The air was so thick it felt as if I could cut it with a knife, which, as one could imagine, made it all the more difficult to breathe. After about 45 minutes, the horses were cooled down in the air conditioned indoor arena and then headed back to the stable to be further cooled off and examined by brendon and christiana (US team vets). Since the horses arrived, both vets have been exceptionally pleased with the stable and consistent health patterns of both horses, which is surprising considering the heat, time change, and the long haul over here! After the horses we happy and put away in their stalls, everyone busily tidied up their surroundings without wasting one minute.
When everyone was finished with their chores, the group packed into our team car which then took us on a fairly lengthy drive to downtown hong kong. Upon arrival, we headed to the star ferry, where we glided across the harbor to reach the other island. The smell if the salty air and windy atmosphere reminded me of home.
On the other side of the city we caught a cab which then took us to the Victorias peak tram. We then waited in line, much to brendon dismay, until we boarded the tram that would take us to the top of the mountain; also known as Victorias peak. The team ride lasted about 5 minutes, with astonishing climbs of about 45 degrees. At times it seemed like the beginning of an ominous roller coaster as it climbed up the massive mountain. When we reached the top, again we climbed up about 7 flights of escalaters until we were outside on the top if the building overlooking the whole city if hong kong. The picture I saw was mezmerizing! Its hard to show a photo if what I saw for it couldn't do it any justice. Its something everyone must see for themselves (right now my pictures will have to do). After a wonderful American lunch at bubba hump shrimp (100 percent bucks idea), we headed back to the barn, all wide eyed and with an underlying sense of satisfaction from the incredible view over lunch. I hacked al and did a little trot and canter work while buck did some more flat work with reggie. The horses both seemed happy to be tucked into bed tonight as they were both tuckered out from two hard work outs. We headed back eager to see two more very important Americans who have come to view the test event: my grandparents! Because they flew from California, they were quite tired so we decided to have dinner at a Japanese restaurant in the hotel. After a scrumptious yet tedious dining experience, we said our goodbyes for the evening and settled into bed, for tomorrow is another day, and more events are sure to boil over just on the horizon! See you tomorrow!
