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I now realise I am writing to an even larger audience! Hello Susan and Uncle Tony and Auntie Marjorie! It's funny to think of you all receiving copies; it must cost a fortune to get them all photocopied. I'm glad you enjoy reading them and find them interesting. I enjoy writing them, especially as we aren't keeping up our journal, it will be our only record and we are already forgetting so much. Poor old Pádraig finds writing letters hard work (although he's very good at it and writes very well) I think that's the problem, he puts so much thought into it that it takes ages, whereas I scribble it all down as it pops into my head. He's only got as far as Coyhaique in his letters home. Unfortunately his last letter (27 sides! and his writing is much smaller than mine) got lost but luckily as it took him so much effort, in Puerto Montt, to get it written, we had it photocopied just in case. It was posted the same time as the big letter sent Daddy that never arrived, so I don't know if they lost he sack or whether they sent it surface mail by mistake - if that's the case it takes 2 months so they'll be due soon!

To try and clear that up I will list here the letters sent that day. Big one to Daddy, Dear Jane at the top as I thought to write to Jane but then heard she was in Colombo - also in the same envelope a little letter to Dad thanking him for his letters which I received in Puerto Montt and answering them, a letter was also sent to Auntie Pudge thanking her for her 2 letters which we really enjoyed reading and a letter for Mummy answering her 2 letters, all posted on the 17th July from Puerto Montt - we know Daddy's didn't arrive and Pádraig's parents' letter and from the recent letters from Mum and Auntie Pudge I assume they didn't get there either as no mention was made - what a shame. We also sent letters and postcards to lots of friends that day.

I now think that I will send everything "certificado" as it might be safer - I do hope the latest big letter - along with the re-written missing letter has arrived safely - sent with the film from Villarrica on the 4th August - I think it added up to 60 sides or so, I hope you aren't too bored!

Anyway, here we are in Coyhaique again, we did leave on Monday but yet again had to turn back - our route on our map is starting to look like a scribble. We wanted to ride north over the hills through Parque Nacional Villarrica to Currarelue, we asked the police if the road was clear and he said it was fine, lorries were getting through, there's less snow this year (but more rain) so off we set and rode all day up this valley only to be told at the top that no traffic had got through since the end of May and that there was about 2 metres of snow on the road! Marvellous! So back we went and came back to stay at the same place - we had a great welcome after all the goodbyes only the day before.

We planned to leave yesterday but when we went to fetch the horses first thing, we found our dear Rupert wasn't well, we'd given them all a vitamin injection the day before as they aren't in great condition after all the bad weather and poor old Rupert appears to be allergic to vitamins. His neck, where he'd had the jab was all stiff and swollen and he was in a bad way, very rapid breathing and pulse and his temperature was far too high. Oh dear, we felt terrible we'd given it to them to make them feel better; we got an anti-inflammatory drug for him and luckily by the end of the day his temperature was down to normal, he was eating and drinking but just very stiff to move - this morning he is even better, although still quite stiff; we might leave tomorrow if he's completely better but at least we have a nice place to stay for the moment.

We took the bus in to Villarrica first thing Monday morning, after arriving here Sunday night, and went straight to the post office. I think we got l5 letters in all and I've read them all about 4 times now, they really mean so much. We went straight down to the lakeside and sat in the bright sunshine to read them - the lake was very blue and there was a fabulous view of Volcan Villarrica just the other side of the water - very snowy and conical just like a volcano should be. Reading the letters was lovely, we both felt quite touched, it was very nice of you all to say such nice things about our losing Brown Dog, you all said the same things, that you were sorry and how sad it was but how nice that we had some happy months together and how happy he'd been with us. Thank you.

We then had to rush around shopping and we bought new plastic - my birthday present! Some women want a new kitchen or bathroom - for me it's new plastic to cover the pilchero and the tack at night - it's lovely, the old stuff as very torn and worn. Rupert is very careful but there's been a lot of brambles lately and the odd occasion that Alazán carries it he crashes into everything (especially Salsa which she hates!!) Alazán is the 'dotty one' Auntie Pudge! He has broken the handle off the frying pan since denting the saucepan lid. We rang home from Villarrica to report in, luckily when we rang Killarney we could speak to Mary Pádraig's sister) as she was home from India for a couple of weeks, they think they'll be in Calcutta until December. Bronwyn is causing traffic jams when she goes out as everyone thinks a little blonde baby is gorgeous and wants to pick her up and kiss her. She's nearly 2 now and is going swimming regularly at the Tollygunge Club, a very different Calcutta from the one we knew working at Mother Teresa's home. It would be lovely to visit them while they are there, but it's a long way from here - one trip at a time!

It was lovely to hear all the news and great to get the letters that had missed us further south - thanks for sending them again.

I should go back to where I left off the last letter. We had been stuck in the rain for 3 nights up this hill. I told you we'd tried to cross this flooded valley, we did manage o get around the fields having to take fences down and put them back up again; it was all quite exhausting - pouring down all the time and bits were alarming, poor Alazán and I took a dunking when because of the rushing water across the fields the earth gave way at the edge - it made him shiver even more the poor chap - didn't do much for me either mind you!

Parts of the fields were so waterlogged that the ground was moving for big areas where you trod on it, worse than a bog, you didn't sink into the earth, the earth sank when you stepped on to some parts - I think there must have been water rushing underneath and washing it away, anyway it was all horrible and scary and then when we eventually got through we found a river with a bridge down - the bridge had been down a while and it was obviously possible to cross on a horse in normal conditions but these weren't normal conditions and the water was very high and fast, so we didn't even attempt it and turned back - we had to go through all that again, to get back to the same campsite - the only bit of grazing around and it was still pouring down.

We left the horses loose for the night as it was so miserable for them, we were pretty sure they wouldn't wander far as they knew what the ground was like either side of us and that there was no grass to be had. It meant they could move around to keep warm and try to shelter, but in the morning they were all standing together in a miserable wet group - they looked like drowned rats. Still pouring down, we felt so sorry for them, they had no rest from it; at least we could crawl into the tent and get into our sleeping bags. We felt mean tacking them up as they were very uncomfortable and cold. Poor Rupert had to carry the pack but we walked the other two so they wouldn't have to carry us; it made us warmer too.

I'd woken up in the middle of the night with the awful thought that if one of the log bridges had been washed away on the other side then we'd be stuck there! Not a good night's sleep after that! We had plenty of food but the horses were starting to suffer and we really wanted to get them to some shelter, but phew! all the bridges had held, one was at a different angle and there had been a bit of a landslide at one point but we got through no trouble. We walked along in a line Pádraig first and Salsa following then Rupert, then Alazán none having to be led and me bringing up the rear - they were so cold and wet and uncomfortable - really stiff to start with we were a bit worried about them. I sang a little song to keep the spirits up - actually I think it's what kept them going - running away from me at the back!

We reached the Saw Mill we'd passed on the way up and as you know they took us in and looked after us for the next 5 days, we had a tiny wooden hut to stay in and got fed 4 meals a day - they wouldn't accept anything for it and were so nice to us. They wanted us to stay until the weather was really good, they lit a huge fire on the first day to dry all our things and didn't want us to get wet again. They didn't want us to leave at all in the end and were very sad to say goodbye. I had quite a lump in my throat as we waved to them all.

The horses had cheered up a lot once it stopped raining (after 5 full days and nights without stopping!) They had a shelter in a clearing up the hill - the only grazing there was, unfortunately it was impossible to get hay or oats through as there was a bridge down but we spent a few days clearing brambles and so they could get at a lot more grass and were quite content; it was lovely to see them dry for the first time in ages and dozing in the sunshine. They are all suffering with very dry flaky skin after all the rain and have lost a lot of hair - poor things. They don't look as terrible as that sounds but they were quite fat and glossy - they lost quite a lot of weight in those days - we are now building them up by feeding them oats and nice bales of Alfalfa, there's no lush green grass here, unfortunately, as that's the best for them. So much for vitamin shots! Poor Rupert.

We rode back up this hill pretty sure that after 3 days without rain, the river would be down and we'd be able to get across. When we passed the clearing where we'd camped those three nights Salsa looked confused but Rupert walked straight in and stood waiting for us to take his pack off; obviously convinced we must be going to camp there again.

The fields weren't full of water any more so we didn't have to cross them or take the fences down - phew! We had three rivers to cross, one was quite deep but easy to see the bottom as it was flat land and so clear and not rocky. Alazán didn't want to get in though as it was quite a step down and the bank crumbled a bit and he remembered his fright a few days before. Salsa nearly always the bravest went in no arguments and waded across and climbed out the other side. That left me with Alazán and Rupert, oh dear - Alazán still wouldn't get in even though he'd seen little Salsa make it (she's shorter than him!). So Pádraig had to come back and get Rupert and led him over -he didn't complain and went easily. So just Alazán and I on this side and he still wouldn't get in. I tried leading him and riding him but he refused to try. So poor Salsa had to get back in and cross back again; just then we heard a splosh and Rupert was back in the water and coming back too - he didn't want to stay there on his own, so had jumped back in bless him; unfortunately he didn't follow Salsa exactly and found a really deep bit but he managed. So there we were after an hour, all on the first side! Rupert and Salsa didn't get out of the water, so it wasn't too bad. In the end we managed by Pádraig holding the reins and pulling from Salsa in the river and me whacking Alazán's bottom; he danced about a bit and then made a huge jump and splashed into the water; he then stood there as if to ask what all the fuss had been about. I got on and we rode across - we made friends, I forgave him for being silly, he's had a few frights falling over lately; he doesn't think much and is so trusting that if I led him anywhere he'd just follow without looking carefully first - I was worried he wouldn't trust me any more as I'd let him into all these situations, but he's forgiven me for whacking him on the bottom and is the same old Alazán.

The next river he got into, no trouble following the others and the third he led the way into it but we let Salsa cross first as she's got more sense with these things. Rupert followed and then us, it was a very fast rocky river, steep so you couldn't see the bottom or where to put your feet, a bit like stepping into the unknown. I thought it was really deep and then whoosh, it was even deeper and my wellies were full! Rupert slipped and his bottom went under but he bobbed back up again, all the water running off the plastic looked like a cliff after a wave has been in. We climbed out the other side and were absolutely elated; the horses just grazed but we danced about and grinned - at last we'd made it 8 days later! If we hadn't we'd have had to go all the way back around the lake the other way and on some horrible big roads, a really long way around. We rode on in the evening sunshine, jolly happy, we made it to a village called Coshuenco that night and the horses stayed with the Carabineros again in a nice field with some hay and also had some of their oats for breakfast; it wasn't possible to buy any in the village, but they had some for their 8 horses so gave us some. We stayed that night in a little hospedaje over the road; it was nice to wake up on the morning of my birthday with no rain.

The horses were munching away in the field opposite, it was all clear and frosty - beautiful. We went and packed up after breakfast; before we set off we went in to thank the carabineros for their kindness and as one of them was on the telephone we waited in the entrance hall and there was a big poster on the wall and I went to see it. Usually they just have the photos of the president and police chief. This turned out to be all about Otters! How exciting, it was exactly a year ago that week-end that Pádraig and I had been to Slapton Ley and seen an otter, what a coincidence! There was a local project to protect and study local otters in the lakes and rivers; it was very interesting although I didn't understand a lot of it. They call them "Huillin" here. It had lots of pictures and diagrams and facts, really good stuff, although I don't think this sort of project is very common here. I wished I could have found out more about it to tell or send to the International Otter Survival Fund people in Skye.

We rode out of the town on this lovely clear sunny morning a very nice day's ride for my birthday. We found a lovely spot to camp for the night, it reminded us of how it used to be further south with a nice big area to camp in at the side of the road. We had to share it with some pigs, they were beautiful, some are gingery with big black patches on them - like Oxford Sandy & Blacks - Adrian. They call that type 'tigres' here although they aren't stripy. These pigs were quite a happy band, all different sizes. They didn't bother

us or the horses, but when we saw one grabbing hold of a piece of old material that had got stuck in the ground and pulling and pulling and shaking it, seemingly just to play, we thought we ought to chase them away before we went to bed. There were 2 quite close to the camp and chasing them around in the dark was fun as they kept running the wrong way - we really could have done with Brown Dog! In the end they ran down a track into the trees; we heard lots of squeals and realised they were all there waiting for us to go away - then they'd be back we thought; when we shone the torch we realised they had all gone to bed, it was very sweet to see them all cuddled up under the bushes - nice to see them living such a natural life - we left them in peace and didn't hear a peep out of them until morning.

It was a lovely evening, we had a fire, it was dry and clear and we had a yummy meal, well soup and pasta, but we had a few potatoes and carrots and a sausage in the soup and nice to make Rotis over the fire. A very simple bread, just flour and water and salt made flat and fried in a pan. We always enjoy them but its a bit time consuming - to think when we first set off we were making them every lunch time! Long days then.

Actually the days are getting noticeable longer already; it's light at 7.05 now and not dark 'till about 7 in the evening. Hurray and even better it hasn't rained since we left the Saw Mill - that was 9 days ago - a record! I do hope that this means what they say about August being dryer is correct. Funny to think you had such a wet June but weren't May and July and August very hot for you over there?

We did see a bit of Wimbledon on the TV (as a Chileno was playing) - made us think of home.

I will close now and try to write individual notes to answer your letters. I will put them all in this envelope and send it Certificado from Villarricca; we do have to go there now as we can't get over the hills! Maybe the parcel will have arrived, but I asked them to send it up further north to somewhere we thought was a lot nearer and so it will sit there for a month then get sent back! What a shame, I love the sound of a bar of chocolate! Really thought it was the letters that were the best presents we loved reading them and the cards, thanks a lot.

Will maybe add some more to this if something exciting happens.

for now, much love

Kate, Pádraig, Alazan, Salsa and a stiff Rupert!

Copyright ©2001 Adrian M Wadley. All Rights Reserved. South America photographs, letters and text used with permission and copyright ©Kate and Padraig Queally 1997-1998. All Rights Reserved.