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Dear Everyone,

We are lying in the sunshine would you believe! We've only had 2 wet days so far this month and we've seen some daffodils so think spring is on the way at last - Hurray!

We did eventually set off from Coñaripe on Monday after staying a week. I forgot to tell you when we arrived on Coñaripe we stopped and asked the Carabineros for advice where to stay with the horses and were told that the Australians had been there 2 weeks before (I did tell you about these 2 Australians we seemed to be 2 weeks behind all the time - also travelling with 3 horses - since Puerto Montt). We hadn't heard anything about them since Uifen - before Lukrona.

We were told they'd stayed down the road with 'Don Carlos' as he had a field for the horses, so this is where we went and it was only after a long time we found out it wasn't normally a guest house! They were a lovely family and we had all our meals cooked for us for a very cheap rate. Even more amazing news was the Australians had sold them their horses and gone on on a bus! They were very sad at parting with the horses but they were flying to the States to find work and then back to Australia some time. They'd taken 2 months to travel around the Decima Region and seemed to have had a great trip.

We'd heard many different stories about them along the way, especially about how much they paid for their horses! It's been getting lower as we've gone along, so we think maybe they were saying a lower price as many people thought they'd paid too much. One chap we met near to Ranco had a calculator and worked it out in US dollars for us and knew how much they'd paid for the tack and everything. He said they'd paid 250,000 pesos for each horse - he thought we'd done very well to buy ours for 90,000 as most horses around there were over l00,000. This family said they paid l80,000 in Puerto Montt each and had sold them for l20,000 to Don Carlos - the father - although we think maybe they gave them away as they were a nice family and they'd obviously got on very well.

We were told that the Australians were going to come back and visit next year - then we were told that they usually have horses every year and rent them out to the tourists, but at the end of the year they are unmanageable and so they eat them!! Don Carlos is a butcher and has a slaughter house. This is what is going to happen to these three we think, although one has clearly already been sold. We did wonder what we'd been eating for the week!

People here don't treat horses very well, the day we arrived 2 of the children had been for a ride and the horses were left tied up by the bridles to a tree in the garden until mid-day the next day, no water, nothing to eat. Horses have to eat all the time, they're not like us and happy with meals now and again - we were horrified.

Unfortunately Don Carlos thought he was an expert on horses and so proceeded to tell us what we were doing wrong with the pilchero tack and also every day told us our horses weren't as nice as his 3. Despite them all being a lovely family, this got a bit wearing. They don't look after their horses properly and no wonder they turn unmanageable as they are lassoed and chased around to move them from one field to another and ridden very badly - I don't think they could believe me when I told them that they used the same horses at Cantref for 20 years. They think l2 years old is passed it here and they put them into hand work aged 2 no wonder they get worn out!)

They ride them with horrible bits often and huge spurs with spikes and they ride them leaning back whacking them constantly with a long leather strap attached to the end of the reins. Whack, whack, whack with almost every step, it doesn't matter whether they want to stop or turn or go faster, they whack them and they haul on the reins and whack them so the poor horses go along with their heads in the air and rushing short little steps; no wonder he thought our horses were too dozy - because they aren't terrified of us! Unfortunately we've met a few people like this and it's most annoying when they interfere.

One day we went up to give the horses water (as it was in a different field) and he said its OK I've done it; luckily we carried on anyway and walked with them up to the trough (they don't usually have to be led as they know we get them food and look after them) and they drank loads, all very thirsty, we saw on the gateway tufts of Rupert's hair so he'd obviously opened the gate and chased them into the field and of course our horses would have been too upset to drink with this idiot there so he thought they weren't thirsty!

Being around people like this upsets the horses, I think they remember being treated roughly before, when we first got them Rupert and Salsa were very head shy and still now if frightened or strangers make sudden movements they jerk their heads up - sometimes they still get frightened with us like they forget its us and we don't hit them. They are so different to when we got them, Alazán is so much better with traffic - he used to spook at lorries and cars but even worse when he was scared of the vehicle he was terrified of me riding him and expected to be beaten for spooking so often. We'd shoot off down the bank after the vehicle had passed, especially if I waved at the driver as he thought my hand moving meant he was going to get hit! It took us a while to work out what the problem was. I couldn't believe he was more frightened of me, we didn't ever hit them! Now he's a different horse, I can wave at everyone and he trusts me. It's touching.

One evening we went to see the horses after another round of 'our horses are prettier than yours' and found Rupert lying down having a snooze. This was before his poorly effort and it was nice to see. He was sitting up, curled up and wasn't bothered by us coming up to him in the dark - in fact we'd been talking to Salsa and didn't even realise he was there until he groaned. Pádraig went off to check that the trough was full and I sat with Rupert cuddling him, he went really dozy and his head drooped then he rolled flat out, head stretched out in the grass and started snoring. I was still sitting next to him, stroking his side. This was 'Rupert the Unsure' of months ago, now so trusting that he'll go sound asleep with me there at his side.

It made me think how wonderful our 3 horses are and it didn't matter if other people don't think the same or think they're not pretty, or they're lazy, to me that fact that they are so relaxed with us worth a lot more. Anyway we know they aren't lazy and would probably beat their horses in a race, which in our minds we have challenged them to! It's all our ego though, of course when Rupert was ill, we were terribly worried about him but we also, I'm ashamed to say, thought "Oh God what are they going to say now". We didn't tell them we knew what was wrong (didn't tell them about the vitamin injection) and also hadn't told them Pádraig was a vet.

Of course, Don Carlos knew what was wrong with him - it was the pilchero tack - he'd had it on wrong - too far back and had got a cold because he'd had it tight around his middle and then had drunk cold water. Obvious really isn't it!! All this was without seeing Rupert -amazing diagnosis. Anyway when on Sunday Rupert was better, we decided to go on Monday and it was quite a relief to leave, although they really were nice people (I know it doesn't sound like it) they just thought they knew it all - I'm sure things would have been different if they hadn't bought the Australian horses 2 weeks before.

Anyway, we didn't ride very far that day. Rupert seemed to be completely better, but we took it easy and stopped fairly early. We got onto an 'old road' which means a path across the country with no traffic - lovely! It was a nice campsite but unfortunately Rupert's neck was very stiff in the morning and had swollen up again - oh dear, we had been sure he'd completely recovered but the work had made it worse again. We felt pretty awful - poor Rupert. We couldn't stay where we were as it was a bit private and we'd been a bit naughty to camp there - well there wasn't a fence but it looked like private land. We made Salsa pilchero (only her 3rd go at it in 4 months - she hates it, the first time she did it I led her from Alazán and she kept ramming him on purpose and biting his bottom. She really wasn't put on this earth to be a pack horse!) This time she wasn't so bad as she could go at her own pace at first as Pádraig led Rupert in front and I followed on Alazán. She was loose but she spent most of the time trotting around trying to eat the grass, so then Pádraig led her and Rupert was loose to follow slowly - he eased up a bit but when we came across a lovely big area with OK grass we decided to camp for the day - very early but we hoped he'd get better with rest.

He as still the same the next day, so we decided to try to reach the main road between Villarrica and Pucon and find somewhere to rest him up. We walked slowly taking it in turns to ride Salsa, Alazán being pilchero as we like Salsa to lead when we are on busier roads - she's got the biggest bravest bottom to hide behind! We reached the road, a paved one unfortunately, so lots of fast big busses and lorries. The horses were excellent and only flinched once when the vehicles whooshed passed us.

We asked at a number of places but no-one wanted the horses - we could have rented Cabanas but as they were 20-25,000 each a night (not each person, but that's 30-60 US$ per night) we didn't think we could afford to rest Rupert for long, so we walked on until we found this campsite (all the other campsites were shut) and here we are with the place to ourselves, it's on a steep slope down to the lake shore and there are about 45 sites for tents and no-one in them; there's lots of long lush grass all around, so the horses have been grazing well.

We've bought them hay and oats so they should get built up quite well. The best for them is green grass and we haven't seen much good stuff for a while, so it's great there's some here, the sun has shone and they are enjoying their holiday - they didn't seem to like the water from a little stream near the tent, so we took them to paddle in the lake and they preferred that water, although it was funny to see them with the waves!

Rupert is feeling much better and is moving much easier, we don't know how long we'll stay but we are all enjoying it and so there's no rush to leave - it's nice to stay with families but sometimes we need to be left alone. We can wash our clothes and write letters and have a rest, it's nice.

The horses are really happy here, at the moment they are right up the hill with some lovely grass they've been grazing all day, they will come down soon for their dinner of oats and we'll tie them near the tent with some hay for the night.

Tomorrow we'll go into Pucon and do some shopping and posting so I will try and finish this to send it off. The route we will be taking north sounds wonderful, through some National Parks.

I'd better close soon as I have to prepare their diner and ours. We are having beef - we haven't been eating so much meat lately - it's easier to cook over the stove in the doorway of the tent in this weather so we've been eating soup and pasta with a tin of tuna in it. It's a lovely change to have big juicy steaks and we have cabbage and Brussels sprouts too. We had to same last night with potatoes and carrots, strange meal but we've really been missing green and fresh vegetables.

Hope you're all well - Bye for now - our next address is Los Angeles - It's a fair bit north, if we get moving, we should be there in a month of 3 weeks but we may not leave here until next weekend, depending on how Rup the Poop is (he's much better but needs to rest) so maybe we'll be there by mid September or the end of September, so as long as you post things not before the last week in August (which you won't by the time you get this) and not later than the first week in September, we should time it right.

I think the quickest time is about l0 days from England.

We'll let you know how quick the progress is! I look forward to hearing from you all.

Tons of love, we think of you all often,

Kate, Pádraig and the gee gees.

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.