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Dear Adrian

I think it's your turn for the big letter again; actually it's a bit confusing but I'll send it to you anyway as it seems like a long time since you had one. We are still in Puerto Montt staying with the Conaf frost fire fighters (like Hugo in Cochrane).

We are planning to leave on Sunday and that will have been a month and a day off work. They have been very kind again, us and our horses have been staying for free (nearly 3 weeks) only this time we've been sleeping on mattresses on the floor of their training room and have been able to use the kitchen (with the usual fabulous stove) and the bathroom, so real luxury.

Auntie Pudge mentioned the wonderful kindness and hospitality we've been shown along our journey and it's true - we keep being surprised at how welcome we've been made and you're right, I fear, Auntie, I don't think Chilenos or other foreigners would be given the same treatment if they were travelling in Britain or Ireland. I hope that if any of the people we have met come to England (although unlikely) that we do welcome them. Of course not having an address of our own they'll be turning up to stay in Woking, thanks Dad! I don't expect they'll have horses so I'm sure you'll be able to accommodate them!

Our time here in Puerto Montt has been hard in some ways, it's strange not being on the road and for quite a while we weren't sure if the mare was going to get better, well not better enough to keep going and the choices weren't nice, selling her lame meant only one thing - meat - so that was out of the question, but if she couldn't carry on we'd have to and then buy another horse, we'd pretty much decided that without our dear mare to lead our team, we might not want to carry on. What with losing Brown Dog and then the thought of losing her it was quite a trying time, but hurray, she's now sound, We've thought for the last week that she has been better, she got shod by the Blacksmith from the Carabineros "Grupo de formation" a very good blacksmith, he made us feel a lot better as he said her lameness was nothing to do with her shoeing (which we knew really but nice to hear) and that with a shoe on her sole would be protected and that she'd be ready for work soon!

Yesterday we rode Alazán and Rupert around 'our' fields bare-back and led her - they are full of beans after a month of rest and after a lot of walking and trotting we had a canter round which was great fun (although a tad uncomfortable on Alazán's boney spine without a saddle). They loved it as well as us. It was lovely to see he mare (being led by Padraig on Rupert) kicking her heels up and tossing her head, it was great fun. We did the same again today and Padraig rode the mare afterwards, she was perfectly sound even over stony and hard ground so I think we are ready to set off on Sunday - can't wait.

We've been able to buy (and have been given 2 of them) Turistel which is the Guide Book with good maps. We were unable to buy them in Coyhaique and so had photocopies which we coloured in and marked our campsites and sent home. We have photocopied these so we can carry the maps in our map case and look at them easily in the day, also to colour in our route and send to you. We only managed to buy the Southern book and very kindly have been given the Central and Northern ones by Felipe who works here in Conaf. They are great books and souvenirs - Poor Rupert more to carry.

I have now sent 2 films home that include our horses, so I hope some of you have seen our little team, we are so fond of them. I don't know if Jane told you (it's in a letter to her) that we made we enquiries about flying them home - just to see how much and it is quite an alarming amount we think maybe it would be cheaper by ship but I don't know how much cheaper - I think it would have to be a lot cheaper to be possible but I'm sure once you've seen the photos you'll be saving up - it is my 30th birthday soon! Only Joking! It is going to be jolly hard leaving them behind.

As we don't have a brand mark it will be hard to sell them, apparently, and from what we've seen of them we certainly don't want to send them to market. There is a feria next door and the horses we've seen there aren't treated very nicely. I think if we don't end up bringing them home, although I am still holding onto my hope) that we'll have to find someone nice to give them to. We don't have flights home, so maybe we should all come back on a boat - might take a few weeks.

I know you think we should carry on to Canada Adrian, but I think maybe that was a little optimistic and at this rate we'll be doing well to get to Santiago. We'll make sure we get that far and at the rate we are going we'll be there in September so if you book your flight to Santiago Adrian we'll pick you up at the airport with Rupert to carry your bags! You must come it would be lovely to see you and after galloping around on Rupert bareback today, Padraig thinks he's a great ride and that you'd like him lots. It's fun whizzing around here with no tack on, it's so different to plodding along with all the gear. Although that's what we really want to be doing again and will be soon.

This isn't a terribly exciting letter as nothing much has happened really. We did go to visit the Carabineros Grupo as they have an indoor school and about 25 horses. We missed seeing the show jumping practice and saw a children's lesson last Saturday morning and it was wonderful fun. l4 kids of varying sizes on some lovely horses, but all very well behaved (the horses that is). There were a couple of instructors and 11 policemen helping by trotting around and leading and lifting them on and off.

I really think Cantref would do well to employ a few, as these little girls (especially) obviously adored these nice young men and I think it would up their figures for lessons and treks.

They did lots of trotting around, they used English saddles and did the rising trot but only used one hand and neck reined. They did lots of exercises waving their arms around them all lined up and the horses stood still while they turned around in the saddle (remember being made to do this Jane?) but then things got more exciting and they rolled off backwards then had to jump (climb or be pushed) back on and stand up and then kneel on the saddle and jump down, then stand on the saddle and turn around - they were all very brave and quite good at it.

Then the lesson was over and the policemen got on and galloped about and made them rear and do tricks, quite amazing after being so quiet with the children. We were then offered a go by Ivan the instructor. We had a fun time whizzing around in the indoor school - it was lashing rain outside.

Ivan was a lovely chap and was most interested in our voyage! We took photos and promised to send copies. He was quite helpful too as when we mentioned our difficulty in finding sheepskins to go under the saddle, he said sheepskins weren't the best as they were too hot and would make them sore - well ours haven't been sore, but their skin has been irritated - only since the fjord disaster so we thought it was the salt and grit and wet that had got into everything and I'm sure that was most of it, but its interesting to hear that. Hugo had told us that in Cochrane but we didn't listen as we didn't think he knew much about horses and of course a natural fibre against them would be better.

John Labouchere who knows tons about horses and did a very long trip here used sheepskins and told us to. We then ummed and ahhed and thought that surely wool would be better than nylon but cotton wood be cooler - we searched for cotton blankets to cut and put under our pads but no luck, then I came up with the idea of cotton towels - Brilliant! We have now bought 3 - different colours, Alazán's is green and Rupert's is blue and the Mare's is yellow and black squares. (Alazán and Rupert's have anchors and ships on them!) They seem to be just the thing as we will be able to wash and dry them and can keep turning them over, as they are folded and have a clean side against them all the time. We will have to see how they work.

It's an exciting prospect setting off on Sunday, we can't wait to be on the road again, we've looked at the turistel guides and it looks a lovely route, tons of National Parks and lakes (and volcanoes!). We hope to be able to get off the lanes and into the hills and countryside again, like we did at first near Chile Chico, but at this time of year we won't be able to get very high as there is snow.

Won't be long 'til Spring - well this is the first month of winter, June, July and August should be winter although they say here it lasts until November! As we get further north it should get better weather; some say September is very pleasant around Santiago - we are expecting you to come Adrian.

I'd better close now as Padraig needs forcing to write some postcards - I'll be really horrified if we've been sitting around for a month and leave here without having finished our list of who to write to. Of course at first we didn't feel like writing postcards, but we'd better get them done as we never seem to have enough time or daylight when we're moving along.

I hope that you are all well, looking at the maps it is definitely a good month to Villarrica we think, so do write to that address, we should be there by the beginning of August / end of July as it will be the 29th June when we set off. If you've sent letters already (maybe Jane from Colombia) they might not hold them, they only keep them for a month - I think we'll write to them and say that we are on our way.

We send lots of love

Kate & Padraig

Alazán, Rupert and Salsa (the Mare).

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.