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I am starting this letter although I know I won't finish it until much later as I don't have a lot to say yet, hope to soon. We didn't receive any more post in Puerto Natales. I don't know if you wrote or not, Daddy said you were giong to - we have left the address in Coyhaique for them to forward things on - hope they will as Pádraig's Mum had posted something.

We left Puerto Natales on Friday and had a very long bus ride that went south, east, north and west and eventually reached Coyhaique - we stayed 4 days in a nice campsite - someone's orchard and we were the only ones there. They had a shed (Refugio) that we could use, with a fireplace and a wood burning stove, which were great fun to play with. Nice to cook on - we made beef curry and cauliflower cheese with bacon and marrow (not the same night) - very exciting food for the soup and pasta kids!

Unfortunately the Beef Curry didn't agree with Pádraig and he had to rush to the loo all night. We should have had something bland as we knew his tummy was upset on the bus journey, for 30 hours he nearly killed all the passengers with the most vile bottom burps (farts - sorry didn't want to use that word!) that I've ever come across! It was terrible. I don't think anyone else knew exactly where it was coming from - I did!. In the end the lady hostess!! (posh buses here) walked up and down the aisle spraying air freshener and then they stopped the bus and emptied the toilet! It was really quite funny although he's still feeling guilty about it. There was a woman across the aisle ahead of us who we named "Guanaco Woman" (Guanacos being a type of wild llama) She had a very funny face - just like a Guanaco - Pádraig and I are now falling about laughing at the memory. Sorry I'm sure it doesn't seem funny at all - she would look around and lift her nose up and flutter her eyelashes! Just like the animals, they look very snooty.

Hello again, I've calmed down now and as long as I don't think about it I'll be able to keep writing.

I will try to write clearly so that when you photocopy this, the copies will be legible - it's on white paper so that should help. Anyway where was I - we were in Coyhaique - we arrived on Saturday morning which meant everything was shut - tourist office etc. We walked to our campsite we'd been told about by a Dutch couple who are cycling here and who stayed in the same hospedaje in Puerto Natales. The campsite was fairly cheap being 1500 pesos per night, each (nearly $4 US each a night - quite expensive by our trip to India and Nepal). It is much more expensive here - it is getting cheaper and is cheaper further north we hear, so we'll try to hold out! It is more expensive that we expected and the money's going faster than we thought, but if we live cheaply now we should be OK. There were lots of expensive long trips in buses and planes; If we get the horses we'll be going a lot slower but hope we won't be spending much!

I was trying to work out the mileage the other day but it's almost impossible - I did know what it was between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia but I've forgotten. I have roughly worked it out with my compass and the guidebooks map and it seems we've done over 5000 kms. Wow! If you look up our route, it's not very straight forward.

I've just realised that our big journey from Puerto Natales to Coyhaique was over 2000 kms and they are only 500 kms apart as the crow flies. No roads in that bit of Chile. They are slowly building the Carreterra Austral south from Puerto Montt but its only got as far as Puerto Yungay south west of Cochrane - l20 km. I don't know whether they'll get through to Puerto Natales - the road from Cohaique to here, Cochrane, is a bad dirt track, it took ll hours on the bus and it's only 300 kms. We did stop a few times but still! The driver was a bit loony but the scenery was fantastic. We really hope to get horses here and ride back through this wonderful scenery, it's really beautiful, much less barren than lots we've seen; flat valleys and lots of wierd shaped hills and mountains, the views are full, it's all closer together if you know what I mean.

We started on the search for horses in Coyhaique. We found a Vets and went in and introduced ourselves - unfortunately being completely crap at Spanish really doesn't help but eventually the receptionist stopped showing us different vitamins and medicines for horses and understood we wanted bo buy horses! She told us of two ferias (markets) nearby and one was that very afternoon, so off we went to the market - we walked out along the road 7 kms and there was the market place - Tattersalls!! It was very interesting but there was only one lame unbroken mare there - all cows and pigs and sheep otherwise. We watched them through the ring - I find it hard understanding auctioneers at home, but here! There were 2 of them selling at the same time. I managed to work out that ewes were going for about $l0 US each and lambs $3 US but couldn't follow the cattle at all. The mare did sell but I have no idea for how much - only 2 bidders and she went very quickly. Oh well, at least we've made a start.

I think we had the idea that as soon as we whispered we wanted horses then we'd be inundated with them - this isn't proving to be the case. Spoke too soon, it's 2 hours later and we've looked at one horse already and we're off to see 40 more in l5 minutes.

Hello again, it's now the next day - Pádraig's birthday! I woke him up by singing Happy Birthday in Spanish - very badly - bad Spanish and bad singing. I then gave him his present wrapped carefully in plastic bags and an old milk carton. It is a wooden woodpecker sitting on a tree. We've seen lots of "Carpinteros" as the birds are called here. As he really likes them I thought it was a good idea for a present. I made it from 2 bits of wood (sticks I'd found - Lenga wood - a type of Beech) and carved it with my penknife. I stuck it together with glue - not such a great carpenter myself - I did try to make a spike and a hole but it wouldn't work without some glue! I really enjoyed making it - it was difficult to do it without him seeing it - he'd no idea I was making anything and I started back in Calafate a month ago, doing little bits now and then. I'd just finished it and had it wrapped up when he found it, but I found him before he saw it, so it was still a surprise, although he knew there was something. He really likes it and he thought I'd bought it which was nice and flattering but of course likes it all the more for being home made. He is rather cute - the bird that is. I thought it was a good idea as it was so light and he could tie it to his rucksack, but now it's finished it looks a bit too fragile for that so we think we'll post it home - at least its lighter than the last parcel - that cost a fortune to post - $25 US - Wow - we didn't really work out how much it was until we'd done it, otherwise we might have carried the stuff. Oh well!

Hope the films and book get back safely, we sent it Certificado about l0 days ago - the letters went the same day, so you should have had them. Pádraig also got a card that I painted - a Bandurria on the front - they are beautiful birds that we share the campsite with - buff necked Ibis. Inside I painted 3 horses and us on our travels. He got a card from Mummy with a beautiful cowslip on the front to remind him of the Spring at home - it's getting colder - Autumn here. Thank you Mummy - very kind of you and good of you to remember - the only one. Daddy did apologise on the phone for forgetting a card and so did Pádraig's Mum - we haven't been able to pick up post for a while, so maybe there will be some late ones. I opened the letters when they came, so he didn't even know that there was another card, so it was a nice surprise. We sat and ate our porridge with Mr. Carpintero and the 2 cards on show. He's enjoying himself and having a happy 35th birthday so far - gosh it's a bit old isn't it - look out Adrian, not long now! I'm going to be 30 this year, which is a bit of a shock.

Anyway, I should get back to the start, or rather where I left off - Coyhaique was fine but no horses and no post so thought we'd head south to Cochrane where we'd heard there are lots of horses. We arrived fairly late, very sleepy town - friendly - no tourists.

We asked in the Plaza for somewhere to stay. 2 little men came up and when they heard we had our own tent, they went and spoke to the policemen and then came back and said no problem. If you camp outside the town they don't mind - great. We were pointed up the hill to a wood near the Conaf Office (National Park and Forestry People). The 2 men then told us that they were clowns! Strange - very friendly and so helpful - we went up the hill - no-one at the Conaf office or at the Fire Station behind (Forest Fires Department of Conaf) so we pitched our tent by a nice log table and chairs in the trees - very nice.

Pádraig fetched water from a nearby building which turned out to be a church. The next morning we were woken by what we thought were geese but turned out to be Bandurrias - they really are wonderful birds and I've fallen in love with them. They make a funny noise too. A bit like geese but more metallic.

Well, we went in and introduced ourselves at the office and everyone was very friendly especially (luckily) the bossman at the fire station bit - Hugo - now a firm friend and as it was his say so, we can stay here and use the water free of charge - absolutely wonderful. Couldn't be better, it'sjust out of town, so quiet, just us; the firemen are only here between 9 - 6 Monday to Friday and as it's where we want to stay to look around for horses, it's great that it's not costing us anything. Hugo is also dead keen on our getting horses, although he thinks we're a little loco I think. Yesterday, no the day before, our first day here, after we'd been given the OK to stay, we went in to town and found our way around.

We found a poster saying that 2 clowns were giving a show in the Plaza that night! That's why they are here - on tour. We met them again later and said we'd see them that night. They were glad our campsite had worked out. Really lovely people.

That evening at 7.30 (after beef curry - we risked it again) we went to town and had a great time watching the show. They were hilarious and it didn't matter that we didn't understand a lot of it. Really enjoyed ourselves and the whole town was there and they were really enjoying it too. We took some photos afterwards which should be funny.

The next morning - yesterday - we saw them again and we mentioned we wanted to buy horses - 5 minutes later they came back with a horse and said they knew a man with lots for sale, hence our trip to see 40 yesterday afternoon. In all we saw 42 horses yesterday (for sale) and only 2 are worth considering and then not perfect so we are going to keep looking! They want ll0,000 Chilean pesos for one and l20,000 for the other - in Dollars that's 275 and 300 which seemed cheap but (luckily) Hugo told us that we should be able to get a good horse for between 40,000 and 60,000 - 100 & 150 US dollars - really cheap.

Yesterday's trip was a real education - a crash course in Spanish and buying horses - what fun. They picked us up, a boy that we'd first met on the horse - his friend a Turkish man - very nice and friendly and quite honest for a horse dealer, who owns all these horses and a friend with a pick-up. We drove out of town to a boggy field with 40 wild horses in it. We drove them into a coral in one corner and he picked out a few for us to look at, really screwy and mad. You'd think in 40 we'd find something good, wouldn't you. Some were old and thin, some were sore with saddle and girth galls. Some bad legs, most just crazy and not broken in. One mare would have done, but she had a foal at foot and he was honest enough to say he didn't know if she was in foal again.

We then went to the friend's estancia where there was one horse that was quiet and calm and good that maybe we could buy, turned out it was the mother of the only horse we liked in the Turkish man's (Heraldo) yard before. We went to the field - she was nice, although he had to lassoo her to catch her, even though we had her cornered. I don't fancy having to do that every morning. Once caught she was quiet and nice, although niehter of us really fell for her; no real problems with her, one hoof was growing badly but could be shod better. They said she was l0 but looked (by her teeth) older - in good shape and nice and strong. We rode her which was an experience - a very funny saddle arrangement, sheepskins under and on top of a wooden tree, with huge wooden stirrups like clogs. Thick plaited long reins which you hold high in one hand and neck reins - she turns away from the pressure of the rein on her neck not towards the pull on her bit, so you don't hold a contact with her mouth - it's strange when you're used to our way.

I prefer our way, it's very different - more like cowboys ride - we'll get used to it no doubt. We asked the price then - ll0,000 and when we said we'd hoped to spend half that they weren't too happy; we said we'd been told that was a good price - they disagreed of course, but it all stayed friendly with a little explaining by me in very poor Spanish that it was a lot of money and we'd hoped to pay less so we'd have to think about it for a while and we did like his horses. "Of course, no problem, we understand". I don't think we'll be buying them, we don't mind spending that price but we want really good horses for it and we've seen nicer ones around - we'll just have to go up and ask if they are for sale.

Hugo has told us to go to the Aerpuerto (I don't think they have many planes here) on Saturday (today) and Sunday as it's possible to buy horses at 3.pm. We took a while to work out that it is a race meeting! Should be fun, maybe Pádraig will get a horse for his birthday as well!! I'll fill you in later.

Hello again, it's now Sunday morning and Pádraig didn't get a horse for his birthday but I did make him a cake - it was 4 biscuits stuck together and covered in Dulce de Leche with a chocolate bar chopped up on top - it was supposed to look like the Cuernos mountains in Torres del Paine National Park - I think I talked about them in the last letter to Jane. They are creamy granite with dark sedimentary rock on top and we thought they looked like cakes! I stuck a match in the top of this biscuit/cake and struck it just before he opened his eyes - Surprise! All in all, I think he enjoyed his birthday.

The races were great fun but we didn't buy a horse. Our man who has all the horses was there with two beautiful animals in tip top condition and they won their races. He seems to be the horse man around here. He's not a Chilean but a Turko as they call Turkish people here.

The races were funny. The horses ran on a dirt track straight for l00 mtrs, only 2 horses in each race - we saw 3 races in all. We think the dirt track might by the runway - we saw a windsock but not much else. The jockeys were all (except one) old men and they rode with no saddles - incredible. They had some sheepskins and a girth but no stirrups or much else - wouldn't fancy going that fast bare back; it was all very exciting but each race was over rather quickly and long waits between - I don't know where the betting took place, but all out of sight.

A little girl (l0 years old) called Jeanette came to make friends, she was lovely and very patient talking with us. She thought it was hilarious when we looked up things in our dictionary and didn't understand. We talked about school a lot; I looked up 'corzo' Roe, Doe, when she was saying 'curso' - course, which made her laugh. It was very nice of her - she was brave to come and talk to us as although we get lots of hellos, people are quite reserved here and so don't come and chat a lot, not in a situation like that anyway. They don't even seem to mix together a lot, but stick to their own little groups. We have said we'll see Jeanette there again this afternoon as she was sad to have to go home with her Mum yesterday when we were in the middle of chatting. Sweet.

It really is a quiet sleepy town here, I've never been anywhere quite like it; it reminds me of small towns in America like you see in the films or like we used to watch on "Little House on the Prarie". There's a big shop in town that sells everything; it's a Ferreteria y Mercanderia and inside (ferreteria is a hardware shop, not a ferret shop - Adrian) - they have saddles, tools and clothes and shoes, materials and zips, food - cheese, dried stuff, chocolate, tins, meat, milk --- toothpaste and brushes, paper and pens.

It's huge, a barn like place with a counter all round the edge with big high shelves. You must wait at the counter for assistance and when you get someone to serve you you ask them for, say milk, they go and get it and come back, then you say biscuits and they bring it back - that's usually as much as we are getting (there's a nice butcher around the corner) but other people are there with an enormous list. You see families come in to town from way out, doing their monthly big shop and getting a bit of everything. When the assistant has brought you all you want, you walk over to the main counter with your piece of paper saying milk and biscuits and how much and you pay another assistant and they give you a receipt; then you go to where they pack the goods - the assistant has taken your things there and another assistant takes your receipt and finds your things, packs them checking it's all there and then you can take your bag and leave. Once outside with a sign of relief you realise you forgot the butter - aaarrgh! It's really quite strange, very different from Sainsbury's or Tesco's.

Hello again, it's now Tuesday the 25th March and still no horses. We have made some progress and tonight at 7, a man is coming up to our campsite with 3 horses for us to see - he can get us all the tack too (I think) but it is more expensive here than in Coyhaique (although the horses are cheaper here). Hugo came and helped us talk to him earlier and is also going to be here tonight! It's nice having someone on our side, although he doesn't do much, but I think just being there stops him really diddling us. It's quite exciting again. We had got a bit down about it yesterday as nothing seemed to be happening - we shall see!

It's now the 26th and we've almost bought 2 horses!

It's now the 29th and we have bought 3 horses! Wow I'm so excited - we've shaken hands on them, but not paid yet - problems with money as I'm sure Daddy has explained. We did the deal on Thursday the 27th, he brought the 3rd horse that day and after lots of haggling a price was agreed; 90,000 Chilean pesos each horse, that's under $225 US each; unfortunately we weren't very good at bargaining on the tack - too excited about the horses and paid 95,000 for each set for the riding horses - we've bought 2 sets. The tack here is more expensive than the horses, so the price isn't too bad but it's old stuff - we'll manage OK and maybe pick up new bits along the way. We haven't bought the Pilchero's tack yet (packhorse) but it will be cheaper. I'm so happy and excited. I can't quite believe it. I've wanted a horse since I was little and now we've got 3!

I don't know where to start, it's all too much! With the horses I think. I know you especially Adrian will be interested in them. Pádraig and I are already talking about how nice it will be when yo come out and ride with us; I'm thinking of you lots at the moment - you'd really love this, we are having such fun! Well, the horses are wonderful - I'm already so fond of them (Pádraig too - he's gone quite soft!) They are really very good considering they've only just met.

The one I ride is a dark bay with a nice shiny coat - not very tall - about l4 hands, but quite strong without being too chunky. His legs look quite fine (not hairy anyway). He's a nice ride, a bit lively but nothing silly - his name was Chacal (Jackal) but we think we'll change it. He's long ears, a little mule like and Pádraig thinks he's not handsome but I do; his head is big, long and Roman nosed - a bit like a Bandurria (7 years old). He's about the same colour as Lonely I suppose - maybe a bit more bay. The one Pádraig rides is a mare (Pateca) - we'll change that name too I think (it means very small) - she isn't small, well around the same size as mine but a little chunkier; she;s a liver chestnut with a sort of grey/blonde mane (highlights) and a white star. She isn't as pretty but she's a real gem and doesn't mind anything; really quiet and sensible, but lively enough not to plod - 8 years old. Then there's our young lad - he's handsome, a bright chestnut (all over - no white), tall and quite strong. He's about l5 hands I guess, maybe 6 or 7 but maybe 5 (the man said 6 or 7) - not sure on the teeth, looks young though. He's a little greener than the others, he's from the camp (country) and not so used to traffic but he's just adorable, a little gormless in an innocent sweet way.

They are all very quiet to be around and are getting friendlier all the time - I don't think they are used to being petted at all and the first day I tried to give mine an apple core, you'd think I'd tried to poison him! They are getting to like us more and more, we are quite a little band now - Pádraig's mare is a little temperamental but he's well able to handle her after all these yearss practice with me. We ride the chestnut as well, but he's going to be the pilchero mainly and we'll lead him.

Yesterday we rode around a little in our woods. It was a very windy day so a bit spooky for them, good practice though - it's very different as they are used to neck reining and so we have to ride completely differently to at home - Pádraig was either a cowboy in a former life or it's all the westerns he's watched because he's a natural at it - I'm finding it harder probably because I automatically want to do it the way I'm used to. This morning was much beter, we practiced in the flat area near our tent and everyone was much more relaxed (no wind). Then I gave the tether rope to Pádraig and he rode around to practice leading with me at the end of the rope, walking after him. Then I gave him young chestnut (Humilde is his name - Humble in English) another no no I think. He practiced leading him from his mare it really went well, so I got on my one and we went for another ride in our wood; great practice and nice up here.

Since Thursday afternoon there's been no-one around as its' Easter Weekend so we've had the place to ourselves to play around with them, which is great - just us and the 3 horses. It's all new to us moving them around on their tethers to new pasture. There's loads of good grass here - we are very lucky, free accommodation for us and the horses. They are all very quiet with things around their legs, being used to tethers, so aren't frightened by it. If some of the horses at Cantref had a huge long rope trailing after them, they'd be very frightened. We came back to camp after a nice jaunt around that side of the wood and then swapped over (me to lead chestnut from my dark horse) and went exploring a new bit of the wood. They were all very well behaved and we are really happy with them. Then we went out on to the road and down to the river (we have to take them down to the water, they wouldn't drink out of an old tyre like a trough). So we all went down to drink and as they were so good, we went around town - no shops open - Easter - but was good for them to see a bit of traffic and a few people and bicycles; they were very well behaved although a bit unsure - my one and the chestnut anyway - Pádraig's is a real rock, great to hide behind.

It's now later the same day, we took them bare back to graze another bit of wood and left them for a few hours - we are keeping the grazing around the tent for night time, so we can hear them. We brought them back at 4.pm and gave the chestnut some attention and then rode him - he'd had an easy morning being led around; he's better than yesterday, nice to see them improving so quickly. I think we are getting better too. We then got the other two and rode them down to the river (it's beautiful, really clean) leading young chestnut. Pádraig led him in the front; we met 3 cars and they were more spooky, not the mare, but the other two - we'll have to get them used to traffic slowly. The last car sped up, beeped its horn and lots of people who were sitting on the back (a pick-up) whooped and yelled - we leapt up the bank! Luckily Hugo has told us of a nice quiet road and a track for just horses, a short cut to Chile Chico, then we're going to try and take a ferry across a huge lake that crosses the border (so has two names) - we'll stay on the Chilean side. Then to Coyhaique, where we'll collect POST, you'd better all write. Then north.

I will finish now as I want Pádraig to post this in Coyhaique when he goes tomorrow - to get all the money for these horses.

Take lots of care, all of you, we think of you tons.

Lots of love

Kate and Pádraig and 3 horses.
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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.