Image via Wikipedia

Kylie: mutton dressed as lamb.

"Hey, senor Pedro? Civilisation! Listen..." Miguel said as he too the Multiband radio away from his ears and handed it to Pedro.

"Riders on the Storm?" mused Pedro putting his hand down into the saddlebag to get out their map, the donkey coming to a stop yet again on the track down the side of the mountain, Pinto and Punto having decided between themselves to part company the night after Miguel had discussed with Pedro whether Punto would ride as well minus a leg.

Things had got pretty grim holed up in that cave before they started to get better. The ponies had first eaten the bedding before starting on the canvas rucksacks that were attached to the saddles. With no firewood, bedding and fearing their blankets would be next, Miguel had half-jokingly remarked, while eating a mouthful of from the last can of cold Heinz baked beans wit vegetable sausages, that Punto's hindquarters would keep them going for a week or so.

The ponies, after eyeing each other nervously until the two compadres fell asleep, silently made their exit and headed in the direction of Kylie's entourage, knowing deep in their hearts that she was a world renowned lover of animals in distress. Without their saddlebags and other paraphernalia, there was a certain lightness to the heaviness of their being as they made their way back over the pass without the two amigos quite easily.

After some nondescript mutterings from the local DJ in the regional dialect of where ever they were had finished, John Fogerty's voice started to blare out across the valley as he sang of visions of a "Bad Moon Rising". A smile beamed across the both Miguel and Pedro's faces in recognition as they both broke into song and the donkeys resumed their slow journey down the goat track just wide enough to carry them and their load. Pedro turned up the volume only encouraging Miguel to sing louder in his think southern Peruvian accent, complete with some frozen snot hanging from his left nostril. Happiness was slowly returning to our friends as they continued their long journey down the side of the mountain in the beaming morning sun.

Image by bagsgroove via Flickr

Dinkie as a young man with Dunkie in the background.

By the time the song had finished and the DJ reduced the tempo to a gentler pace with Marty Robbin's rendition of 'El Paso', there was a steady pace of the donkey train as they all descended together towards the valley below. Both Pedro and Miguel were happy to have resumed their trek towards Thailand. In fact, Miguel had convinced the donkeys to carry for them on the promise of some fresh Mango and virgin flesh as soon as they arrived at their retreat. Pedro was sure he had seen the older donkey smile at the suggestion. Whatever, there was certainly a twinkle in the eyes of Dinkie and Dunkie, as Miguel had christened the rather dilapidated donkeys, delighted .by the promise of renewed vigour in the warm rainforests of the coastal delta.

To be continued....

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