Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Driving south from Frutillar, the road ran out and we had to catch an expensive ferry across to Chiloé. A bridge is being built but we were five years too early. We drove south for quite a distance then turned west and along a bumpy gravel path through pleasant countryside to the habitation of Chupe where we hoped to stay the night. After driving carefully along the gravel for quite a while, we decided that it would be best just to stay one night, with the other two nights somewhere with better road access.
We eventually came across a farmhouse with a few rooms and a very pretty garden and agreed to a room. Not long after we got there, we strolled across the road with the Chilean family that were also staying there, to watch the cows being milked. They had a machine but they still let us have a go at hand-milking; they must have realised that they had some pros staying with them. We gave it our best shot, thought we were doing well then the farm worker took over and our work was put to shame. It was time to go back to sitting and reading in the garden, enjoying being in the middle of nowhere. Dinner was a three-course affair served by the cheerful grandma (Chileans seem to be very cheery people for the most part) after which we retired to bed.
The next morning, bright and early and fully stoked up on a breakfast mainly consisting of cake - Simon was in his element - we set off up the gravel road a different way towards Islotes de Puñihuil, to see the penguin colonies. This was by boat trip and we were wheeled on a large trolley to the boat so our feet didn't get wet! It was a bit of a whistle-stop trip but we were able to see colonies of Humbolt and Magellanic penguins on the islands, including lots of huge fat chicks in the middle of moulting their baby fluff. We also saw many other species of sea bird and a couple of sea otters.
From here we were back on paved roads and drove into the town of Ancud, picking up a couple of hitch hikers on the way. We were partly there to kill some time and partly to visit a small museum about the unique wooden churches of the island. We also bought a huge tub of blueberries that would have cost about £5 at home but instead cost is £1.
We were killing time until one of the main events of the day: lunch. This was no ordinary lunch, but instead a local dish, cooked the traditional way called Curanto en Hoyo. When we arrived at one of the few places on the island to cook it this way, our lunch was a small mound of earth with a couple of leaves on top. We were a bit early for the post 2pm serving so just sat and enjoyed some of Chiloé's rare sun at an outdoor table. Once many many plates had been carried outside, people started gathering at the mound, cameras in hand, like paparazzi photographing a celebrity, for the grand unveiling. First, the leaves and turf were removed and another layer of large leaves to reveal small bags of some form of carbohydrate. Then several more layers of leaves came off to reveal the most enormous pile of, wait for it: sausages, pork, chicken, potatoes and shellfish. These had all been cooked over rocks that had been heated until they cracked. It was a mammoth effort by several staff to dish this heap of goodness out of the ground but we were lucky to be served first with our plates big enough to keep Simon full for the rest of the day, and that's a tall order. Slowly we ploughed our way through this feast of protein and carbohydrate. For what it lacked in seasoning and flavour, it certainly made up for in theatre and sheer amount. Sadly I couldn't finish mine but Simon ate all but a mystery carb-lump.
The time came to move on before a post-lunch stupor set in and we got going in the car. We drove south and to the other side of the island to the town of Quemchi where we had planned to stay but were completely underwhelmed by it so moved on. We drove further south, taking a gravelly detour to see two of the UNESCO protected wooden churches, one of which was a very prettily restored blue and white one. Eventually we made it to the small town of Dalcahue where we found a small but very reasonable room to stay in for two nights. We managed a few blueberries and grapes for dinner.
The following day we got ourselves ready to go out only to find that our car had been blocked into the driveway. Once the owner of the hotel had got dressed and tracked down whose car it was, we set off at 9 as some of the earlier risers in Chile! (On a Sunday.) We stopped in the biggest city of Castro and admired the bright, Disney-coloured cathedral before finding a lovely little cafe overlooking the water for breakfast.
Our main attraction of the day was the national park on the west side of the island so we drove there along a road that skirted a huge lake, giving us picturesque views in the sun. We managed to fill a few hours there, walking all the short trails that we could through woodland, sand dunes and to the beach. It was a pretty place but it was a shame there weren't some middle distance walks. The park supposedly has lots of animals in it including the shy Pudú, the smallest deer in the world however we didn't see anything more than birds. However on the drive back we had to slow down for an animal crossing the road rather slowly and on closer inspection it turned out to be a Pudú! Very exciting!
As we had lots more hours of sunlight available in the day, we drove back to Dalcahue and took the ferry just across the water to a small island. First we headed to the town of Achao where we discovered that the 5th annual festival of local potatoes was being held. This mostly consisted of a stage with live music and lots of food stalls serving local dishes. And also many Chileans who seemed like they'd been there for several hours drinking wine and other local drinks. As we had eaten huge sandwiches for lunch, we weren't that hungry but managed to join in the celebration of the potato by eating mashed ones stuffed with meat. We also happened to be there in time for the digging up of another Curanto, but this time an even bigger one. No matter how many bowls were filled, the pile hardly seemed to decrease! Leaving this behind, we drove to another tiny town to view some traditional architecture then caught the ferry back for our last night on the island.
Chiloé was beautiful in the rural areas but felt a bit run down in the urban centres (we presume due to the island's isolation and lack of infrastructure, although this is changing). As we had visited it in the middle of our Lake District excursions we felt we were missing some wow factor - I hope from now on that we don't expect a snow capped volcano in every location!
Katy
- comments