Chilly Chiloe, Chile

Volcano conquered, it was time to return to life at sea level.  We headed for the Chiloe archipelago, just south of Puerto Montt.  We planned to spend two nights in Ancud, on Isla Grande (apparently South America's second largest island).  Weather was lovely as we made the ferry crossing.

The ferry to Isla Grande, run by a bus company called Cruz Del Sur.  Smart travellers reduce travel times by using the Cruz Del Sur bus company - it's the only one the ferry will wait for.

Ancud is a charming little fishing village.  There isn't a lot going on there, but we stayed at a great little hotel with an owner who bent over backwards to help us out.  Our first night we took a wander around town and took a lot of pictures of the fishing boats pulled ashore for the evening.

Pulling in the day's catch.

That night we headed for dinner where Chad would try curanto, Chiloe's signature dish.  Apparently using cooking methods similar to those in Polynesia, curanto is made up of shellfish, smoked meat, chicken, sausage, potatoes, and potato dumplings - all steamed in a pit covered with nalca (Chilean wild rhubarb).  Curanto is served with hot shellfish broth known as "liquid Viagra", to be drunk during the meal.

Ready for a feast!

Curanto!  The liquid Viagra would have to be very potent to last until digestion is finished.  Chad put in a mighty effort, but failed to eat the whole meal.  [Note from Chad: I purposefully restrained myself.  From left: fish broth; fresh salsa; two ham ribs; half a sausage; quarter chicken; corn flour dumpling and wheat flower dumpling, both with cheese; standard international lager; huge mussels and clams with baked potatoes]

The wild rhubarb leaves - sighted the next day on the streets of Ancud.  [Note from Chad: they appear to be the same spiky-stalked plant I've seen at botanical gardens back home.  Vendors sell the (huge) stalks in markets and on the street, though I'm not sure how it's prepared.]

And a picture we found in a museum a couple days later showing traditional preparation of curanto.  These days restaurants serve curanto en olla baked in an oven, rather than the original curanto en hoyo baked in the ground for two days on hot rocks.

And on the way home, penguins beckoned!  However, we wouldn't visit to them until we headed further south.

The next day we headed for Castro, which our guide book calls a "gritty" port town a couple hours' bus ride south of Ancud.  Castro has two claims to fame.  First is the biggest Chilote church.  Chiloe is famous for its 150+ wooden, 19th century churches.  People (not us) will travel here just to tour around and look at the churches, which feature hexagonal bell towers, unique carpentry and a somewhat barn-like look.  Second are palafitos, timber houses on stilts that were once the traditional houses of most fisherman in southern Chile; the idea being that you could dock your boat in the backyard and walk through the house onto the street.  Today many are a bit rundown, but others are being turned into hostels and coffee shops for tourists to visit as they gawk their way through Castro.

This church is likely more impressive when not undergoing renovation.

Castro's main square.  A (sadly) closed popcorn stand in the background.

You can find models of some of the churches on Chiloe.

Palafitos!  You can find pictures of this group of houses in many places, including our guide book.

We spent the afternoon doing a walking tour of Chiloe, as suggested by a helpful pamphelet.  A nice cloudy day (my fair skin is really missing the ozone layer down here).  Another highlight was the cemetery, full of very elaborate graves.  We happened to be there on the holiday for All Saints' Day, which is when Chileans tend to their family graves.  The place was packed, as I imagine it is not at any other time of the year.  The flower vendors, particularly the one outside the gates of the cemetery, were doing a brisk business while everyone else took a four day weekend.

The mailbox out front looks just like the house itself.

That night we went back to Ancud and then spent most of the next day there before heading to Puerto Montt to catch our plane south.  Chilote mythology is full of wild stories, and comes alive in some of the statues in Ancud's main square.

This Basilisco (Basilisk in English) will turn you to stone with its gaze.  Watch out that it doesn't come in your house while you're sleeping and suck the breath right out of you!

This Trauco is ragged and gross, but his breath makes him irresistible to women.  He is to blame for all unexplained pregnancies on the island.

Fiura is old, ugly, squat, and has terrible halitosis, but somehow manages to seduce young men before driving them insane.  Chad is enraptured!

We also visited the Chilote church museum and climbed to the top of the steeple for some views of the town.

Next up, a visit to the fort overlooking the water.

And finally, ducking out of the rain for a bakery lunch before heading to the bus station.

We spent that night in Puerto Montt, the last major town before Chile breaks up into a bunch of islands.  The only ways to get to southern Chile from there are air, ferry, or road through Argentina.  We were flying out to Punta Arenas the next day, so we made a quick stop in town.  There are no pictures of Puerto Montt for a reason; it's a bit of hole, plus it poured rain most of the time we were there.  [Note from Chad: actually, it's a massive hole with almost no redeeming qualities.]  But we stayed at a cozy hostel and shared a bottle of wine with some new German friends, so not all was lost.  And the next day we were headed for the end of the world!