Stacey’s 30th Birthday Extravaganza

Name: Casa Pueblo Hostel

Location: Mendoza, Argentina

Address: Pellegrini 377, Mendoza Argentina, Phone: 0054 261 4324976

E-mail: casapueblohostel@yahoo.com

Website: www.casapueblohostel.com

Review: Casa Pueblo is a very nice hostel located very near to the bus station in the Argentinian city of Mendoza.  The place is brightly decorated and contains a couple of double rooms as well as mixed dorm rooms.   The place is warmly run by a very friendly Argentinian couple who appear to speak little English but are helpful in all regards.   Breakfast is included as well as free internet which is limited to 20 minutes at a time (though this did not appear to be strictly enforced).  The common area and the kitchen are spacious and contain everything needed for cooking your own meals and in the living area are comfy chairs, TV and a shelf full of books (mostly in Spanish).

One significant downfall to this place is its location…it’s close to the bus station which is convenient if just arriving or leaving on an early morning bus but as with most neighborhoods surrounding bus terminals…it’s not the greatest.  Plus it’s a bit far from the center so it’s best to acquaint oneself with the bus system.  The other significant downfall is that there appears to be only one shower and one toilet for men and a separate set for women…for at least 12 beds worth of people which makes getting ready a bit of a challenge.  Otherwise, a good place to stay if you need to get to the bus station early or, perhaps even, if you’re arriving late at night. 

Would I book with them again: Yes, if needing the close services of the bus terminal, otherwise I would try somewhere else based on location.

La Casa Rosada

Greetings friends and foes to the porteño version of the Extravaganza blog.  What is a porteño you might ask?  Generally this Spanish word refers to anyone who lives in a port city though specifically “porteños” are largely used in association with Buenos Aires and is what the locals refer to themselves as.  Delightful.  Now, what port exactly do these porteños live in?  BsAs sits on the southern shore of the Rio de la Plata…while the country of Uruguay sits on the northern shore and is a short ride away via fast catamaran or ferry boat (more to come from Uruguay next week so stay tuned for that).  Now if you think referring to themselves as porteños is odd…the other odd naming convention is itself the name of the city.  Those with even the most rudimentary Spanish skills know that “Buenos Aires” means “good air(s)”…sort of a strange name for a world-class city don’t you think?  I’ve heard two rumors about how this name came about…the first is that the city was named after the Sardinian sanctuary of “Nostra signora di Bonaria” which is Italian for “Our Lady of Good Air.”  The second rumor about this strange naming convention is that the city was named for the good winds that blew strongly towards the city bringing supply ships from Europe.  Either way, the names of the city and its people are here to stay so why don’t we get to know them better?  And what better way than with one of Stacey’s Patented Lists of Intriguement?

Plaza de Mayo

The Cabildo

El Congreso Nacional

View down one of the boulevards

Truly Intriguing Things You Did Not Previously Know About Buenos Aires 

1. With 13 million inhabitants, Greater Buenos Aires is the third largest urban area in Latin America.
2. Buenos Aires had the first subway system in all of Latin America with the inaugural ride occurring on December 1, 1913.
3. The majority of porteños have European roots…specifically Spanish and Italian.  Which is also nice for this tall, blond American as I don’t stick out quite so badly here as in more indigenous areas of the continent like Ecuador and Peru.
4. As the climate is considered to be humid subtropical, it doesn’t get too cold here.  In fact the the lowest temperature ever recorded in central Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires Central Observatory) was -5.4 °C (22.3 °F) on July 9, 1918. The highest temperature ever recorded was 43.3 °C (109.9 °F) on the January 29, 1957.  I’m sure you northern dwellers will find that low temperature positively tropical compared to what you’re used to…
5. Tango music was born in the suburbs, notably in the brothels of the Junín y Lavalle district and in the arrabales (poorer suburbs). Its sensual dance moves were not seen as respectable until adopted by the Parisian high society in the 1920s, and then all over the world. In Buenos Aires, tango-dancing schools (known as academias) were usually men-only establishments.
6. Because of the European influence, the architecture of BsAs is sort of a mix of Paris, Rome and Barcelona.  It is, without a doubt, the city in Latin America with the most European “feel” to it (currently at about a third of the price of those European locales).
7. Football is a passion for Argentines. Buenos Aires has the highest concentration of football teams of any city in the world (featuring no less than 24 professional football teams), with many of its teams playing in the major league. The best-known rivalry is the one between Boca Juniors and River Plate; a match between these two teams was named as one of the “50 sporting things you must do before you die” by The Observer.

View of Casa Rosada from the other side with monument to Christopher Columbus

Sarmiento Ship in Puerto Madero (a gentrified wharf area now known for its restaurants)

View of Women’s Bridge in Puerto Madero

Architecture of the San Telmo neighborhood

So I’ve been here a week.  And I think I could stay for the next year.  Lucky for my office I have a plane ticket home on March 25 though am already wondering how to arrange a transfer.  Just kidding everyone…I’ll come home for a little while before I think about leaving again!  🙂  Seriously…Buenos Aires is now atop my list of favorite large cities as it’s very Parisian in feel…very Latin American in price…and they speak Spanish rather than French.  Lucky me.

Some Parisian architecture

My first week here has been a lazy one where I wandered around in the center of town…enjoyed coffee at the outdoor cafes…had some lovely meals in the numerous restaurants…and did a bit of shopping.  I decided though that I needed to do something constructive other than just hang out and take up space so in a last ditch effort to cram a bit more Spanish into my brain I’ll be starting classes again on Monday for two weeks until my friends James and Morag from England arrive on the 18th of March.  Very much looking forward to that.

As I haven’t done much of interest lately I will be short today and merely leave you all with the first batch of pictures from Buenos Aires.  Enjoy and type to you soon!

Monument at the Plaza de la Republic

5 Amazing Facts about Mendoza (and Argentina’s) Wine Production

1. Argentina is South America’s biggest wine producer…and the fifth largest producer in the world (after France, Italy, Spain and the U.S.).
2. 90% of Argentinian production remains in Argentina at an estimated 45 liters per year per person.
3. The region surrounding Mendoza produces 70% of the wine produced in Argentina and there are an estimated 1,200 wineries in the Mendoza region.
4. The best known grape in Mendoza are the Malbecs which were, incidentally, a throw-away grape from France that has done very well in the Mendoza climate.
5. Speaking of climate, due to the high altitude and low humidity of the main wine producing regions, Argentine vineyards rarely face the problems of insects, fungi, moulds and other diseases that affect grapes in other countries. This permits cultivating with little or no pesticides, allowing even organic wines to be easily produced.

Weinert Winery…a medium-sized facility

These dusty bottles are the oldest in the winery…they sell for 500 pesos (US$166) and are from 1977.  A very fine year indeed.

At this point in the trip, I feel like I’ve done pretty much everything that I wanted to…tourist-wise at least.  Mountain-biking, rafting, ziplining, etc. and so didn’t feel much guilt when I decided that Mendoza was going to be a completely lazy and relaxing stop on the tour.  Lots of people far more ambitious than I, come to Mendoza to climb the famed Mt. Aconcagua…the highest mountain in the western hemispher at nearly 7,000 meters (22, 840 ft.).  This is an ambitious undertaking in physicality as well as time committment as it takes the better part of 3 weeks to do as you must go slowly to try and avoid altitude sickness.  I know a few crazy people who’ve done this…including Jonathan from Peru 12 who I went to the Colca Canyon with.

Some merlot aging in oak

The tasting place

By now you might’ve guessed that Mendoza is famous for its wine…and since Argentina is also one of the world’s biggest and best beef producers…its food as well.  Those who know me know that I’m a total foodie and wine-lover so Mendoza is pretty much my heaven-on-earth.  Even better for the traveler…since the 2002 collapse of the Argentinian economy and peso crisis…Argentina has gotten very cheap for the foreigner.  So not only is the food and wine amazing…it is also shockingly inexpensive.  For example, one of our best meals (I was joined by fellow foodie Rob whom I met in Chile a week earlier) that included a shrimp tart for starter, filet mignon for my meal, a glass of amazing Malbec and desert for under $30.  And that was the most expensive meal…others we had were equally as good and significantly cheaper.

Viniterra Winery (and industrial facility that produces 1 million liters of winer per year) with our intrepid tour guide

Putting labels on sparking wine by hand

So, back to Mendoza.  Mendoza itself is a charming small city surrounded by lots of vineyards and wineries.  As with other parts of South America…Mendoza was devastated by a major earthquake in 1861 that killed an estimated 5,000 people.  Since then, the city has been rebuilt with low buildings and wide, sweeping streets with large plazas to help prevent major damage in th case of another earthquake.

Oh my god was this food good…

As previously mentioned, most of the activities I took part in in Mendoza involved wine including a full day wine tour that took us to 3 different wineries and an amazing lunch which I shown a picture of above.  Another great wine tasting experience is in the Vines of Mendoza…an upscale tasting room run by a couple of Americans who fell in love with Mendoza a few years ago.  They specialize in boutique wines (small production with no means of export) and run the only wine club that ships to the U.S. and Europe in all of Argentina.  It is a nice place to try some new wines as well as enjoy a glass in their lovely courtyard.

The Vines of Mendoza tasting room

Mendoza is also a great place to wander around as it has a major pedestrian street (Paseo Sarmiento) with lots of outdoor cafes as well as the main plaza of Plaza Indepenencia as well as for smaller ones surrounding it.  On the edge of the main part of the city is also the huge St. Martin Park which houses the city zoo, a University, soccer stadiums and lots of green space. 

Rob and Stacey on the wine tour

Winery with vineyards in the background

St. Martin Park

I probably could’ve spent a whole other week in Mendoza but all too soon it was time for the final major journey to my last major destination…Buenos Aires.  The ride was a trip (no pun intended) as I traveled first class which means the seats fully recline, we play bingo for the prize of a bottle of wine, hot meals (wine included) and host service.  This definitely makes the 13 hour bus ride much more manageable.  More to come from the amazing city of Buenos Aires…type to you soon!

Mt. Aconcagua

The strange green color is caused by some reaction of sediments and minerals

Slacking, slacking, slacking on the blog lately.  Sorry everybody…been having entirely too much fun lately to spend hours sitting at the computer.  Once I’m in Buenos Aires and not traveling I should have more time for blogging so stay tuned for that…

Typical architecture of Bariloche

Now then…when we last left you we were enjoying the lovely lake district town of Pucon in Chile and I was still getting grief for not climbing the volcano.  As it turns out, the volcanoes of Chile are awfully close to the volcanoes of Argentina where I also did not climb a volcano.  It seems volcano climbing is not in my immediate future so instead I opted to explore the many, many other things the beautiful village of Bariloche, Argentina has to offer.

Scenes from the Valdivian Rainforest

In the winter, Bariloche is a major ski and outdoor sport/recreation center…while in the summer it is famed for its beautiful lakes, trekking, climbing, water activities and fabulous food and chocolate.  Like much of the lake district of Chile, Bariloche was largely settled by European immigrants in the late 19th century…and a later claim-to-fame surfaced when it was found that a high-ranking Nazi of WWII ‘Hauptsturmführer’ Erich Priebke had been living there for years.

Puerto Pañuelo with swanky Hotel Llao Llao

Unfortunately, with only 2.5 days in Bariloche I really didn’t have time to do this place justice.  One of the most popular activities is to hike through the wild surroundings staying at refugios (huts with eating and sleeping facilities) along the way.  I would have liked to have at least done one overnight at a refugio but unfortunately couldn’t get it organized in time.  Instead, on my first afternoon I opted to wander around the Parque Municipal Llao Llao located near the world famous Hotel Llao Llao.  I ended up finding a lovely Swiss girl to pal around with as she was looking to do the same two hour jaunt and after getting slightly lost and yelled at by the snobby workers at the hotel for being too close the property we enjoyed a very easy but also beautiful trek through some Valdivian rainforest.

View of Bariloche and the lakes from Cerro Catedral

My second day I had opted to sign up for a boat trip that went through the major lakes surrounding Bariloche and to the Chilean border.  After taking a boat through some amazing scenery we docked at a very interesting area of the lake that included another section of the Valdivian rainforest…which is native to only Chile and parts of Western Argentina.  One doesn’t normally think of rainforests in temperate climates but in fact, the Valdivian version is the second largest temperate rainforest in the world…after the larger one that spreads from northern California to Alaska.

Mount Tronador

On my third and unfortunately final day in Bariloche I headed up to the top of Cerro Catedral which is the most popular ski mountain in the winter but in the summer you can still take a chair lift up for amazing views of Bariloche, the surrounding lakes and even Chile.  It is also the start of several of the popular treks to the refugios.  I got up early and headed straight up the mountain for some truly amazing views which I opted to enjoy while relaxing with a book and a cup of (real) coffee.  The picture below with the small, cone-shaped mountain in the background is actually one of the volcanoes in Chile…though not Villarica from Chile 4.

View of Chile from Cerro Catedral

And why, might you ask, are we thanking god for Argentina?  Because here in Argentina we drink real coffee.  Yes, indeed my friends…my Nescafe days are over for good.  And even better…my wine touring and drinking days are set to begin as my next stop is the city of Mendoza which is the biggest wine producing region in all of South America.  More to come from Argentina so type to you later! 

Name: La Justina Hostel

Location: Bariloche, Argentina

Address: Quaglia 726, Bariloche Argentina, Phone: 02944 524064

E-mail: reservas@lajustinahostel.com.ar

Website: http://www.lajustinahostel.com.ar/indexing.htm

Review: La Justina is a nice hostel located about 6 blocks uphill from the main street in Bariloche.  The place is very clean and has mostly dorm rooms though there are rumored to be a double room or two somewhere in the building.  The two main downfalls are the 6 block uphill walk and few bathrooms for so many people.  There is free internet and a clean, spacious kitchen for communal use.  The living room area with TV is nice though if you have the room next to it it can be very, very loud in the evening.  They allegedly arrange tours and options but I didn’t take any of the hostel arranged stuff so can’t speak to it.

If English speaking workers are important to you than you might try elsewhere.  The girl who is usually around speaks very little English though she is very friendly and tries to be as helpful as possible even if she doesn’t understand what you’re saying.  The staff is on a sort of weird schedule where none of them spend the night in the hostel but are usually around from 2pm to 8:30 or 9pm.  The towels, linens and breaksfast (pretty good by SA standards) are included.

Would I book with them again: Yes

View of Villarica Volcano from the park

My next stop after the lovely river city of Valdivia was to Chile’s premier summer tourist destination…Pucon.  Now, the biggest and most important activity to participate in in Pucon is climbing the Villarica Volcano.  It’s allegedly quite an easy volcano to climb as far as volcanoes go as you can complete the task in the less than a day.  I, however, prefer to breathe fully oxygenated air rather than the toxic gases that are released constantly from Volcan Villarica and opted not to do the climb.   Oh the scandal that caused…”What do you mean you’re not climbing the volcano?  That’s what everyone who comes to Pucon does.”  That may be true…but this girl has decided sea level is the place to be.  So there.

Anyway, what I did instead was some mountain biking to the “Ojos del Caburgua” and the “Laguna Azul” on the way to Lake Caburgua.  To get there one had to take a trip over the slightly sketchy one-lane suspension bridge shown above…then bike slightly uphill for about 18 kilometers to the waterfalls and corresponding lagoon and back down for another 18 kilometers.  It was a nice ride…not too difficult except for the ultra-sandy road which caused your tires to spin a lot when trying to go uphill.  There were, of course beautiful views of the volcano and lots of flora and fauna to be seen which made it a very lovely ride.

“Ojos de Caburgua” y “Laguna Azul”

The next day I was off to the extremely beautiful National Park Huerquehue for an all-day trek up the mountain.  The park was absolutely stunning and the trekking not too

National Park Huerquehue

difficult and we were greatly rewarded by the amazing views of the volcano as you can clearly see here in the photos.  There are several really nice alpine lakes and beautiful trails through a forest that contains tons of bizarre monkey puzzle trees…also shown below.  After a day of hiking, I joined up with a few of the brave souls from my hostel that did climb the volcano and we headed off to some thermal springs for the evening…of course, with a couple of bottles of wine in hand.

Monkey puzzle trees

Park again…

My time in Pucon was altogether too short and by the next day it was time to go.  I did have just enough time to squeeze in a trip to the zipline which I think…yes, I think, may be my current preferred mode of transport.  Anyone who was with me way back at Peru 6 will remember what a great time I had (and what a ravishing beauty I was in the zipline/jungle gear) so I opted to repeat the experience here in Chile and was not disappointed. 

…and again

…and again

My time in Chile on the whole was quite brief but fun and interesting nonetheless.  I realize that this post is full of boring scenery shots and no people which is especially ironic considering I met lots of cool people in Pucon…several of which will be appearing at a later date on the Extravaganza blog…like my English friend Rob who is going to be in Mendoza, Argentina at the same time as me and my Canadian friends Ben and Gill who I ran into in Bariloche, Argentina and will again see in Buenos Aires.  Stay tuned for that and other mildy thrilling tales from the Extravaganza…

Volcan Villarica

Name: Donde German Hostel

Location: Pucon, Chile

Address: Note: as of February 2008 the address is 590 Las Rosas.  The Brasil Street address given on their website is incorrect…though I think they’re moving back there eventually.

E-mail: none that I can find

Website: http://www.dondegerman.cl/ 

Review: Hostel Donde German is a really nice and super, super clean hostel on the outskirts of the village of Pucon in Chile.  There are double rooms as well as dorms available and both the kitchen and the communal living room areas are spacious and immaculate.  The place is run by a Chilean couple named Maria Elena and German and while I didn’t see German much Maria Elena is very helpful when she’s around.

The confusing thing about this place is that I believe it used to be on Brasil Street (in town) and is now on Las Rosas (a 10 minute or so walk out of town).  The problem is they never updated their website so lots of people go to the Brasil St. address where there’s a big sign redirecting you to Las Rosas.  It’s confusing and a little annoying but since the new place isn’t too far it’s not so bad.  It is at the very end of a residencial street so you often wonder if you are going to the right place.

As I mentioned, everything is really clean and the common area looks like a page out of the Pier 1 Imports catalog.  There are two computers with free Internet which is awesome for checking on stuff and not having to run back into town.  Some annoying things though are that the desk isn’t always staffed so you are never quite sure who you should go to with a question (usually Maria Elena but sometimes the cleaning staff as well).  Also…you’re only allowed to eat in the kitchen and outside which is sort of hard to remember but I guess is probably one of the reasons the place is so clean.  The outside grounds are beautiful and spacious as well with a few tables and a view of the mountains.

Maria Elena and German also run their own travel agency (can’t think of the name but one of the offices is at the hostel).  I didn’t do any of their tours (except they arranged transport to the thermal springs for us) but some others at the hostel did the climb to Volcano Villarica with them and said the service was good.  You can also rent bikes directly from the hostel for a reasonable price. 

Would I book with them again: Yes though I’d probably look for a place closer in town

Remember those cool old ramshackle mansions in Validivia? I so wanted to go in one and look around a bit…well in Valdivia, I got my chance. There was a listing in my guidebook for a “charming, rambling mansion with sloping floors due to the 1960 earthquake, full of charm and highly recommended.” I had to check it out…and wasn’t disappointed. A very friendly middle-aged man runs the place that contains a wide variety of rooms with shared bath. The decor is tacky and stuck in the past and the plumbing the most ancient that I’ve ever seen but still it was a very cool place with sloping hardwood floors and evidence of the great 1960 Valdivia earthquake everywhere. I tried to take some pictures of the outside but they don’t do it justice as the front of the building is blocked by trees. Definitely one of the more unique places I’ve stayed on this entire trip.

My mansion…

…and the decrepit steps leading to it.

So after I got settled into my mansion, I was off to explore the river city of Valdivia.

Valdivia is a very pleasant and friendly university town set at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia and Cau-Cau Rivers. The city of Valdivia and Chiloé Island (from Chile 2) were the two southernmost enclaves of the Spanish Empire. During some periods, the city depended directly on the Viceroyalty of Peru that financed the building of the Valdivian fort system, which turned Valdivia into one of the most fortified cities of the New World. In the second half of 19th century,  Valdivia was the port of entry for German immigrants who were given land and settled in the surrounding areas. The city was severely damaged by the Great Chilean Earthquake of 1960 — the most powerful earthquake ever recorded.  Debris and destroyed buildings from the earthquake can still be found in the suburban areas – land subsidence and sediments make naviation of the local rivers complex, with some ruijned buildings still ajoining the water.

Clever sea lions who wait by the fish market for scraps

Valdivia is defined heavily by the earthquake in 1960…things are described as “pre” or “post” earthquake and restaurants even name certain dishes after it. I opted to take a 6 hour boat tour through the 7 rivers in the region that included stops at the above mentioned forts at the entrance to the Rio Valdivia. Several of the swamps and wetlands we passed through on the tour didn’t exist before the great earthquake but Valdivia lost a lot of arable land during the quake as the soil surface dropped by 2 meters. The ruins of the forts we visited on the boat tour were also damaged severely in the earthquake as demonstrated in the picture of this church below.

Museum and former mansion of prominent German immigrant

University botanical garden

The riverfront in Valdivia is particularly beautiful with its local fish, seafood and vegetable market (shown above). A few years ago a stray sea lion ventured up the river and discovered that the fisherman at the market throw their scraps into river…now there’s a whole colony of some of the fattest, laziest looking sea lions you’ve ever seen. The river is picturesque and calm so you can rent boats, kayaks and members of the local university crew team are frequently seen rowing through the river. Across the river from the main part of the city is the University of Austral Chile that contains a very beatiful arboretum and botanical garden…good for strolling on a warm day. Also across the river is an interesting history and archeaological museum housing information on the German settlement of the Lakes District of Chile in the mid-19th century. Not to be confused with the mass exodus of German Nazi war criminals to Chile and Argentina after the end of World War II…the German colonists came around 1850 as skilled laborers and while their numbers were small they left a very distinct German influence on the area around the famous Lake District (which we will see more of in the next two posts) and Valdivia.

Fort on Isla Mancera

Ruins of baroque church on Isla Mancera

There were four major forts at the entrance of the many rivers near Valdivia that provided both strategic protection to the interior as well as supplyin Spanish ships crossing through the Strait of Magellan. At one point in time the fort system was considered to be the most extensive in the New World. At the time of the struggle for Chilean independence around 1820 the Spanish forts finally fell to Lord Cochrane of the Chilean Navy…an incident recreated daily by a bunch of local teenage boys at the fort of Corral (shown below in pictures). Battle recreations seems like a fun summer job to a bunch of young boys…swords and fake guns…what could be better?

Fort at Corral…

…note “dead” soldier on the wall

After a quick stop at the beautiful university botanical garden and the archaeological museum I was off to Pucon…one of the biggest tourist destinations in Chile. More pics and info to come from Pucon so stay tuned. Until later…

“Palafitos” of Castro…clearly at low tide

So apparently all a girl has to do to get a few blog comments is complain a little! Thanks to everyone who chimed in to let me know you’re still reading…as the Extravaganza starts on its downward slide back to reality it gets harder and harder for me to sit in front of the computer and work on it. But for you, my faithful readers, I will continue to do so. And to those devoted lurkers out there (and I know who (some of) you are)…chime in once in a while…it’s good to hear from people! And on the yellow lemon note…I had no idea the this issue would be such a big one but frankly, you don’t know what you’re missing until you don’t have it anymore. (Don’t worry Leah…they can make lemonade with the green ones too!) As E McC points out this lemon issue appears to be a symptom of tropical countries…near the equator? Who knows but problem solved as we are back in the business of yellow lemons.

So after departing the lovely port city of Valparaiso I was headed south…this time to the less-lovely port city of Puerto Montt which is the transportation hub for the offshore island of Chiloe. Puerto Montt is not much to look at and gave me a creepy vibe as for the first time on this trip the beggars got a little aggressive and grabbed my arm. Let’s just say I’m not a fan of being man-handled…especially by a woman carrying a baby and yelling at me that I’m rich and should give money to her gypsy baby.

Needless to say I was quite happy to depart for Chiloe and after a 30 minute ferry ride from the mainland was delighted
to find a quaint island with lots of fishing communities and interesting architecture. In part because of its physical isolation from the rest of Chile, Chiloé has a very special architecture and local culture. The Spanish, who arrived in the 16th century, and Jesuit missionaries who followed, constructed hundreds of small wooden churches in an attempt to bring Christianity to a pagan land; the result was a mixing of Catholicism and pagan beliefs. These unique buildings have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Because of a lack of metal on the island, many of the wooden churches were originally constructed without nails but with only wooden pegs. Unfortunately, most of the original structures have been ruined over time…usually by fire but also by earthquakes and resulting tsunamis like the famous Valdivia Earthquake of 1960 that was the strongest earthquake ever recorded with a Richter score of 9.5. In addition to destroying much of Chile (including the worst damage in Validivia which is, incidentally, my next stop on the Extravaganza) the resultant tsunami occurred as far away as Hawaii and the Phillipines. Another feature of Chilote architecture are the palafitos (houses built on stilts over the water) examples of which I’ve shown above in the opening picture.

UNESCO church of Castro…originally a bright orange and purple but now it could use a coat or two of paint

…and in Ancud

Also in Ancud…

UNESCO World Heritage church in Chonchi

The Island of Chiloe is a very interesting place to wander around if for no other reason than it is the antithesis of places like Santiago and Valparaiso. With a population of only about 150,000 on the whole island there are lots of open spaces and small villages to explore. I am again reminded, however, that rural places such as this (and others like Ireland and the white villages of Spain) are best explored in a rental car as it’s tougher to reach the out of the way places via public transport. Plus, Chilean drivers are significantly more sane than those in Ecuador and Peru so I wouldn’t be quite so concerned about loss of life or limb here in Chiloe.

In the forefront is the gigantic skeleton of a blue whale found in the bay a few years ago

Fort San Antonio in Ancud

Dropping my backpack in the capital city of Castro I decided to take a series of day trips from that location. The first day I stayed within the city of Castro and wandered down to the market and the port to watch the fishing boats and have some awesomely fresh mussels in a green pepper/cilantro sauce. On Day 2 it was a quick bus ride to Ancud where the ruins of a Spanish fort exist as well as the nice beach of Arena Grueso. My last day I went to the fishing village of Chanchi where I finally got to taste what is allegedly the specialty of Chiloe. Having no clue what it was, I ordered the “curanto de hoyo” and this is what arrived:

Basically, a wooden basket full of shellfish, sausages and other meats. It was quite good though certainly not the absolute best thing I’ve eaten in South America (I think that prize is still going to the shrimp in garlic sauce in Crucita, Ecuador). And with that and a few more photos below I am departing from the Isla Chiloe and am again heading north towards the port city of Validivia near the lake district. Much more to come in the Extravaganza blog and as always, thanks for reading.

Playa Arena Grueso

Architecture of Chonchi…

…and here too. A 1910 house turned into a replica museum

Fishing boats in Castro

Name: Hostal Portobello

Location: Valparaiso, Chile

Address: Artilleria #115, Cerro Artilleria, Valparaiso, Chile Telephone: 032 2118834/09 85153707

E-mail: contacto@hostalportobello.cl

Website: www.hostalportobello.cl

Review: This charming bed and breakfast in Valparaiso is located high up on a hill in Cerro Artilleria within two minutes walk to the Artilleria Ascensor. The views from the rooms in front are absolutely amazing and the rooms all tastefully decorated and very clean. There are four rooms of various sizes (ranging in price from $24 to $60 per room per night) and on the main floor is the common area which has comfy couches and information about Valparaiso as well as an Internet computer (not sure if this is available to guests or not as it wasn’t offered to me).

The owners…a young Chilean couple are extremely helpful and Alejandro speaks very good English. Definitely talk to him about the various self-guided walking tours through the old neighborhoods that he has information available for. The location is extremely convenient to the Naval Museum and the local artesan fair plus one of the most popular viewpoints of the bay in the city.

A nice breakfast of coffee, tea, freshly made juice (the plum juice was amazing!), bread, ham, cheese, yogurt and muesli is also served in the common area from 8 am to 11:30 am and is included in the price. There are bookshelves for browsing (mostly Spanish titles) and information on all sorts of services in Valparaiso. A truly relaxing and recommended place to stay.

Would I book with them again: Yes, definitely