Isla Chiloe – welcome to rainy Lake district
Day 68, Sat Nov 6 Puerto Montt/ Castro
Chiloe Island is beautiful and charming. The towns seemed very similiar to me with the layout, the architecture and the wooden churches.
It took 4 hour by bus to get to Castro from Puerto Montt. The bus got on a ferry! I had expected the passengers would get on the ferry and then get on another bus. I much preferred this, especially as it was pouring!
Checked into a hostel on the lake, called Palafito named after the style of the building, which is unique to the island or Castro – I cant remember!
Walked around town for a while and had a great dinner at Sacho. Salmon filled with cheese and sauage – Curanto, a Chilotean specialty! The highlight of the restaurant though was the old matron who gave travel tips. I felt as if I had a grandma in Chile!
Day 69, Sun Nov 7 Castro
Another rainy day! However, my culinary adventures continued in a great rein as the hostel provided the best breakfast I had eaten in a hostel in a while. Home baked multi-grain bread, fruits, yoghurt, oatflakes, coffee, tea, home-made jam. Oh, and eggs made to order too. It was quite filling.
Sunday is Feria artesanal in Delcahue, which draws tourists from Chile and elsewhere.
The weather has been weird. Rain for 15 minutes, followed by sunshine. Rain again before you had time to get used to the sunshine! They get 4-8 metres of rain every year! No wonder the island is so green and pretty!
The rain didn’t curb the enthusiasm of the street vendors. Fruits, veg, fish, woolen clothes, movies, books, food. An old couple broke off a piece of rhubarb when they saw us staring at the rhubarb trying to figure out what it is. Didnt look anything like rhubarb I had been used to in Seattle. They had quite a chuckle when they learned I am Indian. I am not quite sure why!
Lunch was at the local cocineria. I have no idea what I ate, but it was delicious! Back to Castro, walk around a bit more. Salad for dinner!
Day 70, Mon Nov 8 Castro
After another heavy breakfast, time to headprepare tuna sandwiches and head off to Parque Nacional Chiloe in Cucau. Having missed the 09:30 bus by 5 minutes, ended up going to the town of Chonchi to spend some time walking around there.
The driver of the bus to the national park stopped every few meters to say hello to his friends. He greeted most people who got on and was extremely friendly! He also wanted me to tell him, in English, the price he quoted me for the bus ride in Spanish.
The park was very nice, but the rain stopped me from exploring it as much as I would have liked. I limited myself to a couple of hours of walking. You could, in warmer clime, walk up to the beach. But it was too wet to walk to the beach and had to be content with the views of the Pacific Ocean in all its glory from the viewpoint!
There was a lovely 1km + trail which took one around some of the flora that was unique to the region.
A very enjoyable day, bar for the occasional rain! I wrap up the day then by going to a free concert by an Argentine, Pedro Aznar. He was good and I had a nice time. I did, however, provide some entertainment to the locals as I managed to fall down while trying to manoeuvre my way to a seat. Friendly crowd, good music, nice night! Off to Germanic Puerto Varas on Monday!
Tags: Travel
Damu