is often how this place off the west coast of Chile is described. It is interesting as it has it´s own culture due to its isolation after the spanish colonization, forming a Indian-Spanish mestizo people. Jesuits had a big influence over this area in the 1700´s as well, as manifested by the unique churches for which the land is known. Getting up early to get in a full day there, we left Puerto Varas and drove south to the ferry which would take us over. All the guide books and our Chilean friends emphatically told us not to take the main road, Ruta 5, down the island. We were instructed to head west, to the coast, and follow the dirt road to see the ¨real¨ Chiloe. Well, we did just that! We wound up in some people´s front yards, dead ends that drove out on the beach, across the beach. Granted, we followed signs best we could, but when the sign leads you to a fork in the road with no direction at all, what could you do?!? After the kilometers and kilometers we had driven the day before, we weren´t all so keen on driving all day with no directions, so we just drove west to find pavement!
Back on the main road, we continued south to Dalcuahue, where you can catch the ferry to the island of Quinchao. The first town here is Curaco de Velez, where they are most famous for their oysters. We found a outdoor restaurant and chowed down on HUGE oysters on the half shell and seafood empanadas.
Next town was Achao, which boasts the oldest church, built in 1730. Totally plain outside, and pegs used instead of nails, the inside shows intricate carvings in muted blue, white, and yellow. The people´s dependence on the water is reflected in the rounded ceiling, as the hull of a boat.
Back to the mainland, snapping a shot of the church in Dalchuahue, we continued south through Castro, the biggest and busiest town in Castro. The thing to see here was the palafitos, which are brightly colored houses built on stilts at the edge of the water. On we went to Chonchi, which was our stopping point and as far south as we were going. Here we stayed at a hostal called Esmerelda by the Sea, and it indeed was on the sea! The owner also was a seafood farmer, and you could see his nets and salmon farms from the window. We got a great room with view of the water, and had an AMAZING dinner there. Called cancato, it was a traditional Chilote dish - a HUGE salmon stuffed with sausage, cheese, tomatoes, and onions. He served 10 of us, and there was still plenty left over. Even better about the dinner was the chance to talk with the other visitors staying there and comparing travel stories. Here we met a couple from Northern England, who we recognized from Puerto Natales who also should have been on the Navimag ferry! We had a great time exchanging stories with them all.
This morning we enjoyed another great meal there (though there wasn´t a lot of room since last night) and got on the road for our flight back to Santiago. We´re currently waiting here in the airport in Puerto Montt, and trying not to think about the fact that our wonderful trip will be over so soon.
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