Chillin in Chiloe

From the Argentinian Lake District we made our way South West over the Andes and into Chile. After a brief overnighter in the cruise port city of Puerto Montt we made our way the following morning to the mystical Isla de Grande Chiloe.

Chiloe has many myths and legendary characters created for various reasons by the original natives which still play a strong part in its modern day culture. Chiloe is also heavily influenced by the Spanish Jesuit Missionaries who built over 150 wooden churches on the island in an attempt to Christianise the then locals.

A bus-ferry-bus combination took us to the northern most town of Ancud. A pleasant town very dependent upon it's fishing industry. While here we thought we would do out part and contribute to the local economy. We had clams and fresh fish in the restaurant, and took home oysters and mussels from the market for homemade moule frites. A kilo of mussels will set you back 500 CLP (66p), but you do have to scrape the barnacles off yourself!

Whilst on the island we took the local bus to a beach on the Pacific side of the island which houses four penguin colonies. From the beach we took a short boat ride around the rocky islands to see the colonies of Magallen Penguins, as well as some cormorants and a couple of sea otters.

After the boat we grabbed a bite to eat at the restaurant on the beach and had our largest empanadas yet in South America! Whilst waiting at the bus stop we were lucky enough to see some dolphins as well, frolicking in the water and racing the waves.

Chiloe is the largest island in South America, (about 250 km long and 70km wide) therefore the wooden churches are all very spread out. We saw only a couple but saw wooden (obviously) models of the most interesting ones at the museum. It explains the carpentry and intricate wood joins used in construction which is just as interesting as the church's themselves. As well as the churches the island is scattered with forts, as it was the last Spanish outpost in South America.

Whilst on the island we also took a trip down to the capital, Castro. The town is famous for it's Palafitos, wooden houses built on stilts protruding into the ocean. They are quite an interesting concept, however a lot of the bright colouring of them has started to fade now.

February is a big month in Chiloe and they have events going on nearly every day. Whilst we were there we saw numerous markets and events in the main Plaza Del Armas, and on our last day we even witnessed a Chiloen Electronic Outdoor Rave... ish.