Chiloe Island: Penguins and more!

Penguins!

 

On the very first day of our tour, Javi handed each of us a form where we had to list two expectations we had for the trip. Nearly everyone, including me, listed, “to see penguins.” It’s no exaggeration to say that I’ve adored penguins for as long as I can recall. When I was in college, I even wrote a paper about penguins for a zoology class. And now, on day 10 of our trip, I was finally going to see a whole lot of penguins! 

The first thing we had to do was to take a short ferry ride from the mainland to Chiloe Island. Actually, the island in the largest in the 40-island Chiloe archipelago. The population of the entire archipelago is 150,000. Chiloe, known for its slow pace, attracts primarily Chilean vacationers.

 

Before the Spanish arrived on Chiloe island in the mid-16^th century and established a harbor for ships arriving from Spain, the archipelago was inhabited by native people. In fact, the name of the archipelago means seagull island. In the decades that followed the Spanish, the Europeans and the natives worked together, resulting in a blending of cultures that characterizes the islands today. 

 

Susanna explained that the people of Chiloe remain very superstitious. Some still bury their money in the ground. Their mythology, includes witches, wizards, and other creatures with supernatural powers. A local legend says that a struggle between a water serpent and a land serpent resulted in the creation of the archipelago. Javi mentioned that he had heard many such tales from his maternal grandfather, who was born on Chiloe island. 

 

We began our exploration of Chiloe island in its second largest city, Ancud, located on the island’s north shore. Ancud has the distinction of being the last place in Chile to be liberated from the Spanish during Chile’s war for independence. It finally fell in 1826 and remains of Spanish forts can still be found here. 

Along its seaside promenade, Susanna pointed out metal boards with information about the mythology. The most popular character is El Trauco, a little troll who can put a spell on a woman and seduce her. El Trauco is frequently and conveniently cited in cases of unexplained pregnancies. La Fiura, the wife of El Trauco, is a witch with fiery breath. When she puts a spell on a man, he can disappear for days. But there’s also La Pincoya, a beautiful mermaid who protects the sea and helps fishermen. 

 

As we walked along, listening to the squawking of sea birds and smelling salt air, we noticed local women harvesting king crabs and clams at low tide. 

 

Next, we headed out to a beach where small boats were waiting to take us out into the choppy waters to see the Humboldt and Magellanic penguins who live on rocky outcrops.

The Humboldt penguins have a single band of black at their necks while the Magellanic penguins have two bands of black at their necks. The Magellanic penguin is the more common of the two. 

 

I was surprised that I managed to get some decent photos, considering how our small boat was being tossed about by the waves and the wind.  

 

We finally spotted a pair of the less common Humboldt penguins.

The area was full of many kinds of birds. We saw herons, ibis, and other birds as well, including an osprey flying overhead, a cormorant in the water, and a torrent duck with a distinctive red bill on the rocks.  

Of course, we had fresh fish for lunch at a restaurant on the beach – first shrimp and cheese empanadas, then broiled hake.

After our penguin adventure, we drove south for about an hour and a half to the Church of Nercón, built in 1879. It’s one of Chiloe’s sixteen wooden churches that were designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These simple churches were built by local boat carpenters who didn’t use architectural plans. Their construction techniques were similar to those used for building wooden boats. And since metal nails were expensive, they used as few as possible. Instead, they assembled logs using wooden pegs that fit into holes. We were able to climb up into the rafters to see how the ceiling resembled the hull of a boat turned upside down. The interior of the church is very simple, filled with painted wooden sculptures. 

 

Susanna told us that the churches were built near the water because a single priest would have to serve several different churches and the only way to travel from one to another was by boat. 

 

Our hotel was located just a few minutes away, in Castro, the largest city on Chiloe Island (population 44,000). Its architecture was unusual, especially since most buildings on the island were quite modest. This hotel was like a local interpretation of Brutalism – very large in scale, a lot of raw concrete, but also a lot of wood, one of the natural resources found on the island. It seemed to be designed to highlight both the materials used in construction and the landscape. 

a section of concrete and wood floor in a common area

concrete wall in my room

a patchwork design using different kinds of wood

In my room, I could sprawl on a daybed and look out at the water through a wide floor-to-ceiling expanse of glass. Clouds gradually rolled in late in the afternoon, and around sunset, big drops of rain started to splatter against the windows, creating an impressionist scene. 

late afternoon

a few hours later

and then the rain began

 

Next morning, the sky was blue once again, promising ideal weather for our Day in the Life experience on Chiloe’s Rilan peninsula. 

 

We traveled by bus through the bucolic countryside for about 45 minutes to reach the main square of Rilan.

 

The town's wooden church dates back to 1910.

There was still a morning chill in the air when we arrived at the home of Raul and Ilse. They welcomed us into the warm kitchen (heated by a wood stove) and immediately escorted us to a separate building, used as a gathering place when they have visitors. We sat around a fire pit, munching on pancitos (freshly baked rolls) with honey and drinking hot coffee and tea, while we started to learn about the way of life on Chiloe island. 

 

Like over 90 percent of Chileans, Raul and Ilse have some native ancestry and they proudly displayed the flag of the Huilliche people, part of the Mapuche ethnic group. The star on the flag is Venus and its seven points represent rain, winds, forest, sky, thunder, sun, and sea. It’s used during the winter solstice celebration on June 20. 

Ilse demonstrated spinning yarn from sheep’s wool and showed us some of the leg warmers, socks, and sweaters she knits. She uses natural dyes for the colors. She also weaves blankets. 

 

Raul has a workshop where he makes wooden boats, model sailboats, and beautiful furniture.

They showed us a basket of potatoes and giant garlic from their garden. 

 

One custom we learned about is the micá (accent on 2^nd syllable), a communal work project. When you need help with a big project, such as planting or harvesting, you call for a mica. Neighbors show up, you provide food and drinks, and you all work together.

 

In the spirit of working together, we quickly turned our attention to preparing our lunch. Under Ilse’s direction, we prepared two types of potato bread and a traditional layered dish of Mapuche origin called curanto. In the past, curanto was cooked in a hole in the ground filled with hot stones. Nowadays, it’s usually cooked in a large pot. 

Each one of us was assigned a job – chopping, grating, mixing, etc. I was part of the group preparing two types of potato bread, milcao and chapalele. In my previous post, I noted that milcao is a mixture of grated raw potatoes and riced cooked potatoes. After we mushed the two kinds of potatoes together by hand, we formed the mixture into balls and stuffed a little bit of chicharrón(fried pork rind) into the center.

 

Chapalele (almost rhymes with ukulele) are very similar but they’re a mixture of riced cooked potatoes and wheat flour. We added chopped chicharrón to the mixture and then formed little dumplings. 

 

While we were making the milcao and chapalele, another group was chopping onions, garlic, and sweet peppers for the curanto. The chopped veggies were sautéed in hot oil (thankfully, not lard) in a big deep pot. Merkén, a distinctive Mapuche spice blend with a base of smoked chili pepper, was added for extra flavor. It was starting to smell delicious!

 

A bowl of locally farmed mussels, along with some water, was poured on top of the sautéed veggies.

As instructed by Raul, group members added chunks of pork, then pieces of chicken, and finally, long sausages, to the pot.

 

Then it was time to cover this first layer with an enormous leaf of the nalca plant that grew in the yard. This edible plant, sometimes referred to as “dinosaur food” because of the size of its leaves, is native to Chile.

 

For the second layer, we added a variety of different kinds of potatoes from the garden along with milcaoand chapalele that were covered in plastic wrap. (I know, not a good idea, but I couldn’t say anything.)

 

After another nalca leaf went over the potatoes and dumplings before fresh beans from the garden were added as a third layer. A few more sausages were placed with the beans before a final nalca leaf was placed on top.

 

Someone poured a cup of liquid (I can’t recall what it was) over the top leaf before the lid was put on the pot. Two strong volunteers carried the pot to a burner connected to a small propane tank. To ensure that no steam escaped, Raul placed a couple of heavy rocks on top of the lid.

 

It would take about an hour and a half for the curanto to cook, so while we were waiting for lunch, Raul took us on a tour of the property. We started in the garden, where they grow most of the vegetables they eat. These are like the beans that we put in the curanto.

 

He even gave us a chance to dig potatoes out of the ground, which is harder than it looks! Did you know that there are over 400 different kinds of potatoes? Raul and Ilse grow 34 varieties in their garden. They’re a major part of the diet here on Chiloe island and throughout Chile.

We pulled some plums off the plum trees and munched on them as we followed him into a wooded area where he proudly showed us a pine wood statue of El Trauko (a character in Mapuche mythology) that he and a friend had carved.

 

Back near the house, Raul showed us the old wooden press he uses every year to make chicha (a hard cider) from homegrown apples. He poured small samples of the drink for us to taste.

 

He also taught us to play the local version of corn hole. The player tosses a heavy metal disk at a dirt-filled box on the ground from a distance of 10 to 14 meters (32 to 45 feet).

 

Finally, the curanto was ready and we sat down in the dining room at a long table to enjoy our meal. I really liked the milcao and chapalele – and those words are fun to say out loud.

 

Before we left Chiloe island, we got a better look at the town of Castro. A boat ride brought us through an offshore area devoted to mussel and salmon farming. This industry began about 40 years ago and is now an important part of the economy. Agriculture (primarily potatoes) and fishing/fish farming are the main economic activities on Chiloe. Actually, after copper, salmon is Chile’s main export. Susanna assured us that the mussels and salmon, which is not native to Chile, are produced responsibly according to very high standards and that the fish farming industry provides many jobs.

From the water, we also saw the quaint palafitos that Castro is known for. These waterfront houses on stilts sit on the shore of a quiet cove. They rest on wood pilings and are covered with brightly painted shingles made from the alerce (redwood) tree. The first palafitos were built by fishermen in the 19^th century. They could moor their boats right next to their houses and they didn’t have to purchase land since the shore is public in Chile.

 

Most of the palafitos have two levels and can be entered from both the water side (on the lower level) and the side facing the street (on the upper level) via a short bridge. The water in the cove is tidal, with the level changing by 20 feet every six hours. Although some palafitos have been turned into restaurants, cafés, or small hotels, locals still inhabit many of the houses. Once we were back on land, we were invited inside by one local resident. 

 

In the main plaza of Castro, we visited the wooden church that dates back to 1910. It’s the largest wooden church in Chiloe. Unlike the other wooden churches on the island, this one was designed by an Italian architect. However, it was intended to be built in stone, not wood.

I can understand why visitors to Chiloe have remarked that being here is like going back in time, and I really appreciate OAT’s decision to include this unspoiled island on our itinerary. While our time in Chiloe was coming to an end, we still had much more of Chile and Argentina to explore. To reach our next destination, we’d have to fly all the way to the southern tip of Patagonia.  

Northern Patagonia, West of the Andes

I was looking forward to my first glimpse of Chile. We’d be traveling overland for several hours, across the Andes, into Chilean Patagonia. The sun was shining brightly in a brilliant blue sky when we made an early morning departure from Bariloche. Our route took us around Lake Nahuel Huapi and briefly onto route 40, the famous 5000-kilometer long road that connects Argentina from north to south. 

Javi gave us some information about how the border between the two countries was finally settled after a long period of conflict. The Andes mountains form a physical barrier, of course, but where exactly to draw the line was the issue once the two countries gained their independence from Spain in the early 1800s. An international border was established by the Boundary Treaty of 1881. According to the terms of the treaty, the border, down to latitude 52 degrees south, would follow the continental divide and the highest peaks of the Andes mountains. Since the mountains form a natural barrier, there’s a section of no man’s land between the border stations of Chile and Argentina. 

 

It’s impossible to predict how long it will take to get through the security process at the border. Nowadays, with the economy in Argentina so volatile while it’s quite stable in Chile, there is frequent border crossing in both directions, depending on which country has the better prices.

 

We were fortunate that our bus was able to bypass the long line of private cars waiting to be cleared. Still, it took an hour to complete the necessary formalities. Javi was hopeful that it would be less time-consuming at the Chilean border station. I recalled his previous explanation of some of the differences between the two countries: Chile is more formal, bureaucratic, rule-oriented, and efficient while Argentina is more casual and relaxed, but much less law-abiding and efficient. To paraphrase Javi, in Chile, things work whereas in Argentina, they don’t. 

 

In no man’s land, our bus followed a series of switchbacks, as we climbed up, then down, the road through the mountains. 

 

As we approached the Chilean border station, the vegetation became increasingly lush. We were in a Valdivian forest, i.e. a temperate rainforest. Through the windows we could see ferns, bamboo, deep pink lupines, and big-leafed nalga (also known as Chilean rhubarb).

 

We were also in volcano country now. The white powder we noticed on the ground was actually volcanic ash that was spewed from one of the active volcanoes in the area. In June 2011, the Puyehue volcano, located near Angostura, erupted, sending out a tall cloud of ash that reached all the way to Bariloche, causing the airport to close. One of the most active volcanoes is the Osorno volcano, with its distinctive pointy top.

When we eventually reached the Chilean border station, it took only a few minutes to complete the formalities to enter the country, as Javi had predicted. We were now officially in the northern Patagonia region of Chile. We switched to a Chilean bus, with a Chilean driver, and welcomed Susanna, our new local guide for this portion of the trip. 

 

I was somewhat surprised by the bucolic landscape as we continued traveling towards our destination, the city of Puerto Varas. I wasn’t expecting to find myself in the middle of farm country. Cows were grazing in fields of green with snow-capped volcanic peaks in distance. The plastic wrapped bales of hay looked like giant marshmallows perched on gently rolling hills. 

 

My first meal in Chile, at a small roadside restaurant, was simple perfection: chicken that was moist, tender, and subtly seasoned, then unadorned raspberries from the restaurant’s garden, tasting of sunshine and fresh air. Compliments to chef Don José! 

 

Another big surprise was the Auto Museum of Moncopulli, located right next to the restaurant. In fact, the museum boasted the largest collection of Studebakers outside the U.S. In addition to a huge collection of antique cars, the museum displayed a variety of retro electronic equipment, household items, toys and games, and much more. If you’re interested, check out the museum’s website.

During the final drive of the day, from Moncopulli to Puerto Varas, I learned a few basic facts about Chile. Of course, I already knew it was long and narrow. To be exact, it’s 2670 miles long and the average width is 110 miles from east to west. Therefore, you’re never far from the Pacific coast. I cheered silently, my mind racing ahead to food and thinking that fish would likely be on the menu. In fact, that’s one of the differences between Chile and Argentina, where meat reigns supreme. 

 

Susanna said to think of the country in three parts. The northern part of the country is a desert where valuable minerals and important sources of revenue like copper and lithium are mined. The majority of Chile’s population lives in the central part of the country, which has a Mediterranean climate. Santiago, the capital, and other cities are located here. This region has both industry and agriculture, including vineyards. The southern part of Chile, i.e. Patagonia, is very rainy and windy. Strong winds from the west bring moisture throughout the year. The main crops grown here are potatoes, carrots, and flowers. 

 

It was mid-afternoon when we finally arrived in Puerto Varas. After a long day of travel, we were all feeling a bit dehydrated and in need of a refreshing beverage. Fortunately, the bartender at the hotel was ready with a lesson on how to make Pisco sours, Chile’s national cocktail (despite Peruvian claims that they’re the inventors of the drink).  In any case, it was quite delicious, but dangerously so, because it was also quite potent. 

 

Since it was summer, it didn’t get dark until quite late so we had a few more hours of daylight left to walk around the compact town center of Puerto Varas, soaking in the sunshine. It’s situated on a large lake, LLanquihue (pronounced like Yankee Way) and attracts large numbers of vacationing Chilean families to its lakefront beach. 

There’s an abundance of reasonably priced dining options in the tourist center. Several members of our group joined Javi at one of his favorite restaurants where we all chose some kind of fish or seafood for our dinner. We nibbled on tortas fritas with pebre, the Chilean version of pico de gallo, while waiting for our main course. I had an excellent meal of congrio (Chilean sea bass) along with a salad of avocado and hearts of palm. It was so good, in fact, that i returned another day so I could order the king crab salad. 

 

From Susanna, I learned more about this very attractive small city of 50,000 inhabitants. The strong German influence is obvious here. I had already seen signs in German and noticed that many of the streets had German names. Also, the church that I could see from our hotel looked European. This dates back to the arrival of German and Austrian immigrants, the first Europeans to settle here, between 1840 and 1860. Although they were evenly divided between Catholics and Lutherans, there were never any religious conflicts.

Chile and Argentina both gained their independence from Spain within a few years of each other in the early 1800s. In order to maintain their hold on the land, each country encouraged Europeans to come and settle the relatively unpopulated areas. When the Germans and Austrians arrived in this part of Chilean Patagonia, the native Mapuche people had already moved up into the mountains or onto the islands in order to maintain their traditional lifestyle. 

 

The immigrants cleared the land, became dairy farmers, and established German-speaking schools. Today, most of the farmland has been subdivided but many descendants of the immigrants still live in and around Puerto Varas and neighboring Puerto Montt. The local German community maintains close connections with Germany. In fact, since Chileans with German ancestry can obtain German passports, it’s not unusual for them to leave the country to attend German universities. The main reason? According to Susanna, our local guide, who chose to do this, universities in Chile cost a lot, except for students from low-income families. However, universities are free for everyone in Germany.  

 

During the pandemic, many upper middle-class people moved from Santiago, Chile’s capital and largest city, to Puerto Varas. Since then the city’s population has continued to increase. When we remarked how beautiful the weather was, Susanna told us that in the winter (March to October), the weather in this part of Chilean Patagonia is gray, cold, and rainy. 

 

We traveled about an hour from Puerto Varas one morning to Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park to see Petrohué River waterfalls. We stopped for a photo op en route to the park. 

 

From the falls, we were even closer to the Osorno volcano.

 

Susanna led us on a short hike through the park’s Valdivian forest (temperate rain forest) where we recognized the coihué and arrayán trees from our time in Bariloche. We also got a good look at the native South American bamboo.

Arrayán trees

South American bamboo

 

Along the trail, we came across a wall of basalt rock that was formed when hot lava from a volcanic eruption penetrated a subterranean chamber of cold rock and then solidified in the form of crystals that slowly cooled.

 

Another activity on our itinerary in Puerto Varas was a visit to COMBAS, a music and arts school that receives financial support from OAT’s parent company, Grand Circle Travel, through its charitable foundation. This type of visit is a standard feature of every OAT tour I’ve taken. The founder of the school is an idealistic young pianist who transformed an abandoned building into an institution dedicated to providing artistic education to children and adults in southern Chile. In addition to offering paid lessons, the school maintains a children’s orchestra which provides free music instruction to at-risk school-age children. On the afternoon of our visit, the students were eager to perform several pieces for us.

As an added treat, one couple performed Chile’s national folk dance, the cueca, in which the man represents a rooster and the woman represents a hen. Dancers would usually wear typical clothing typical from the countryside. The man’s very energetic movements include lots of jumping and stomping. 

A highlight of my time in Puerto Varas was a home-hosted dinner with a delightful family. Like most Chileans, they have mixed native and European ancestry. When we asked how they identify, the answer was simply, Chilean. They had moved to Puerto Varas from Santiago 10 years ago in order to improve their quality of life. Rodrigo, the father, had traded his desk job for a career as a landscape designer. The conversation flowed easily as we sipped Pisco sours and helped Jackie, the mother, fry cheese empanadas.

 

The main course was charquican, a typical Chilean stew of native origin. Jackie had prepared a vegetarian version with potatoes, corn, and a variety of other fresh vegetables. It was simmering on the stove when we arrived. She served it with slices of sautéed longganisa sausage on top. 

Their teenage daughter, Martina, who spoke fluent English, brought the dessert, a German inspired blueberry kuchen, to the table.

 

After dinner, the whole family entertained us by singing while Rodrigo played the guitar. Interactions like this home visit are one of the reasons I love traveling with OAT.

While Puerto Varas is located on a landlocked lake, the nearby city of Puerto Montt is located on a bay which leads to the Pacific Ocean. For this reason, it’s a major fishing port. On Saturdays, local fishermen sell their catch in Puerto Montt’s huge weekly market, which also features farm-fresh fruits and vegetables, along with handicrafts, clothing, and household items. (6789, 94, 95, 6802, 6809, 6810, 11, 18, 19). 

There were so many tempting things to eat in the market. I started with a fried  milcao, a type of dumpling made from a mixture of grated raw potatoes and riced cooked potatoes. It’s a Chilean specialty that makes a perfect snack. And since it was lunch time, I followed it up with an overflowing container of ceviche.

My introduction to Chile left me eager to see more of the country. The next stop on our itinerary was Chiloe Island, just off the coast.