My personal experience on the Big Island of Chiloe
Posted: Wednesday, January 14, 2009
by Bob Frassinetti
Bob Frassinett biz
From Chile's Mainland paradises to its insular magic and heaven: A trip to Chiloe My personal experience on the Big Island of Chiloe Riding the ferry that links Chile's mainland with the Great Island of Chiloe is just an amazing experience. However, if it's raining when you do so, the journey becomes a religious experience. Raindrops altering the crystalline peacefulness of the Pacific Ocean emerald waters, prepare the scenario for a brilliant spectacle of sea wolves swimming by the edge of the ship, along them, an underwater forest of yellowish seaweeds that simulate an endless mermaid hair, provide the finishing touches of a mind blowing picturesque experience.
It's just a "bit like England" within the "New World". Yes, one thing in common to Chiloe, is English weather of Chiloe. Its much like being at home, I lived in the UK and getting there made me feel a bit home sick ...... So I feeling very much at home for the whole time I was staying on the Island, full of fields and cows grazing, land worked for the hay, small pkots with very green hedges......
So one can say that Chiloe is famous, however, for a few more things that you don't have in England, the food, the people, the wooden churches, small villages plenty pf villages across the island.
Ancud is a gorgeous bay where the social spot par excellence is the Port, the place where local people work, gather for a drink or to chat and enjoy a wonderful view, and specially the best place to eat some of the local treats. As the evening began to cape the blue-gray sky the rainy day had left us with, we sat at a table -that would soon become our regular table- to enjoy a treat of local fish and a wonderful Chilean White wine.
As the evening went on, the sky mutated into a deep bluish black lightened by millions of bright stars and a full moon casting its light over the port area turned those deep waters silver. We headed back to our hotel, the day was exhausting and we wanted to enjoy the early morning light for our day tour.
The next morning, under a fine rain we woke up and got ready to go and visit the Island's lighthouse. Christened Faro Corona -Crown Lighthouse-, this construction is some 2 hours car drive from the center of the city. The ride is just as amazing as the lighthouse itself. It's amazing how gorgeous the scenario is in this island. I just can't seem to get over its surprising beauty.
After a couple of days of total relaxation and nature bonding in Ancud, we leave this heavenly town for another gorgeous location: Castro.
Castro is not only a small very interesting city but also the Island's capital. Along the Bay front there are famous local constructions are made atop "palafitos" (pillars), which is a very interesting way to live and work together with the constant tide movement, which if not addressed properly would make life very complicated with constant floods.
Walking throughout Castro makes me recall upon my days -back in the 60s- in Guyana where I used to live at the time it has a Welsh feel to it, may be because of the intense green hills and constant rain which might make them share a similar magic.
Without a doubt I find Castro to be a wonderful lost in time spot. I'm enjoying already its treats.
There's an amazing way in which Castro has managed to blend the old and the new, its traditions and spectacular insular architecture with the edgy proposal of the Museum of Modern Art located in Castro's municipal park add an extra flavor to this gorgeous town of multicolor houses atop wooden pillars, wonderful Jesuit churches and spectacular cuisine.
Talking of which, our night out in town was a total success: we enjoyed a superbly well prepared Pisco Sour, the national drink of Chile, with our treats of Seafood: Abalones with Mayonnaise (Locos con Mayo) which is one of Chile's national dishes, and it's done with exceptional quality and expertise and fried Congrio- Conger Eel fish, also a local delicatessen.
During our stay in Castro we enjoyed daily great treats of the Chilean and Insular cuisine, specially their traditional seafood dishes which we adored.
The days to follow will find us in Gorgeous Chonchi. Like all our previous stops, this location has that fisherman-peasant insular feel to the town, atop with an extra flair added because of the intense mapuche culture influence.
Our visit to the national Park of and the Pacific coast was very special, the icing of the cake was the outstanding sunset we got to enjoy at the peer: The ocean was gorgeously decorated with many Salmon Fishing boats of the local fishermen as the sun hid we chose to enjoy a portside dinner in our favorite table, with our favorite drink: Pisco sour and try one of the local specialties: sea soup, which is a rich fish and seafood dish.
Following the southern stretch of the Pan American route #5 Chonchi is a truly must. Nice and quiet, Chonchi is the main gate to the great lake area which we happily explored and discovered to be outstanding.
Queilen was our briefest stop, we only spent a day of Sightseeing the beaches and bay and peacefulness walking along its beaches for hours and hours, visiting it's cute and small and rather not interesting lighthouse but enjoying some time alone with the silence of Nature's beauties.
Quellon, via Chonchi, was our last stop before returning to Chilean mainland. an immense Salmon fishing port though a tiny town, very picturesque and nice. An important port that also servers as an entrance or exit to the Island and a door to the extreme south Patagonia of Chile......... I will as time permits carry on giving suggestions and ideas to some of the places I visited or have heard about as time permits me. As my conclusion for this Big Island of Chiloe, is a place to get back to and enjoy before the said progress of prosperity arrives...... Cheers to you all and I hope I have been of some help, Bob Frassinetti. Buenos Aires, Argentina.
This Article has been viewed 116 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.