(For all photos, especially panoramas, click on the image for a full screen view.)
Next, we were off to see the penguins! And, yes, it was another gorgeous, sunny, calm day—perfect weather for a boat ride! Mother Nature sure was kind to us throughout our travels!
When we arrived at the boat launch, I was surprised to see that vehicles were permitted on the beach. We drove right up to the site, collected our life jackets, and boarded a cart that was pushed down the shoreline directly to the boat. No wet shoes on this boat trip! I had never seen anything like it.
Punihuil Wildlife Preserve is comprised of three rocky islets off the coast declared a National Monument to protect the breeding colony of Humboldt and Magellanic penguins. The best time to visit is October thru mid-March, so we were fortunate to see the penguins before they ventured back out to sea.
On our way out to the preserve.
Although the boat was able to maneuver quite close to the islets for a good look, there was some boat movement with the current making photography of the birds a challenge. I needed to back off the zoom to get sharper shots, so these photos have been cropped.
These cuties are Magellanic penguins. They grow to be 24-30 inches tall and weigh 6-14 pounds:
Humboldt penguins, which range in size from 22-28 inches, have some pink in their face, so this is one here:
It was so exciting to see the penguins in their natural habitat, rather than at Sea World!
When we returned to the beach, our group had a seafood lunch at this restaurant with a beautiful view:
It was a lovely day for a walk on the beach afterwards, and Andrea snagged us for another “seeing double” fun photo:
Visiting Chiloe Island was a wonderful experience, but it was time to take the ferry back to the mainland for more adventures. We returned to Puerto Varas and were ecstatic to see a clear view of the volcanoes! Bruce and I grabbed an ice cream and headed out to enjoy the amazingly clear views, savoring one last evening in Puerto Varas before flying south to Punta Arenas, our southernmost city of the tour.
Coming up next: ARGENTINA & CHILE #12: PLEASANT PUNTA ARENAS
I’m big on taking notes when I travel, but I need to remember to read them thoroughly before I post a blog! I just now read that those “moonrise” and “sunset” pictures in my last post were actually moonset and sunrise pictures I shot on this day. (That’s what I get for continually forgetting to reset the day and time on my camera before traveling!)
Anyway, breakfast was a treat this morning as we enjoyed the beautiful view as well as a buffet that included a warm Marraqueta (traditional Chilean bread) with delicious fresh guacamole and cheese—a common Chilean breakfast.
Happily fortified, we were off for a brief stop to photograph the palifitos we had visited the previous day. (We will see more later in the afternoon.)
(For all photos, especially panoramas, click on the image for a full screen view.)
Next, we were off to the Rilan Peninsula for our Day in the Life adventure, beginning with a visit to the main square to see the Church of St. Mary, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a National Monument of Chile.
Keeping with our buena onda tradition, Andrea gathered us for another cheesy group photo:
Now, this next shot was something I had never done before. We played follow the leader—in this case, our local guide, Daniel. As soon as Andrea panned past us, we quickly followed Daniel behind Andrea and got back in front of the camera—the reason you are seeing double!
While the others went inside to explore the church further, I hoofed it up the hill to take a closer look at houses I had seen on the bus ride to the square. I had been captivated by the artistically cut house shingles since arriving on Chiloe Island, and I wanted to see more.
When I returned to the church, I had just enough time to take a quick look at the interior before we walked across the square to Isle and Raul’s home and farm.
Raul & Ilse
Our “Day in the Life” experience with them was a day to remember! We first gathered in the fogon—a covered structure separated from the house—where family and friends meet to share mate or tea and socialize. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn about Isle and Raul’s life on the farm and hear their perspective on how their traditional ways of life are being threatened due to politics, technology, “progress,” the economy, and salmon farming. Now that Chile is the second-largest producer of salmon in the world, it has had a huge impact on their community.
Another possible threat (or benefit, depending on which side of the debate you are on) to the island is the bridge that is going to be built to connect the island to the mainland. Will the increase in traffic, pollution, and tourism affect the people and Chilote traditions on Chiloe Island?
It was time for Isle to start preparing our lunch, a traditional meal called a curanto, so the group pitched in. Curanto is a stew—this one including mussels, sausage, meat, potatoes, and greens that is cooked in a huge pot. The group also prepared chapalele, which are potato dumplings that are wrapped in plastic wrap before they are added to the pot to be cooked.
Ilse preparing chapalele
One of the most important Chilote traditions is the “minga,” which is sharing essential tasks. A minga is a gathering of friends and acquaintances to roof a house (or even move a house!), build a fence, harvest a field of potatoes, or another project that requires a lot of labor. The reward? Curanto! It reminds me of back in college when buddies helped each other move apartments or out of the dorm, except pizza and beer was the reward.
Meanwhile, Raul gave us a tour of the farm, which wasn’t just an ordinary farm. Everywhere I turned, it was a feast for the eyes—at least my eyes! I am always in awe of the creativity of crafters, and I love to see (and sometimes purchase) the folk art and crafts of the countries I visit—especially if I can interact with the artist or crafter rather than purchasing from a souvenir shop. Between Isle and Raul, they seemed to make everything! From knitted wool clothing and baskets, to wood carving and models, to hand-built food processors and presses; to… just everything! I was simply in awe.
Raul’s workshop
Raul built this food processor and is mashing apples.
After helping Raul dig up some potatoes, he took us on a little nature walk through his property to see his life-size wood carvings. Of course, he built his own bridge across a pond as well as the walkway. Just look at this man’s talent! His carvings depict famous mythological characters that are very much a part of the Chilote culture.
While the curanto finished cooking, Raul taught us how to play rayuela, a traditional Chilean game similar to bocce or horseshoes, except tejo (small disks) are used. We also enjoyed a pisco sour, which became a popular drink among our buena onda group!
Our visit with Isle and Raul concluded with our sharing of the curanto for a wonderful lunch of good food, good company, and music performed by Raul and Daniel. It was such an enjoyable experience!
We weren’t done yet, though! After departing Rilan, we returned to Castro and hopped on a boat (for just our group) to go see more palafitos.
On the way to the palafitos, we could see our hotel and room facing the water.We were able to get quite close to these Red-legged Cormorants, and I zoomed in. I think they were quite used to boats coming by, because they didn’t fly off.A view of Castro and the Church of San Francisco.Palafitos, the houses on stilts.A closer view of this bird in flight. The sign reads, “Between sea and land.”Captured from the bus window while heading back to the hotel.
What a fabulous and very memorable day!
Next up: ARGENTINA & CHILE #11: PHOTOGENIC PENGUINS AT PUNIHUIL
Chiloe Island, a ferry ride away from the mainland of Chile, was a place I looked forward to visiting after learning about the native Mapuche people and their values. During our home hosted dinner, Carolina told us her mother lived in Chiloe and described the island’s people as humble and giving. As she explained, “Being wealthy [in Chiloe] is having a meal to share with family and friends.”
Chiloe, “Land of the seagulls” in Mapudungan, is an archipielago located at the southern end of the Lake District of Chile with about 40,000 residents. It’s a rainy place; it rains 75 inches a year. Fortunately, we didn’t experience any of it—well, except when we were on the bus for a short time.
After driving along the Pan American Highway, we arrived at the landing and embarked the ferry, bus and all, to Chiloe Island.
(For all photos, especially panoramas, click on the image for a full screen view.)
Once we pushed off, we were all permitted to vacate our vehicles and enjoy the one-hour crossing. It was another lovely day, so we all went up on top to enjoy the views. I always have my camera with me, so I took advantage and grabbed a shot during this quick pit stop in the head:
Following our arrival in the town of Chacao, we took a walk along the waterfront to the town square. Along the way, we saw so many gorgeous birds, including this large beauty high up in the tree:
These are black-necked swans:
A unique characteristic of the architecture on Chiloe are the intricately cut house shingles. Each builder has his own design, and locals can tell by that design who built which house. The colorful buildings made me smile as did the warm and friendly people.
Translation: “Where the magic begins”
We popped into the community center to see what the local crafters were selling, and I had a wonderful interaction with a fiber artist who didn’t speak English. Thanks to Jay, a fellow member of our group, I was able to learn the price of this adorable sheep and complete the transaction—only 2,000 pesos, which was just over $2! The fun part, though, was trying to communicate with her in my limited Spanish. I knew just enough to tell her how beautiful her work was! She was flattered when I asked for a photo, and she made my day. Her sheep keeps me company as I write these posts…
As I photographed the gigantic Chilean flag in the square, Andrea came running up to me and Bruce and exclaimed, “Come quick!” She didn’t want us to miss an impromptu performance by a young music and dance group that was on tour. They delighted us as well as the locals, including this woman and these shop owners who warmed my heart:
Mary, giving stickers to the children
Following our visit to Chacao, we made our way through the rugged, windswept island to Castro, the capital of Chiloe Island. We checked into the Enjoy Chiloe Hotel, which was a huge surprise given that Andrea told us not to expect it to be as nice as the Radisson in Puerto Varas. (Evidently, she had received some complaints from past travelers, something I could not understand AT ALL after we arrived.) Just look at this floor-to-ceiling view from our room! Our jaws dropped! We looked around and tried to figure out what was not to like. Sure, there were some stairs going down from the door and closet area to the bedroom; and, the location wasn’t as walkable as Puerto Varas, but look at his VIEW! Just wait until tonight…
Meanwhile, while admiring the fiber arts pieces on display throughout the hotel (which made my heart sing, because my mom used to create beautiful fiber arts pieces), we made our way to the restaurant for a delicious lunch—with a VIEW!
Time for a laundry stop! I handwash our laundry as we go, so we took a pass, but on OAT tours, they always try to arrange somewhere for the group to have their laundry done along the way. Drop it off, see the sites, and then return for a clean stack of clothes.
Our tour of the church included the attic where we were able to get a look at how the church was constructed. From there I found a hole large enough for my camera to capture this unique view.
Returning to the main square of Castro, we visited another UNESCO site, the Church of San Francisco, built in 1910. It is painted yellow to represent the sun, and the purple trim represents royalty.
Going to church is the big social event of the week for residents of Chiloe Island, but they are also helping immigrants from Venezuela and Haiti to settle in Chile.
Andrea loves taking group pictures, so she took this cheesy shot at the Castro sign. There were two ladies from Santiago watching, and they wanted a picture with our “Buena onda” (good vibes) group, so we invited Sarah and Veronica to photo bomb our shot as honorary group members. They were a hoot!
More scenes around the main square:
The afternoon concluded with a visit to see Castro’s iconic palafitos—colorful homes built on stilts that have become Castro’s biggest attraction. Andrea and Daniel, our local guide who was with us in Puerto Varas, had a friend, Hanover, who lived in one, and we were invited to stop by for a look. Hanover built the house himself and used 80 stilts to support it.
Most of the house is built on stilts, which are not pictured. You will see many more palafitos in a future post!
Several of the palafitos had decorative hand-cut shingles like we saw in Chacao. A very hard wood is used and lasts about 40 years. When the shingle wears out on one side, they just flip it over. Bright paint colors are used (except for the one below) to contrast the cold, gloomy, and rainy weather that usually plagues the region. But look at this day! Our luck continues…
Hanover
Our “buena onda” (good vibes) group having fun on Hanover’s deck. The stilt side (water side) of the house is considered the front of the house.
Elaine-iaK's Travels: A Traveler's Tales of People, Places, Photos, Pools... and CHOCOLATE! 