DAYS19-20 Achao, Castro CHILOE

Not being able to resist another view of penguins, I went with a tour organized by the hostel to visit both the Magellanic and Humboldt species in the same environs. According to the guide, this was the only location on earth where they cohabit together. The boat passed slowly while the penguins waddled about on a hilly, rocky piece of land not far from shore; their grace evident only when diving and swimming in the sea. Despite a few attempts to distinguish one type from the other I’m not sure I succeeded. But no matter, the coast is beautiful and it was a great way to see more of picturesque Chiloé.

I met Beth, originally from Newfoundland, on the tour and she decided to join me for a drive to Castro, stopping en route at an Artisanal market with familiar woolen products but a less expected discussion of Free Jazz with one of the vendors.

Castro, for me, was surprisingly picturesque with multi-colored homes along the water built on wooden stilts the palfitos. Many are in the process of being restored and the results are stunning. We stayed in a hostel of such a structure and a view from the window was one of a changing tide, boats of various sizes, black necked swans and other sea birds.

The following day we joined up with two others from the penguin tour: Nigel, a German, who lived on the Canary Islands for many years and Sanita from Latvia. All traveling individually, for a considerable time. Chiloé is renown for its wooden churches of Unesco status that provide people a place for prayer and a circuit to see these marvelous structures, often colorfully painted and providing the focal point of the many hamlets including on the Isla Quinchao.

Setting off to see these structures and to discover more of Chiloé, the day was filled with unexpected joys: dolphins jumping in front of us while we passed by ferry on to an even smaller island; witnessing a once a year religious festival complete with a procession of the locals carrying statues of saints, others beating drums or sang; enjoying the local cooking of barbecued meat, potatoes, and empanadas; learning what a choncho is by being brought directly to a large hog; eating sweet, delicious oysters with white wine (as the designated driver I sadly had to refrain) steps from the sea, and back in Castro a gourmet dinner of congrio, hake tempura, ceviche of three varieties, delectable dessert and regional wine with an apperitive of the Chile’s Pisco Sour rivaling a drink from Peru with the same name. Blue skies and warm weather completed a perfect day.