The Island of Chiloe

I dislike Puerto Montt. It's only redeeming feature is the Holiday Inn where we are staying for 2 nights. Our bedroom is on the 10th floor with uninterrupted views over the bay. It's large, modern, and comfortable. Breakfasts are good, and it's cheap! However, if you are arriving at the airport here to start a tour of the Lake District, my advice is to head for Puerto Varas instead. You will save yourself a lot of angst!

First impressions last night were not good. Many of the main roads were flooded as water poured out of the side streets following a cloud burst. Those bad impressions were confirmed again this morning. It was still raining. The taxi drivers are maniacs. Road signs are virtually non existent, and it's dirty. Why the cruise ships stop in the bay is beyond me.

After a late start we headed out for the Island of Chiloe, described as a magic.    al island in my guide book, full of mystery, folklore, and ancient traditions, kept alive by its proud, independent people. Getting there proved to be problematic. It took me an hour to get out of Puerto Montt. At one point I got hopelessly lost on a new housing estate with no obvious way out. Eventually we arrived at Pargua where the car ferry crosses the Chacao Channel to the Island. The fare is 10,500 pesos ($20 US) each way for the 20 minute crossing.

Driving off the ferry at Chacao it was still raining and continued to do so for the next 90 minutes as we crossed the spine of the Island to the old capital, Castro. Here, finally, 3 hours after starting out, the rain stopped and we were able to take a stroll. We crossed the Central Square to see the colourful cathedral, then walked down the hill to visit the market area and craft stalls. Anni bought two pairs of hand knitted gloves from two dear old ladies. We walked past the colourful houses and the equally colourful old wooden fishing boats. We continued to the Mirador (lookout point) and then photographed Chiloe's distinctive wooden homes on stilts known as palacios. It seemed improbable that some of them were still standing, let alone being lived in.

Continuing southwards we visited Chonchi, built on such a steep incline that the town is also known as the "three-storey city". It was disappointing compared to Castro.

We decided to drive back to Chacao by the more minor coastal route to enjoy the views. This proved a mistake. After 10km the road degenerated to a dirt track, often reduced to single track with long delays as we had to wait for traffic coming towards us to pass through. At one point we literally had to wait as a bulldozer rebuilt the road in front of us.

Finally we arrived back at the ferry, and another 90 minutes later at Puerto Montt. And, guess what? We got lost again on the exact same housing estate!

It had been a long day with lots of hard driving. Anni needed a whiskey to calm her nerves, and the Holiday Inn happily obliged!