Chiloe. An island of legends and peace

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So, it's into Chiloe. An island 250km long and 80km wide. Sitting just of off the coastof Chile it feels like I am heading for the final frontier. I am heading for the principle town of Castro. I haveno room booked and hope to save some cash by a walk in. Leon at La Ruca has also given me some recommendsIIt's funny yesterday I woke up and the time on my chile cell phone was one hour faster than my I-touch. Thought it was an internal error on my mp3 player and set the correct time by the clock on the wall. Into town and when talking to Tom he was an hour late meeting Krista for lunch. Strange? His timer had fallen back an hour too. Then this morning it all became clear. Some very # off people stuck in Puerto Varas overnight having missed busses, flights and boats yesterday by an hour. It would seem every device linked into the Internet lost an hour overnight. I would imagine this was everywhere too. I read a status on faceshit that my old colleague Tofters had missed her flight home from ski-ing in Europe. Hope she is ok now. 'To err is human, to really # things up requires a computer! ' as a wise old sage once said.Anyways, think I had better gen up on where I am going as the only reason I am heading to Chiloe is that John the alaskano frpm Puerto Natales and in the book 'Between Extremes' the two travellers go there too. It looks an interesting place an unlike the rest of chile. Houses on stilts, a unesco protected wooden churches and good grub. The local dish is something called 'curanto', a meat fish and potato stew. Sort of chile version of surf and turf I guess.The whole area was hit by a huge earthquake in the 1960's. There is a huge sunken forest somewhere on the island as a result. Might not be accessible with bad weather as it's in the notrh west of the island about 80kms away over rough roads but forecast is clearing up tues/wed so fingers crossed. Might even see a new hat to buy. The trilby I have is keeping the sun a little from my face but think I am going to have to find a wider brimmed hat if I am going to go horse riding in the Andes near Santiago and for further north. Neil, the teacher who I bumped into in Punta Arenas has emailed me his recommended estancia and am awaiting a reply from them as to what times I need to pencil in for it. So its an hour or do to the ferry to cross to Chiloe island. Settle down to listen to the soundtrack of ' The Last Waltz' a Great film by Martin Scorcese capturing a unique musical event 30yrs ago when 'The Band' played their last gig. They invite all their pals who supported them over the years to perform with them one last time. Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Muddy Waters etc ending with a fantastic version of ' I shall be released' with Bob Dylan and the entire ensemble. Snooze time.Great, just as i am settling in the coach picks up two from the side of the road. As this is a pay for your seat,and get on at a bus station bus, and it is completely full I can only guess it is friends of the driver. One woman is aged about 30yrs ,wearing a disgusting purple coat with that distinctive fausty smell and tide mark armpits. Short in height but makes up for it in the weight department she clearly hasn't done any exercise for years choosing to feed herself on chips and burgers I shouldn't wonder. There are not many overweight people in Chile but I am telling you her ass is the size of # Wales; and have a guess where she has parked it as she is having to stand up, there being no seats ? You betcha! 52 seats on this bus and she parks her ample buttocks right on my mine! . #ing marvellous! Off to the wild frontiers with a huge, fat, smelly (and hairy no doubt) Chilean tucus in my boat race. #ing peachy. Disco out.Wake up on the ferry. It's raining in Chile but looks like the skies are clearing over the water in Chiloe. Get out the bus to see seals and penguins following the ferry darting in and out the water as they chase us. Driving along the coast of the South Pacific Ocean it looks grey and cold. This side of the island really does has the feel of the last frontier and not really recovered from the 1960 quake. . Storm battered trees from an unforgiving ocean and an rugged coastline. Wooden houses (still in the alpine style) with tin rooves dot the countryside, some perched on the side of hills, gripping hold with their fingertips looking like the next big storm could be their last. Corrugated iron warehouses and beat up old cars outside frontier style general stores. More abandoned then parked. Fishing boats everywhere. All around the raw beauty is nature and the last frontier. Smelly fat arsed lady clearly feels right at home here as she alights the bus in Ancud.. A word in your shell like lady, "Wash your clothes, learn how to wipe your far arse properly and for # sake give puddings a miss!"Found a cheap hostel. (Entretenido- looked after) French guy called Yann also arrived at same time. We were both on the navimag. Typical French guy with Great ' joie de vivre' he is a translator and speaks 4 languages fluently. Houe is very bohemian and a little hippy. Just up my street.Check out the town of Castro. Pretty town on other side of island with lovely sea front and views across the river. Yann comments it looks like New Zealand and he is right. So have decided to kayak around the fiords and check out the sunken forest area and take in some culture. (Churches and the like) over next few days. Ended the night teaching Yann a card game playing pool. A game I learnt in Vietnam. A bit of a gambler he takes to it well and thrashes me. (I blame the pool table, not on the level and tight pockets).So wake up to a glorious day. Quick shower? There is one bano (bathroom) and the boiler is another device that looks like it was designed by Heath Robinson. A large gas cylinder wired up to an old boiler. Two taps. One red for hot the other blue cold. Turn on the red tap. Nothing. Cold water and no boiler. Find owner. Sylvia, une pegunta puede ser. No aqua calor? ( a question? There is no hot water). She understands but there is a quizzical look to her face. Into the bathroom. You are probably ahead of me here already but she turns on the cold tap! Boiler fires up and hot water! I slap myself to the head. Of course. This is South America. Hot water from the cold tap and vice versa. Obvious.I am writing this next entry with a full stomach of curanto and vino tinto. I have walked up to a mirador looking down on the island and the islands that make up this archipelago. Los Andes are in the distance. The sun hot on my back. This island, and Chiloe itself for that matter, is a truely magical and spritual place. Tranquil, totally unspoilt y muy, muy emmorso (beautiful.)So last night was talking to a really lovely couple from Santiago on their vaccaciones. Andres and Giannina. Handsome 22yr old artist who is studying to be an art teacher and his girlfriend Giannina who is a qualified Spanish teacher to small children. Very pretty with blonde hair. They make an ideal couple and are clearly very much in love. Andres speaks excellent English and so I practiced my Spanish on him and he English on me. I mentioned that there was a great vibe about the island. Felt very spiritual and good positive energy. He spoke about an island where witches live and yes Chiloe is a very spiritual place. That they weren't visit the island with the spirits and witches on a tour.At breakfast I mentioned this to Yann and the next thing we are on the tour bus with Andres and Giannina.We are now travelling on the leeward side of the island. Protected from the harsh Pacific Ocean, it is verde y tranquillo. We stop at small fishing port called Dalcahue. Seagulls are the only sound. A walk round the village to a wooden church. There are many wooden churches on the island. Each unique to the vlllage. Like Casto there are houses on stilts. I talk of them as casas con pienes (houses with legs) which makes my Chilean friends laugh. The correct name is 'palafitos.' We are staying in a palafitos hostel tonight as it will be a good experience. So we then travel by boat to the island of Mechuque. On the way Andres tells me that like Friday 13th in England the supersticious day of Chile is Tuesday 13th. It is unluckily to marry or get in a boat. "So let me get this straight" I say. " it is Tuesday 13th today and we are on a boat on the unluckiest date in the Chile calendar and off to see the witches and wizards island?.... Just don't get the captain to marry you and we wont make it back!"Land on the island and first thing I see.... A black cat!!! Maybe there is something beneath this spiritual feeling I have after all.We watch the local people make a curanto for us in the grounds of a casa next to the sea. . Hot stones in the ground then on go mussels and other shellfish, chicken legs, chorizo and chunks of ham. Covered with leaves that after 30mins turn yellow. This means the food is cooked. Natures own oven. Washed down with vino tinto. Muy delicioso. I stand and in my best spanish propose a toast to the chef and the island. Big cheers allround. It has been a truely amazing day and I am grateful to being steered here by my book and the Alaskano. There is someting in the air that is beyond description. Chiloe is truely breathtaking and it will be hard to leave in a few days.

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Photos

Andres, Giannina, Yann and me
Companeros

Andy and G
little did I know, when this photo was taken, how this young Chilean guy would save me. Thanks Andy

Chilling out in Chiloe
Andy and I