Seafood, Lakes, Volcanoes and Penguins...not evil ones like in Batman, but really cute fluffy ones.

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In this adventure we cross a border, befriend German Psychologists and eat our own weight it tasty, tasty seafood.



Another stamp in the passport; Chile. Eleanor admired the detail on the stamp and the fact that it has both blue and red ink; very stylish. It took a while to get here as our proposed route across the Andes was Esquel to Chaiten and then the ferry to the island of Chiloe. However, timetables change and in the off-season this doesn't always get comunicated, which forced us to detour back via Bariloche to cross the border on a bus to Orsono. Chile appears to be slightly paranoid about fruit and vegetables and sniffer dogs are on hand to ensure that none of this dangerous stuff makes it across the border where it could to make a delicious but deadly pie or something. Perhaps the government watched "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" and enacted draconian "anti-tomato" laws or whatwever, I don't know enough about biodiversity here to really comment but surely spores could be blown by the wind across the border, it's not like the country is air tight! Anyhow, The mountain pass was a wonderful journey, plenty of snowcapped peaks up close and a gleeful downhill journey spoiled only by "Snow White and the Huntsman" in Spanish on the TV. The countryside in Chile is markedly different from Argentina. The fields were lush and green with cattle seemingly happy to graze wherever they pleased and the forests looked more like European forests. It was all rather quaint and pleasant. Then the bus pulled into Orsono, which was a bit of a dump! Very glad we weren't staying there and we immediately hopped on to a connecting but to Puerto Varas.

We hadn't decided where to stay before leaving Argentina and at the last moment settled for Puerto Varas. This meant we had no accommodation and got dropped off just at the sun had set. This is less than ideal and we wandered into town, armed with only a hanful of addresses, with no clue of where we were going. We saw a sign for the Cumbrae Hotel and figured "what the hell, let's check it out." Whoops! A five star hotel with a US$250 a night minimum. Even though the guy on the front desk gave us a discount it was a bit out of our league so we trooped back out into the night and the cold to try and find some place more suitable. None of the addresses we had seemed to exist but luckily we chanced upon the Hostel Chumanga in town! Jackpot. Decent rooms, brilliant staff, Juan the owner was most helpful (and a rugby fan), nice breakfast (same old coffee) and warm welcoming atmosphere. On our first day the weather was unpleasant and the only museum in town was closed, which was a shame as it looked quirky as hell! We contented ourselves with looking at a few German colonial buildings (this whole area was home to Germans in the latter part of the 19th Century and some people still speak the language), the best being the social club with a huge Imperial Eagle painted on the side. We met a German women called Katalina who had been working in a Psychodynamic Clinic in Santiago and ate some amazing seafood at Fogon Las Buenos Brasas. It was amazing and the King and Rock crab were delicious and the service excellent. Mmm, just thinking about it makes me hungry and I've just eaten!

Luckily, the next day the weather improved dramatically with the sun beaming down from the heavens and the temperature at a very seasonable 20 degrees (Celcius). What we hadn't noticed at night, or in the drizzle, was that there was a bloody big volcano across the lake from the town. This needed to be seen. We headed to the to Parque Nacional Vincent Peres Rosales which was a few kilometres out of town on the local bus with Katalina coming along for the day. There were a few phenominal cascadas, which aren't really waterfalls but not exactly rapids either, in the park although you had to pay a nominal fee to see them. The force of the water was incredible and had managed to mangle the volcanic rock that formed the riverbed. The pools that were formed by the water were a deep green-blue and invited you to plunge in, but that would be tantamount to suicide at these temperatures! We contented ourselves with merely viewing the water and congratulating ourselves on resiting the temptation to end it all (unlike half of the people in "The Happening" but they had a reason I suppose, they agreed to be in that crapfest of a film! What has happened to M. Night Shaymalen, all downhill since "Signs." It can't be a coincidence that that film also starred Gibson and Joaquin Pheonix, to other actors who's careers have hit the skids? I may have to start somekind of internet conspiracy theory about that). The Volcano (Orsono, I believe) was close to hand and looked magnificent; if you gave a small child a crayon and asked him to draw a volcano (one that wasn't spewing molten death from it's peak) it would look like this one! The clouds came and went, but they were crisp and white and so camoflaged the volcano perfectly, giving the impression that it was hiding from view deliberately (and thus would be better at hide and seek than the lake in Bariloche). Following this adventure we said goodbye to Katalina, but only for a short while, and headed to Ancud on Chiloe.

The little island was three hours away by bus and we had the foresight this time to actually book somewhere to stay. The problem with accommodation on the island is that is universally derided for having appalling standards or is extortionatelly priced. Luckily the Nuevo Mundo Hostel was not such a place. It was warm, had fantastic breakfasts (homemade bread and jam and cereals) and looked out over the bay affording us views of fantastic sunsets. The town itself is nothing to write home about, it was mostly destroyed by an earthquake back in the 1960s, but the museum is quirky and has the skeleton of a Blue Whale as it's prized exhibit. Nothing happens on a weekend, the tourist information office is closed and none of the tourist sites are accessible by public transport as the buses don't bother to run, as a business model it is very inadequate (tour operators don't even bother to open). We just hired a taxi and headed to the coast to see the penguins and sea lions. Luckily this wasn't too expensive and the boat trip was worth every penny. The Marine Otter has to be one of the highlights of the trip. This cuddly little guy was splashing about in the ocean, clearly having a bit of fun. He'd disappear for a while and resurface, on his back with feet out of the water, appearing to just chill and then he'd be off again. When he had food, seagulls dive bombed him; cheeky sods. We saw a few penguins waddling on the rocks which was the main reason for coming. I still can't understand how Penguin was a villian in Batman, I mean they wadddle and poop, that about it. If Batman accidentally slipped on the poop and was incapacitated, well fine, but I'm sure that was never in the comics...anyway the ones here were super cutre and the sea lions were relaxing in the sun and took no notice of us. I think they only move to eat and just soak up the rays all day long. They should live longer than they do as they have a bloody easy life. Like the Queen, only she probably doesn't get chased by Orcas occassionally. Wonderfully, we got to see cormorants, flightless ducks (evolution can do crazy things) and pelicans, basically there was more wildlife than you could shake a big stick at. This is probably the main attraction in Chiloe, although the national park, the German Churches and Quinchao are said to be other reasons for coming here. That said the churches I saw were decaying and decrepid, but perhaps others had been given more care and attention?

On our way back from Castro the sun was glorious and there was not a cloud in the sky, consequently from the highpoints of the road we were able to catch a glimpse or two of the volcanoes on the mainland. Needless to say Ellie had us walking back along the road later that day to take some photos. Fortunately for me, it was possible to view Orsono from Ancud (albeit from the eastern edge of town).

The seafood here is fresh, you can actually watch the fishermen catch it in their little boats (no mass fishing here), land, carry it to the market and then you can buy it, or have it cooked for you there and then (both in Ancud and Castro). Suffice to say that every restaurant and food vendor worth their salt offer you fish or seafood, but no seafood empanadas sadly. We ate the Curantos one night which was essentially a huge plate of white fish, clams, pork ribs, chicken, sausage, polenta, potatoes and mussels the size of a grown man's hand which had been cooked together in the ground. It was extremely satisfying and the freshness of the ingredients was coloured by the smokiness provied by the cooking method. The food here is such a change from Argentina where a slab of meat and some form of potatoes seem to be acceptable for all meals. Chileans also understand that seasoning can, if you want to be crazy and a bit of a daredevil, be more than a handful of salt spread on to a steak! Don't get me wrong, I love a steak as much as the next red blooded male, but you need to have other flavours on a plate and it's okay to combine flavours too. Once Argentina realises that herbs and spices aren't poisonous they could make some amazing dishes, but until then they'll be known for great beef (and it is wonderful, I'm looking forward to another steak soon), but little else in the culinary world. Chile on the other hand has some amazing dishes alongside the Curanto, such as the Pastel de Choclo which essentially shepard's pie but with mince, chicken, eggs and olives topped with a sweetcorn mash and baked in a clay pot with a sprinkling of sugar (trust me it is tasty). They also have a unique wine called Carmenere which is delightful, if perhaps lacking in body compared to the Malbec, but not necessarily inferior as it has it's own fruity charm too.



All this talk of food and wine is making me hungry so I'll leave it there. We're off to Pucon next, to climb an active volcano!

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Photos

Chile
Chile!

King Crab
Big and tasty...

Cascadas
Not quite a waterfall but a powerful force of nature.

Orsono Volcano
Is this not what a kid would draw?

Trees and Rivers in the Parque
There are some nice walks through the forests by Orsono

Blue Whale Bones
The Ancud Museum's prized display

Penguin
This guy must have been full as the rest were still out fishing...

Seals life
Lying in the sun and only having to occasionally feed themselves...easy.

A distant Orsono
View of Orsono from Ancud

Ancud Sunset
Everyday this happens here (and I know the sunsets everywhere, but you know what I mean) ...lucky people to see this every night!

Castro's famous houses
Houses. On Stilts.

Seafood!
Mmm...

Cool Beach Coast
Chiloe has beautiful coastline.