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Published: January 29th 2010
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Next day and we were off to Chepu, a unique place in a remote part of Chiloe Island.
The wetlands of Chepu were created in 1960 when there was an earthquake which sunk the ground by 2m. It let salt water in and that killed thousands of trees, so the whole area is covered with grey ghostly tree skeletons surrounded by lush green forests and grasslands.
We stayed at Los Senderos de Chepu, a perfect farmhouse in a perfect setting (www.actiweb.es/senderoschepu). The hosts, Enriqueta and Fernando Carcamo are lovely although only speak a few words of English. Fortunately for us the only other guests, Rita and Jose from Santiago, spoke reasonable English so they kindly did the translating for us. All meals were included and so we started off by having lunch with them. It was pot-roasted lamb with lots of different coloured potatoes (Amy loved the purple ones best). The food was excellent.
Later that afternoon we went out on Fernando’s boat (lancha) for a trip through the rivers and lagoons. Along the way we could see the dead forest amidst the stunning wetlands. There were numerous types of birds, including the black-necked swans. We were also
lucky enough to see some otters, mostly they disappeared once they saw us but one of them stayed above water for some time so we could watch it.
Jose was fishing, with Amy’s help, and they managed to catch a large salmon.
What was not quite so fun about the trip though and throughout Chiloe is the horrible big swarming bugs - like a cross between a sandfly and a bee. They bite like a sandfly but are even more irritating because there are hundreds that swarm around you and just won’t leave you alone. So we had to go out in long trousers and long sleeves to stop them biting - but the buzzing and harassing continued. Amy sorted them out though by catching them in her hands, pulling their wings off and tossing them in the water!! Who knew she was such a tomboy? So, anyone reading this who is planning a trip to Chiloe in January, be warned! The bugs are relentless (but only when it’s sunny strangely) and will drive you mad!
The next morning started with milking the cows. Amy had a go but after a few minutes realized it wasn’t as
easy as it looked. The milk was brought up to the house for boiling, then Enriqueta would make cheese from most of it.
After a hearty breakfast we set off on the boat down the river towards the sea. Before we reached the sea we disembarked on a pier with Vanesa, their daughter who was our guide on the long walk to the penguins. The walk was along a cattle and horse trail and was very muddy in parts and quite hilly. It was through beautiful forested land and some coastal paths. Parts of the walk were along the beach, a stunning, rugged, wild stretch of coast. There was some fascinating seaweed, shells, bugs and jellyfish all strewn along the beach - Amy had quite a collection going at one point. There was a shipwreck too, rusting away in the shallows.
After 3 hours of walking (it should have taken 2 hours but we dithered a bit) we reached the end of a beach where there was an island that you could walk out to (if you timed it right between the waves). On the island there were literally hundreds of Humboldt and Magellanic Penguins. The Humboldt
penguin is endangered, only 12,000 left worldwide so we felt very privileged to see them. We could sit quite close to them without frightening them. There was one large sea lion too - apparently they snack on penguins.
It was a truly magical experience.
We walked on a little further along another beach where we stopped for our picnic. Andy and Vanesa walked to a lookout while Amy and I rested.
The return walk was tough for Amy (and us too) and after another 3 hours we returned to the pier where Fernando met us with the boat.
That night Amy was thrilled to lose tooth number 2 - reassured that the tooth fairy would find her, even in Chepu.
Our last day at the farm and we took it easy. Amy had a horseride around the fields where she was led by Marco.
After a 4 course lunch, then a rest, we went on the farm’s little train through their forest - Fernando had built the train and the 1km of wooden tracks himself, quite an achievement. Marco took Andy and I on a guided walk through the forest on their estate with
some stunning trees, covered in ferns and moss and lots of different plants. After an hour or so Fernando was waiting for us with the train and we took the return journey.
Next day we said fond farewells to everyone and headed for the mainland. Puerto Varas here we come.
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