Greetings all, Last weekend I took my first real trip in Chile. I met up with three other Fulbrighters and we headed to the island of Chiloé. Chiloé is the large island you can find off the coast, about 2/3 down the country. It is officially in Patagonia, so I have met my longstanding goal of getting to Patagonia. The island is steeped in its own folklore, including such myths as a beautiful woman who appears and dances on the beach; if she faces towards the sea when she finishes dancing, there will be a bountiful year, if she faces towards land, there will be famine. The most exciting of the various supernatural beings is Trauco, the most repulsive and powerful gnome to ever walk the land. With just a gaze, he can kill a man.
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