Chilling on Chiloe Island in Chile

 

It is Sunday night and we are in a town called Castro, which is the capital of the island of Chiloe (about halfway down the coast of Chile). Our journey here started with a 15-hour train ride from Santiago to Puerto Montt. It was dark for the first several hours of our trip but we woke up in time to see the sunrise over the farms and rolling hills still partially shrouded in fog. Overall, the countryside was gorgeous (a lot like Ireland and, again I must say, a little like Vermont). We are still getting used to the fact that it is Fall here so it was inevitably a little strange to see apple orchards in full bloom in March! From Puerto Montt, we took a bus and ferry to a little fishing town on the north side of the island called Ancud. We stayed in a rambling old guest house (for $16 a night) overlooking the water. Based on the fact that the curtains inside the window moved when the wind blew outside, we knew we were in for a few cold nights. Nevertheless, the place was charming and our stay there was very relaxing. They say the weather changes in this part of Chile from moment to moment and it is definitely true! You can go out for a twenty minute walk - with not a cloud in the sky - and 5 minutes later there is a downpour and by the time you get back it´s sunny again. We stayed in Ancud Thursday and Friday nights and took a bus down to Castro (about one hour South of Ancud) yesterday afternoon. Castro is larger and more cosmopolitan than Ancud but for us it's still a little like stepping back in time. Everything, and I do mean everything, here is closes mid-day on Saturday and stays closed all day on Sunday. The only exceptions are internet cafes (obviously) and for some inexplicable reason electronic stores (which, at 7:30 pm, are still open). Even the movie theatre is closed on Sunday! The town itself sits on the edge of a fjord and is truly beautiful. We found another guest house here with a view of the fjord and from our window you would swear you were on a lake in Switzerland or Bavaria. In a few minutes (when I can drag Jim away from the Georgetown game online - oops, Georgetown just won so we're all set!) we are going to get dinner. Tomorrow we take an early bus back up to Puerto Montt and board the three-day boat down to Puerto Natales. We are still trying to upload our pictures to this website. In the meantime, we have added a bunch of photos to www.jsiewert.photosite .com. Hope you are all well, Alysa and Jim