Isla Grande de Chiloé, Chile

We had a week to kill. Our initial plan was to stay in Santiago for a couple of days after our friends had left and then take the boat from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales on February 24. Unfortunately, there were no more dorm beds available on that trip, so we decided to postpone it by one week. We took an overnight bus from Santiago to Puerto Montt where we arrived on Friday morning.


Puerto Montt

I don´t like Puerto Montt. It´s cold, wet and grey - a stark contrast to warm, sunny and colorful Santiago. The city has nothing to offer tourists and is clearly nothing more but a departure point for travel into Patagonia. There was a lot of German colonization in this area so there is a lot of German food, which is not something I care for. Our homestay was nice enough, but was run by two very stern, God-fearing and, quite frankly, intimidating old ladies. I couldn´t wait to get out of there, so the very next day we took a bus to Castro, the capital of Isla Grande de Chiloé, just 4 hours from Puerto Montt by bus and ferry.


on the ferry between mainland Chile and Chiloé

Chiloé is a beautiful island. It feels like a whole different world from the mainland of Chile. It is rough and very few people live there. Tourism is just getting started so you´re often on your own. Although most of the time it was also cold, wet and grey, it possesses a certain charm that Puerto Montt lacks. However, I must admit that we were also very lucky staying at the Palafito Hostel, which was like a home away from home. Palafitos are typical Chiloé houses made of wood and built on stilts overlooking the water and our hostel was one of these palafito houses.


Castro


our hostel in dark yellow


Castro

We walked around Castro a couple of times to enjoy the cute palafito houses, funky yellow and lavender church and beautiful colors of the outdoors - Chiloé reminds me of mint and chocolate chip ice cream because the trees and plants have this beautiful mint green color and are dotted with patches of chocolate brown mud. Most of the time, though, we stayed inside to enjoy the view from our very own palafito house while warming up next to the fire. Except for this one time when we embarked on an epic full day horseback ride with our guide Christian. He drove us from Castro, on the east coast of the island, to Cucao, on the west coast. From Cucao we rode our very stubborn horses in full gallop over the beach in Chiloé National Park and onto Point Pirulil. This Bridge of Souls is a sacred place from where, according to folklore, a dead person´s soul departs for the afterlife - kind of like Cape Reinga on the North Island of New Zealand, I imagine. It was a magical place and I was very surprised when Jochem took me there, went down on one knee, and asked me to marry him. Of course I said YES!


Jochem on Kurri and I on Sayem in Chiloé National Park


Chiloé National Park


Christian, Jochem and I in front of the Bridge of Souls


I DO!


my beautiful engagement ring


Point Pirulil

After having spent such a wonderful time on Chiloé, it depresses me even more to be back in Puerto Montt, but we had to get back early to confirm our trip with Navimag and arrange a few things before we leave tomorrow at 2 PM. What depresses me the most about Puerto Montt is the lack of decent food. In general, though, I am very disappointed in Chilean food. Almost everything is processed and chemically altered in some way. For example, after having been in Chile for almost a month, I haven´t been able to find normal yoghurt - every single item of yoghurt in Chile, it seems, is not yoghurt, but milk with added gelatin to give it that yoghurt-like texture. As a vegetarian I don´t eat gelatin, so no yoghurt for me. Or take juice. In Chile, juice is not actually juice, but sugary syrup with added milk or water. I haven´t been able to find normal juice in all my time here. What is UP people?! Moreover, most foods are fried. Food is either too salty, or tasteless. I´ve had better food on budget flights. It´s so bad, in fact, that I´d rather cook myself than try to find a nutritional meal in town. I can make a better meal out of raw ingredients without a use of a kitchen than the restaurants in Puerto Montt can. Chileans truly believe that a hot dog, undoubtedly processed with leftover meat, served inside a white bread bun, topped with processed guacamole (although I hesitate to use that word), is a perfectly acceptable meal come breakfast, lunch or dinner. I just do NOT understand any of that or why no one cares. Of course, the fact that we are vegetarians makes everything harder, although I must underline that, judging by my friends´ experiences, who are not vegetarians, that meat and fish dishes are usually not any better. I often reminisce about our time in South East Asia, where people who have almost nothing are able to prepare the most delicious, often vegetarian, meals for absolutely no money. Thinking about it makes me wish I was there now. I know that my standards of food are high, but I can´t help that. In other words, I can´t wait to leave this godforsaken place, which has turned one of my greatest passions (FOOD!) into an impossible task.


Puerto Montt

Our trip should be a great diversion, though. It´s the most popular boat trip in South America and it´s easy to see why - it´s a 4-day cruise through Chilean Patagonia past fjords and glaciers. Once in Puerto Natales we hope to visit Torres del Paine National Park, or what is left of it after the latest fire. Sorry to be ending on such a negative note, but it really makes me so sad. I think I´ll go back to our room, crawl in bed, have a cup of herbal tea, and talk to Jochem about our upcoming nuptials, because that always brings a smile to my face!

If you'd like to see more pictures of our world trip, check out our picture gallery here!