December 15, 2007

Isla de Chiloe

Observation by Corinne – in parts of South America the power poles are made of concrete. That’s an interesting way to save a tree!


The trip out of Puerto Montt was pleasant ...


and 57 kms later we boarded a short ferry across the Canal de Chacao to get onto the Isla Grande de Chiloe.





On the ferry we met a woman from Montreal who had moved to the island. It was nice talking to her and several times she made the point that she is a proud Canadian, not Quebecer. We also met a young man from New York who is now living in Santiago Chile. They were both very friendly people, and gave us many tips about the area. It was a pleasure to speak English for a while.



The drive down the island was scenic and relaxing.




Except for the lack of cedar and fir trees, one could easily mistake this area for Vancouver Island with its lush vegetation and rolling hills.










A short time later we arrived at Castro which was about half way down the island. We had another day to “kill” before the ferry on Sunday, so we decided to stay for the night. What a nightmare finding accommodation! The one-way streets made it seemingly impossible to get to some of the hostals, and internet was difficult to find. Apparently this was the starting fringe of the high season for this area, and tourists weren’t expected yet.