My last stop on my vacation was Isla de Chiloe. This little island just off the coast of Chile purportedly has some mythical qualities to it. Adding to this characteristic is the expansive folklore surrounding it's history. Of these mythological stories and creatures, my favorite is the story of Trauco. He is an evil forest gnome with great powers that allow him to easily seduce versions. Thus, in older days, Trauco was often blamed if young, single maids were suddenly found to be pregnant. Of course, there was no man to share the blame in the unwanted pregnancy, because IT WAS TRAUCO!!!
My first stop on Isla de Chiloe was on the northern tip in a town called Ancud. Our bus ferried across the strait and, by happen chance, my hostel was right next door to the bus station. The hostel was called 13 Lunas and it was probably the best hostel I've ever stayed at in terms of cleanliness and the condition of the physical building. I felt like the staff could be a little more friendly, but that place was sure was immaculate.
During my first (and only full day) in Ancud, I simply walked around the coast of the island, visiting an old fortress, went to a museum detailing some of the history of the island, and finally went to gorge on some curanto.
Now, let me tell you about curanto. If there were ever a more meat and potatoes dish, I've never heard of or seen it. Of course, curanto can vary restaurant to restaurant, but what I got at the particular restaurant I went to was three kinds of potatoes, chicken, pork, beef, and about 30-40 shellfish and mussels with a side of broth (which was probably from the same pot they cooked the shellfish and mussels in). I prepared myself by not eating that much all day long, and I ended up eating ALL of it! After living mostly on nuts, raisins, and fruit the previous week and a half, that was some much needed nourishment.
The next morning I took a bus to the very center of Chiloe, Castro, and then I took another bus to Nacional Parque Chiloe (Chiloe National Park). I camped there for three nights. Retrospectively, I really only needed two or so days there as there weren't sufficient enough trails or sites of interest to last more than that. It's well known that it rains all the time on Chiloe, so luckily, it only rained on me a little bit while I was camping. There was some interesting fauna and some great, scenic views, but beyond that, Nacional Parque Chiloe didn't have as much to offer as I would have hoped. They also had some trails that led to their seemingly never-ending beach on the Pacific Ocean side (pictured above).
One other thing I want to mention about my travels is that I had a few "it's a small world after all" experiences. I met a guy from the United States on a bus from Pucon to Valdivia. When I was hiking in the Chiloe National Park, who did I happen to cross paths with? The same guy! We talked for a little while about what we had done since last seeing each other. There were also times where I saw Chileans and foreigners alike in one town, and then saw them in another town. I think most people follow a similar path to the South, so it's not incredibly surprising.
After my time in the Park, I took a bus back to Castro, then a bus back to Puerto Varas, and finally an overnight bus to Santiago. Home again!
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