May 12, 2012 - Chiloé

En arrivant à Puerto Montt, nous nous sommes trouvés devant un grand dilemme. Il nous restait seulement une semaine avant de retourner à Buenos Aires et encore tellement de choses à visiter dans le sud. Nous retournons à Buenos Aires ce samedi et nous y resterons un mois. Nico va prendre des cours d'espagnol et je vais travailler comme bénévole pour la fondacion leer qui lutte contre l'analphabétisme en Argentine dans le département de récolte de fonds et coopération internationale. Ensuite, nous continuerons notre voyage mais ne...

Feb 15, 2011 - Castro

Tuesday, February 15, 2011 It felt good to wake up to calm waters and not have to hang on when moving from place to place. Our trip should be back on schedule, now that the readjustments have been made. We arrived in Castro about 2:00 pm. By the time the ship’s tours got underway it was 3:30 pm before Road Scholar got on a tender to get to the city, one of the oldest in Chile. And it looks old. The buildings are modest and show their age. Castro is on the island of Chonchi which means “Slippery City” or “City of Three Floors” in the...

Nov 24, 2010 - Thanksgiving

Travel is a blessing in itself, but while 'doing it' there are many things which come to mind which make it even better for us. -A free internet or WIFI at our O.N. accomodation...if it has Skype even more appreciated. -Soap and towel as part of O.N. acc. -Cheap or free bathroom facilities that are at least relatively clean, maybe even w/ soap (always found in a McD's). -Toilet paper in bathrooms. -Taxi drivers who don't try to rip you off and maybe they even try to help. -Baggage loaders/unloaders who don't expect a tip (only in Argentina...

May 10, 2010 - La petite Irlande chilienne

Le Chili est découpé du nord au sud en 12 régions. On quitte Valparaíso et la Vème région, pour Puerto Montt, 15 heures de route plus au sud, dans la Xème région. Et là, le climat et le décor changent : on sort la collection hiver de notre garde-robe, pour faire face au froid et à l’humidité du nord de la Patagonie. On prend le bus sur la route, puis sur un bateau pour arriver à Ancud. Cette petite ville se trouve au nord de la plus grande île de l’archipel de Chiloe. Déprime au bout de 5 minutes de marche sur la terre "ferme" (on ne sait...

May 4, 2009 - Isla de Chiloe

With only our light packs, we set off for Chiloé, the second largest island in Chile (the largest being Tierra del Feugo). When I first read about Chiloé, I decided this was a place I did not want to miss seeing, even though Anil was not impressed with the description of the island as a place where mist and fog envelop the land throughout the year. I must say I had to push him a little in order to be sure we didn’t miss this special place. I couldn’t count on coming back to Chile in the near future, with so much more of the world to see,...

Feb 15, 2009 - La furia de Tlaloc

Amanecio muy nublado y con amenaza de lluvia, el microbus paso por nosotros justo fuera de la cabaña donde nos hospedamos. Recorrimos el camino a Chinquihue, donde tomamos un ferry (con todo y microbus) cruzando el Canal de Chacao y llegar a Chiloé. Chiloé es la segunda isla mas grande del continente despues de la isla de Tierra del Fuego y fue la ultima posicion Española en Chile despues de la Independencia. Como muchos lugares en todo el mundo, vivio una epoca de esplendor e importancia en el pasado, cuando era el puerto mas importante...

Feb 1, 2009 - The Carretera Austral. Chile.

As soon as we boarded the ferry from Chile Chico to Rio Ibanez, the town from which we were going to hit the Carretera Austral, our trip has been reinvigorated with more excitement, disbelief, energy and sore butts. Really, it has been amazing. The Carretera is a road built during the Pinochet dictatrship of the 70s, which connected many of the most rural towns with the mainland. I would love to get all poetic about how amazing it is, winding through dense forest filled with these ancient trees like the monkey puzzle tree that often lives...

Jan 13, 2009 - L'ile de Chiloé

Nous sommes sur l'ile de Chiloé, au sud du long Chili. Le paysage et le climat sont completement différents de l'Argentine: beaucoup plus humide, moins de vent, plus de grands arbres...Chiloé a son caractère et tient a sa culture: elle a ses propres coutumes et spécialités culinaires. Nous visitons Chiloé qui est en fait un archipiel constitué d'une grande ile principale et d'environ 40 petites iles plus ou moins habités. Nous y restons une semaine en tout. Le temps tres changeant complique un peu notre manière de s'habiller (tantot t-shirt...

Dec 29, 2007 - Castro

Bei nicht ganz so schönem Wetter haben wir uns von Chaitén aus mit der Fähre in Richtung Chiloé aufgemacht. Nach einer teilweise etwas unruhigen Fahrt, auf der wir unsere Seetauglichkeit für die später anstehende grosse Fahrt nach Puerto Natales austesten konnten, sind wir nach rund 6 Stunden in Quellon auf der Insel Chiloé angelangt. Weiter gings dann per Bus nach Castro. Castro ist vor allem berühmt für die Stelzenhäuser der Fischer und die Kirche aus Holz, von denen es auf Chiloé eine ganze Menge gibt (UNESCO Weltkulturerbe). Wir haben...

Feb 22, 2007 - Chiloe Island, Chile

The island of Chiloe is famous for its seagulls, rain most days of the year, its myths, legends and witches, who are said to fly around at night. I was particularly intrigued to hear about one particular mythical character called El Trauco - a small, ugly, smelly man who haunts the forests. He uses his magical powers to give the fairer sex erotic dreams! El Trauco's female counterpart La Fiura is equally unpleasant to look at, and puts men to sleep with her foul breath! Thursday 22nd February 2007 Arrived around 330pm on the bus from Puerto...

Jan 31, 2007 - Castro ( Chiloé, Chile )

Nach Chiloé kommt man von Puerto Montt mit einer Fähre und dem Bus, der jede Stadt auf der Insel anfährt. Wir sind in den Hauptort Castro gefahren, im Zentrum der Insel. Wir haben den Ort angesehen und waren einen Tag lang im Nationalpark. Das besondere sind Pfahlbauten in Castro und die Kirchen auf der Insel, jedes Dorf hat mindestens eine und alle sind sie vollständig aus Holz, auch die "Kathedrale" in Castro. Der Nationalpark besteht hauptsächlich aus dichtem Urwald und, weil er am Pazifik liegt, aus Strand, an dem Kühe in den Dünen grasen.

Jan 20, 2007 - Castro, Valdivia & Pucón, Chile

We took a flight south from La Serena in order to explore Chile's lake district. Our first stop was the Island of Chiloé which was described by our guide book as 'lost in time'. We stayed in the small town of Castro and spent our time wandering around the streets taking in the surroundings and local characters. Castro is one of the only places where traditional 'palafitos' houses (on stilts) still exist. They are painted in bright colours and make for very picturesque views and great photos. We also found a little market to meander around...