Chillin' in Chiloe

Chiloe (pronounced "chill-oh-way") is a large island in the southern part of Chile off the coast of the town of Puerto Montt. It has a history going back to the 16th century when the Spanish landed here and started settlements. The Jesuits built a church in the town of Castro. The people had a very strong local religion, some of whose beliefs were incorporated into the the local Catholic Church. This of course is common throughout latin america. The practices in the rural churches of Chiapas, Mexico, come to mind. There's one particular character called Trauco. There's even a small sculpture of him in the central park, and sometimes he's even tied up. Apparently, he slips out at night and sneaks into the houses of unsuspecting virgins and deflowers them. This devilish creature therefore explains any surprise pregnancies among unmarried teenage girls. I'm told that to call a person a "trauco" here is like saying you're a jerk. Needless to say, I don't want to find out if this is true. There's also "Pincoya" (and a wonderful restaurant here in Ancud by that name) who is a siren of the ocean and lures unsuspecting fishermen to their demise. When they die, they go on board the "Caleuche", a ghostly ship that sails close to the shore. You never see it but you might hear the echoes of music from it after it passes by!

The chilotes, as they call themselves, were a pretty independent group. They were none too enthused about joining up with Chile against the Spanish crown. One of Chilean war hero Lord Cochrane's few military losses was his attempt to conquer Chiloe. Nevertheless, by 1826, the island had been taken over by Chile. There is still a military fort site here in Ancud, built by the Spanish royalists, prepared to defend against any attacking chilenos. See photo, attached.

Traveling to the island is like taking a step backward in time. There were sea lions by the dozen cavorting around the ferry coming over here. The little town of Ancud could be described as "Quincy by the Sea." It's a small town. It seems like everyone knows everyone. It's a fishing port, where the day's catch finds its way to the market place. Available are: hake, conger eel, octopus, bass, sole, salmon, and shellfish (and probably more). The little town makes me think this is what Monterey might have been like in the 1930's and 40's: sort of sleepy, laid-back, dependent on fishing. The location is beautiful. There's a lovely little bay, and a wharf, wonderful views looking out over the water. The early morning fog burns away and the sun shines brightly and warm. The restaurants serve wonderful fish at incredibly reasonable prices. One local famous dish is called curanto. The theory behind this offering is that if the individual items taste good, they must taste even better all mixed together. It's a stew made of fish, shellfish (lots of mussels), sometimes lamb and sausage, and maybe potatoes, all put into the pot to simmer for a few hours. I'm told it's got a very strong fishy taste. Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of fish; so far I've had hake and conger eel, both of which were mild and delicious.

I'm staying in a beautiful, huge, very old house. Because we are considerably farther north now than in Patagonia, many of the houses are made of wood, and stand up to the weather. The weather here is positively balmy: t-shirt and shorts in beautiful sunshine. This is far different than the gray cold threatening sky of Patagonia. The husband and wife owners of the house I'm in look to be close to 90. The husband told me his father had the house built 79 years ago. His father, from the capital of Santiago, became enamored with a photo of a small English cottage. He ordered the plans for the cottage, and gave them to a builder here in Ancud. The builder decided that all the numbers were in meters (not feet). The result is a wonderful wooden mansion; but not a summer cottage. The house sits on a small hill with a wonderful view of the wharf and the sea.
The nice old couple spend an hour or so every afternoon sitting on their little bench in front of their house looking out over the water.
More on Chiloe next time!