Chiloe Island, A Mystical and Cultural Experience
Today we experienced the mysticism and local culture of Chiloe Island by having the chance to take two tours: A cultural tour along the islands and the hiking tour.
Dalcahue was the first stop of the Cultural Tour. We took a traditional ferry amongst the beautiful forests of Nothofagus species and Araucaria chilensis.
The architecture of the churches and houses of this archipelago surprised our eyes with great colors and shapes of the shingles of Alerce wood, that can last 80 years without painting and over 120 years if painted. The alerce is the second oldest living tree on earth reaching 3,700 years of age.
A tradition of building many churches started in the early 1600’s when the Jesuits arrived after the Spanish to colonize and spread the word of God among the islands. After approximately a hundred and fifty years, they were expulsed from Chile due to the power and influential attitude of rebellion from the local people towards the Spanish.
We visited one of the oldest churches (1740 A.D.) in Achao. It was constructed of wood only, without any metal. We stopped at the “Mirador la Paloma” to have a great view of the several islands along the Pacific Ocean. Finally we arrived at Castro City, one of the oldest ones on Chiloe Island.
Our lunch was an amazing “Curanto” a traditional dish that consists of digging a hole in the soil and placing a fire and very hot stones in the bottom for cooking. Within the hole, several layers of muscles, chicken and sausages are placed and topped by local wet bread made of potatoes. All this is covered with big leaves of “Nalcas”.
Later on, we finished the tour by visiting the church in Castro, the main square and a handcraft market. After returning to the ship briefly, we visited Tato’s countryside in the Dalcahue Island. He received us with a sheep barbecue and tomato salad from the greenhouse and a great hospitality.
Great adventure!
Today we experienced the mysticism and local culture of Chiloe Island by having the chance to take two tours: A cultural tour along the islands and the hiking tour.
Dalcahue was the first stop of the Cultural Tour. We took a traditional ferry amongst the beautiful forests of Nothofagus species and Araucaria chilensis.
The architecture of the churches and houses of this archipelago surprised our eyes with great colors and shapes of the shingles of Alerce wood, that can last 80 years without painting and over 120 years if painted. The alerce is the second oldest living tree on earth reaching 3,700 years of age.
A tradition of building many churches started in the early 1600’s when the Jesuits arrived after the Spanish to colonize and spread the word of God among the islands. After approximately a hundred and fifty years, they were expulsed from Chile due to the power and influential attitude of rebellion from the local people towards the Spanish.
We visited one of the oldest churches (1740 A.D.) in Achao. It was constructed of wood only, without any metal. We stopped at the “Mirador la Paloma” to have a great view of the several islands along the Pacific Ocean. Finally we arrived at Castro City, one of the oldest ones on Chiloe Island.
Our lunch was an amazing “Curanto” a traditional dish that consists of digging a hole in the soil and placing a fire and very hot stones in the bottom for cooking. Within the hole, several layers of muscles, chicken and sausages are placed and topped by local wet bread made of potatoes. All this is covered with big leaves of “Nalcas”.
Later on, we finished the tour by visiting the church in Castro, the main square and a handcraft market. After returning to the ship briefly, we visited Tato’s countryside in the Dalcahue Island. He received us with a sheep barbecue and tomato salad from the greenhouse and a great hospitality.
Great adventure!
