On the way to Chiloe

Chiloe is the largest island in the archipelago of the same name off the west coast of Chile.  Our flight from Santiago was a couple of hours, and unloaded on the airport tarmac at Castro which is the principal city in the region.  This is an interesting place with a rich history, and very interesting economy.......largely dependent upon mussel, clam, and big time salmon fisheries.  They are concentrated in the channels close to various towns, with processing facilities on land, and they employ many people on the island.  While the mussel and clam farms are widely accepted and ok (it seems), the salmon farms get a bad rap because of the environmental impact on the surrounding ocean largely due to waste feed and feces especially in shallow areas, and those that do not flush well.   As a tourist, I can say they are not very pretty to look at, but it is easy to look past them at the astounding beauty of this island.


As in Atacama, we decided to stay with the Tierra Hotel, and we were not disappointed.  Beautiful hotel with a very modern design, and totally relaxed atmosphere.  



Upon arrival we realized there was still time to get an afternoon activity scheduled, so we opted for horseback riding at the in-house stables, and were greeted by Enrique the gaucho who saddled us up, and lied us on our way for a great ride and introduction to the property.  As always I apologized to my horse before getting on, but he seemed to have no problem hauling my ass around for the next hour or so.


Enrique


We have come to realize that every excursion or activity involves food and drink.  This is what greeted us when we arrived back at the stables.  Could have stayed there all night, but there was more planned at the hotel.

Enrique's dog "Gaucho"

A curanto was planned this evening a short distance from the hotel.........."curanto" - a traditional Chiloe meal prepared in a pit.......fire, then hot stones in the pit.......layers of shellfish, meat, potatoes, vegetables are separated by nalca leaves (similar to rhubarb but huge), and then covered with dirt, or in our case sod............results were fantastic.......mussels and clams were crazy good........
So that was dinner, and a great way to end our first day on Chiloe.









Pretty snazzy pool overlooking the bay/wetlands below the hotel.......will have to explore tomorrow!

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