The drive from Pucon, Chile to Chiloe (Chill-long o, long e) Island was beautiful. The road runs along a long series of seven or eight snow-capped volcanoes, including the large Osorno Volcano.
There is no bridge to the island so we drove the car onto the ferry and were on our way.
Chiloe Island is famous for its 150+ churches and kelp harvesting. It is a beautiful island, a step back in time. The kelp harvesting is done by hand in small boats. The kelp is spread out over wooden frames to dry. Then it is piled along-side the road for pick-up.
We saw the type of farming we remember from our childhood in the 1940s. Milk cans sitting beside the main road waiting for the milk truck. One of those Kodak moments we failed to take.
We had decided to spend the night in the town of Ancun. We hoped to find the hotel that the tours companies advertise in their brochures. We couldn't find it. The town looked like a western movie town in the 1930s.
We parked the car near the plaza and walked around looking for a hotel. Traveling on your own can be exciting, funny, scary, all at the same time. We walked through a large, heavy wrought iron gate with a large lock dangling from it. We entered into a small covered area that contained a shoe shine box, an Internet place, two empty store fronts, and a hotel.
View from our room.
The lobby was smaller than a small bedroom. Two young women behind the desk spoke only Spanish but we figured out a room was $20 per night including breakfast. The room was perfect, as was the breakfast.
The ladies in the plaza.
We spent two nights here driving the back dirt roads. It's a beautiful area with few American tourists.
After two days we drove to Puerto Montt. This was just a stop over before starting our journey to San Rafael Glacier. Before leaving home we booked a cruise down the Patagonian Channels and fjords to Puerto Natales. An SOS e-mail from our agent told us the ship's engine had blown and that portion of our vacation was canceled. Our agent, Paola Furniss, Comapa Turismo, www.comapa.com or pfurniss@nisa.cl was the best. She offered a couple of suggestions. After discussing both options we decided on the San Rafael Glacier tour. We highly recommend this company. The three-day cruise starts at $370/pp. Our San Rafael Glacier tour was higher, but we felt it was worth the extra money.
We stayed at the Hotel Rascon in downtown Puerto Montt for $21/night. Our hotel needs are simple: friendly staff, comfortable beds, clean bathroom.
View from our hotel window.
What do you do when you discover a flat tire just before heading to the airport? No English by our hotel staff; no Spanish by any of us. I went back into the hotel, said, "Auto", made a circle with my hand, clapped my hands, pursed my lips and hissed. The young men immediately locked the door and rushed down to the garage. They changed the tire, wanted no tip but did take 2000 pesos ($3). They were a Godsend because both our men were limping and using canes from various back problems.
Next stop, airport for flight to Cohiaique and another adventure.
