High Luxury Indeed

It seems that I'm not the only one thinking of Chiloé. This article was posted yesterday in Forbes magazine.

Though I'll admit to being a travel princess, my trip was somewhat less glamorous than this, but I'm not complaining. And I can dream, can't I?

Chiloé, the Lesser-Known Emerald Isle

I'm still sorting through photos of my magical trip to Chiloé, though this one might be my favorite.

As if its stunning natural beauty weren't reason enough to visit, it is home to sixteen patrimonial wooden churches which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I visited five churches this time, so only eleven more to go next time I'm in Chiloé.

I spent three nights in Ancud, then another four nights in Castro. Janice, at Solo Travel Society, calls herself a solo BoBo. Part Bourgeois, part Bohemian traveler. That description might fit me, too. Being a "princess," I stayed in hotels in both places rather than in hostals, but though I was traveling alone, I had no trouble meeting fellow adventurers.

Along the way, I met a Finnish businessman, a Swiss couple, a French pharmacist, and an ESL teacher from the US who has been living in Saudia Arabia. I also met some good local tour guides and, finally, at the airport I met a teacher, who invited me to return to Chiloé to volunteer in her classes, and on the plane,a young Chilean movie producer.

The allure of the lesser-known emerald isle is difficult to describe. If you visit my Pinterest page, my photos can show you more than I could ever say.

Silence Is Golden in Castro, Chiloé

For lunch today, the hotel receptionist recommended a small restaurant near Castro's town square.

I made my way there and easily found the place, but it was mobbed, every table taken. There was a small round table for three out on the patio, but it had the remains of someone else's lunch still on it. One of the waiters motioned me over there anyway, mumbling something about clearing it, but I sat in front of a pile of dirty dishes for at least ten minutes before someone came to clear them away and take my order.

Meanwhile, a young man came in, carrying a yellow plastic bag. He hovered near my table, which put me on guard, but the waiters all greeted him as if he were a regular there. Next thing I knew, he said something to me that I had to ask him to repeat.

"¿Puedo almorzar en su mesa?" Can I eat lunch at your table?

Surely, I hadn't heard him right. In four years, I had never been asked to share a table at a restaurant in Chile. Most Chileans would be too polite, too embarrassed, or too timid to ever do so, but this young man was flaunting tradition. I nodded my assent and he sat down.

I had just spent yesterday touring around with another guest from my same hotel who had been Chatty Charlie. After that, I wasn't looking forward to a gabby lunch companion today, but I needn't have worried. Except for ordering, "Hector" was silent, scarfing down bread and double-dipping it into the spicy pebre. I tried not to think about any floating germs, as I tried to eat the pebre around the edges of the bowl.

In the end, we did talk a little. He was a Socialist from Santiago, here for work, who was curious about my political views. I think we were both surprised when we found some common ground. We raised our voices, but only so that we could hear each other over the guitar player to my right and the loudspeakers that blared Latin jazz on the other side.

He finished before I did and, as he left, he reached into his yellow bag and laid two apples in front of me. "From my tree," he said.

Silence is golden, but meeting new people is priceless.

Happy Easter from Chiloé

When I arrived here in Chiloé on Friday afternoon, it was raining cats and dogs. I got soaked just dragging my bag from the bus terminal to the taxi stand. Rain was predicted for every day this week, but miraculously, that evening, it cleared up and, except for a fierce fog this morning, has been beautiful ever since.

Yesterday, after breakfast, I went straight to the Visitors Center of the Churches because I wanted to see their display of Chiloé's famed wooden churches, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Cerrado. Closed for Easter weekend. Instead, I walked back to visit the Ancud Museum. It was a small museum, but entry was free and they had some interesting exhibits. After that, I walked to the Mercado and the Feria.

I had been told that I could arrange a tour of the area in one of tourist centers at the Mercado, but they, too, were cerrado. It seemed to me that most everything was closed for Easter.

I walked two circles of downtown Ancud before finally returning to my hotel in frustration. At the reception desk, I asked the young lady how in the world I was going to see anything of the area if there were no tours.

At first, she just shook her head at me and I was giving up hope of seeing more than the few blocks around the hotel when she had an idea. She dialed a phone number and, suddenly, I was connected with a tour guide who was available, willing, and able to conduct a tour on Easter Sunday.

We made the arrangements and he arrived precisely on time this morning at 10:15. We traversed the entire northern end of Chiloé. We visited a wooden church, Caleta Puñihuil, Faro Corona (Corona Lighthouse), a chicha (fermented apple cider) festival, and other parts before arriving back at the hotel at 6:30.

I had spent a unique day touring this spectacular area of Chile. If you ever need a tour of Ancud, contact me because I know a good guide.

Happy Easter!

Chasing Winter

One week from now, I will be on my way to the airport, heading back to Chile for their fall and winter. I'm a winter-chaser. I admit it. While some people are "snowbirds," avoiding winter. I am a "sunbird." I dodge summer.


If the temperature goes above 70º, about 20º Celsius, I am uncomfortable. Considering that air conditioning is not the norm in Santiago, and that my apartment has none, I stay away during Chile's hotter months.

I've been watching the weather carefully this year. A few weeks ago, it looked like summer in Santiago was on the wane and fall temperatures had arrived, but last week, summer came back with a vengeance. Santiago temperatures reached up into the 90's. Whoa!

Some like it hot, and then there's me. Since I can't change my return date, I guess I'll have to sweat it out for a bit, literally, when I return, but I'm considering another alternative. Land in Santiago, repack, and then go further south to the island of Chiloé where it's a blissful 57º today.

According to a report on Philly.com, fall is a great time to visit. "After summer vacation...Local tourists go home; the leaves turn red and yellow." One woman is quoted in the article as saying, "I know this is Chile, but I feel as if I'm somewhere else, in Vermont or England."

Fall is my very favorite season and I've wanted to visit Chiloé for a very long time. Bonus: I hear the seafood there is to die for. Thanks for the push, climate change.