Achao, Ahuenco, and more Ancud!

Everything has been great around Chiloe lately! We’ve been having great weather, sunny and warmer days. This island is so magical when the sun is out and you can really see the coastline and the hills. I got to explore some really interesting places around the island and meet some new friends at the hostel. I crossed some items off of my Chiloe bucket list, and did some things that I would have never even known to put on my list to begin with. This island is full of spontaneity and adventure!

I took my first official whole day off from work and went to do some island hopping with my new hostel friend, Hannah. She’s one of many others who I’ve gotten know well because they stay here for several days, when they only intended on passing through. Something about this town and 13 Lunas just feels like home to people and they end up staying for much longer than they originally thought they would. I love that that happens though because I feel the same way. I was actually originally thinking that I would travel Patagonia for my last week or so here, but this place and its people just has something special, and I knew that wouldn’t be enough time here. I can’t believe that I leave Chiloe in a week! I’ve made so many friends and memories here, it’s going to be hard to leave this new home.

Anyway, Hannah and I took a bus down to the biggest city on the island, Castro, and then took another smaller bus to a town called Dalcalhue, known for its handycraft and fish markets. We had a fresh and carb-loaded meal of seafood empanadas and milcao, potato bread stuffed with pieces of smoked pork. It was so cheap and delicious. Then we went over to the market where I bought yet another alpaca sweater (I can’t get enough of this cheap, warm, comfy material). After some shopping, we got on another smaller bus, which then got on a ferry to cross over to a smaller island called Quinchoa. We went to a little town there, called Achoa, to see the oldest of the famous wooden churches on Chiloe Island, built in 1770. Here’s some more info on the church of Chiloe if you’re interested in learning about why they’re so historically significant! http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/971

The market in Dalcalhue where lots of different people set up small kitchens to make fresh, local dishes

The booth we chose! Definitely a good choice

Razor clam empanadas

Iglesia de Achoa

Inside the church, so inviting and beautiful

Our view from lunch

Looking at some other smaller island in the distance

Our view from the ferry ride from island to island, that's our bus in the corner!

View from the bus driving on the island

The next day, the whole staff and a group from the hostel went to a penguin preserve nearby called Ahuenco. The trip involved a 40 minute car ride to Chepu, a 30 minute boat ride across the Chepu River, and a 2 and a half hour hike to Ahuenco the preserve where a penguin colony nests on the beach every summer. It was such an amazing day!! We got to see so many different landscapes and the views were incredible. Going from steep green hills, to desolate (the trees were killed when the land sunk in the 1960 earthquake) riverbanks, to wide open fields, to dense and muddy forests, to vast beaches, to dramatic cliffs that drop in the rocky Pacific, and then of course the penguin colony, it was such a complete day. We saw a little bit of everything that Chiloe has to offer and I loved every minute of it. I may have gotten an ear infection (I haven’t had an ear infection in at least 15 years) from the cold wind on the boat, but it was definitely worth it. It was such a beautiful trip with great people.

In the earthquake in 1960, the whole river bank sank about a meter, sinking and killing the trees

On the Chepu river, that's the open Pacific in the distance!

Abandoned cargo ship. It's basically just a giant playground in the ocean.

Then one day we took the afternoon and went to a nearby beach. What I actually like about this island is the seclusion. Almost everywhere we go, there are so few people and it’s so quiet. You think it’d feel lonely, but instead, it makes you feel really connected to the people that you’re with and the people that you do see when you go somewhere. I’m getting to really like that feeling! 

We brought Dalca with us to the beach. Look at that happy dog playing in the surf!

Driving on this island is one of my favorite things

Around the hostel, we’ve been getting in the Christmas mood and put up the Christmas tree! They’re still not quite ready for Christmas music yet though, so I just listen to it in my room, and sometimes from the main computer when nobody’s paying attention since I control the Spotify music on the computer with my phone J  And this week I worked on some of my Ancud bucket list items, and finally made it to a local pub, Retro’s, for a hamburger with my new hostel friend Morgan. Spontaneous lunches are the best ways to make friends! And to eat an Ancud-famous burger, which was really delicious and giant. But I got 2 meals out of it! And later that week, Morgan, Melanie and I got sushi and piña coladas, because who says you can’t combine those two delicious things?  

So festive!

My cheese, mushroom and olive burger

Also, I’m really excited because my 13 Lunas logo jacket came in! It got delivered a few days ago and I’m so happy. It’s so warm and so official. It even has a Chilean flag embroidered on the sleeve. I love it!!

I'm going to wear this way too much...

A few days ago, my friend Paola finished up her internship for occupational therapy, and we went out to celebrate. I’m so sad to lose my friend and yoga/zumba/Retro’s partner, but I’m so happy that she’s done!! Melanie and Paola and I went to Retro’s for a last night out to celebrate, and had so much fun. It was the perfect night away. I’m going to miss nights like these! 

Oooops, did we order another drink?

Even though we've had some sunny days in the past week, the weather changes crazily here. Every day we never know what it’s going to be like. This whole week was sunny and clear, and then yesterday it rained and a fog set in all day. Here’s sunset pictures from the past 3 days…  

This week has been a whirlwind of sightseeing and taking advantage of my last few weeks on Chiloe! I can't believe I leave here next week! I know the next week is going to fly by. I've still got a lot to see and do and people to spend time with before I leave, so stay tuned for more adventures :) 

Besos xox

Día de Acción de Gracias (Thanksgiving!)

Thanksgiving was a huge success!!

It was so fun to share a traditional American holiday with all the people of the 13 Lunas Hostel. Most people knew that Americans celebrated Thanksgiving, but didn’t know much about it other than that it was a big feast that usually involved a turkey. Many people thought it was religious or only celebrated by some Americans. I was more than happy to make them a big meal as close to the traditional American version as I could (with a few substitutions) and tell them all about the history behind the holiday.  And cooking it was actually very fun as well! I’ve been really into cooking and trying new recipes here (I have a lot of free time in the afternoons when its slow) so I had a blast picking unique recipes and trying them out. It was also a bit of a challenge to find the right ingredients, since typical Thanksgiving food isn’t sold here. No canned pumpkin, stuffing mix or fresh cranberries for me. So finding substitutes and making dishes from scratch was a fun challenge.

The menu ended up being:

~2 Chickens (in place of a turkey, which was nowhere to be found) 1 roasted with sage and garlic butter, and the other roasted with garlic, basil and prosciutto under the skin.

~Baked Mac and Cheese (with a blend of random cheeses I could find here)

~Green Beans sautéed with Bacon and Almond slivers

~Honey, Orange Juice and Brown Sugar- marinated Roasted Carrots

~Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

~Mushroom and Walnut Stuffing

~Gravy from the traditional roasted turkey

~Cranberry Sauce (made from dried cranberries)

~Zapallo Pie (a type of squash that has roughly the same texture and taste as a pumpkin)

~Walnut Pie (in place of Pecan Pie)

~Fresh Whipped Cream

Everything ended up being wonderful!! Melanie and I had a relatively relaxed day cooking (We even had time to make hand turkeys for decorations) and it wasn’t until about the hour before dinner was meant to be served and all the sides were prepped to go in the oven that we realized that we did not have enough food. So we went into hyper speed and bought double of all the veggies, and prepped all of it while the chickens finished up in the oven. The chickens also took a little longer than we were expecting, so dinner ended up being an hour later than we planned, but it wouldn’t have been fun if everything had gone perfectly smoothly right? There was actually a point where Melanie and I were sitting looking at each other because there wasn’t anything to do, questioning why things weren’t more chaotic. Then it all hit us in the last hour. But it was just the right amount of stress to make it interesting and make the final meal, once it all came together, feel like a true accomplishment. And I enjoyed being the head chef in the kitchen for the day! By the last hour, I had lots of kitchen helpers and everyone was so eager to help and looked to me for direction. I’ve certainly never had any authority in a kitchen before that day, so it was an amusing experience. Once we sat down to eat, there were about 20 people, and we had just enough food to feed everyone! There were even a few things leftover to make the equally traditional Thanksgiving leftovers meal the next day. 

Zapallo for the pie!

Walnut Pie (turned out awesome!!! Have to remember this recipe)

Cupcakes from leftover pumpkin pie filling!

Before (the lumps under the skin are pats of butter, not tumors)

After

Nothing better than baked, bread crumb topped mac and cheese

My unbelievable copilot for the evening! Thank you Melanie!!

Love the look of a full plate

Pies!

We almost made that time!

It's not Thanksgiving without some hand turkeys

My team of helpers!

The whipped cream is integral!

The whole night went so well. Melanie and I had a blast cooking and decorating (I COULD NOT have done this without her!!) It was an incredibly welcoming and eager crowd, who were so grateful to have been included in my holiday traditions and to learn about Thanksgiving. And they of course enjoyed the wealth of food as well! All in all, it was a great way to spend my first Thanksgiving cooking on my own and away from my family. I got to spend my day with new friends and in a new home and for that I am incredible thankful :) 

Besos xox