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| We have the most colorful sunsets here! |
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| My view from work at the reception desk |
I am loving this island!! The landscape is beautiful, the
community is welcoming, the food is fresh and great, the guests at the hostel
are sociable and interesting. It could definitely be warmer, but then when we
have sunny, nice days it feels so perfect.
This week I got to see some other parts around the island.
We drove out to Manao, which is a small town nearby where there is another
historical wooden church. The architecture here is so beautiful and classic. I
love the look of the wood, especially when the buildings are painted fun
colors, like sky blue and purple.
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| Iglesia de Manao |
I started going to yoga here as well. They have free classes
3 times a week at the community cultural center in the main plaza. I love that
the class usually is full too. And most people know each other, so it’s a good
chance to get to know people in town as well. Everyone is so friendly here!
The other day, they caught a 250 kg (more than 500 pounds)
Pezluna (sunfish in English) and had it displayed in the fish market. It’s a
pretty rare fish for this area, so even the fishmonger wasn’t quite sure what
he was doing when he went to cut it open, but it sure looked impressive!
On one of the nice days this week, Melanie and I went on a
run to the stadium where everyone plays soccer. We ran to the stadium and then
ran some laps, and it felt amazing to run on a rubber track!! I’ve been so used
to rocky dirt roads and uneven pavement, that it felt so luxurious to have some
give in my step. And it was a nice way to see Ancud and get to know my way
around a little better as well.
Pancho and I took advantage of another nice day and went on
a bike ride to Playa Arena Gruesa, a beautiful little beach tucked away in a
cove. This place gets packed in the summer in January and February. Too bad I
won’t get to experience Ancud in all of its summer glory; I’ll leave just as
things are getting started. But at least it wont be too crowded!
I also finally got out to try Curanto, a typical local dish
of a steamed combination of mussels, clams, pork ribs, chicken, sausage, and
potato breads. It was a random but perfect combination of foods, and was so
delicious. Traditionally, curanto is made in a pit dug in the ground, and
covered with leaves from a plant called Nalca (that funny spikey plant from
last week’s blog) to steam the mixture for several hours. It's also a huge portion, so luckily I had a friend to share it with!
I also made it out to a basketball game this week with
Melanie, Pablo, and Mya, a friend staying at the hostel. Ancud has a team that
plays in the national league, and they were playing against Valdivia for a spot
in the playoffs, which start in December. There are 12 teams, and only 8 get to
go on to the playoffs, and Ancud was ranked 8th. Happily, they won
the game, though it was very close the whole time, so now they just have to
keep winning and hopefully they’ll make it to the playoffs! It was so fun to be
in the middle of such a proud and enthusiastic crowd as they rooted for their
city. I loved being there!!
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| The city's flag being proudly displayed during halftime |
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| I love how the court sweepers are constantly cleaning, even when the team is just on the other side of the court and they have to run to get out of their way. |
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving so all of the pre-Thanksgiving prep
craziness has been going on today. Luckily, I’ll have some helpers tomorrow! This dinner
is all I’ve been able to think about the past few days. I’m pretty nervous but
am just going to take one step at a time and hope for the best! The good news
is, no one at the hostel will know the difference if something doesn’t turn out
quite right, since they’ve probably never experienced an American Thanksgiving
before. But I hope that I can properly portray a traditional Thanksgiving for
them. Wish me luck!! Updates to come after the big day :)
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| The amazing kitchen where I get to live the next 2 days. I'm going to miss this kitchen so much when I leave!! It's the best. |
Besos,
xox
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