China to Chile: Chiloe

You'll find Chiloe where the mainland starts to split into all of those tiny archipelagos that continue all the way down along the coastline of Chile. I read in my Rough Guide book that it's actually part of a mountain range that sank below the water following the last Ice Age, and was originally inhabited by the southern Mapuche, isolated for many years due to resisting European colonization.
There are so many amazing things to do around the Lakes District and Chiloe is one of those unique things that I felt I just had to see. Believe what the books say when they tell you that it's a lot of traveling to do in one day and that it's much better to at least stay overnight, but that wasn't an option for me, so off I went on a bus, a ferry, on foot, and in a tiny boat to see all that Chiloe has to offer.

Load all the cars, tour buses, and trucks onto the ferry

Almost to the other side, but still a ways to go before Castro

First glimpses of island scenes, on foot

Lots to buy at the market including books for sale about the many legends of the island

The plaza in Castro

Chiloe is famous for 18th and 19th century wooden chuches

This lady had the crowd going nuts with her guitar

Fresh salmon, anyone?

How about for lunch?

I skipped the curanto, Chiloe's signature dish of meat, sausage, shellfish, chicken, and potatoes, baked in an earthen pit using hot rocks. Traditionally it was baked in the ground for a day or two, but nowadays it's more likely to be oven baked in pots. Sometimes I wish I ate meat...
The other thing that draws people to Chiloe is the palafitos, the old fisherman's houses on stilts. These are best captured from the water, so off I went in one of the tiny boats that take people out for very touristy prices. Luckily, I got a "special deal" on a 30 minute trip. This guy already had some others in the boat and just needed one more, so I got my set price and wasn't worried at all when the boat didn't start right away...