Traveling with Storys: November 14, 2024

November 14, 2024 – Thursday Day 50 of this journey

Castro, Chile

Castro, Chile is on an island named Chiloé. Castro is on the eastern side of the island. It is a very protected harbor, and we are at anchor. Castro has been here since the mid-1500s when the Spaniards first settled South America. Castro is known for their “palafitos” which are homes built on stilts. In Castro, the palafitos are painted in bright colors. It is a very humid environment, and the stilts keep the main house away from the water.

What a beautiful sunrise this morning.

Topped off with a wonderful rainbow

The town of Castro with some of the palafitos.

Pretty sure this is a mussel farm

We opted for an optional excursion. We visited Chiloé National Park for a stroll on a looped trail through the temperate rainforest. It is very wet here with very dense understory of ferns and bamboo. The upper story trees are extremely slow growing and take a very long time to achieve much height. The implication was that the trail was a boardwalk. Some of it was. A lot of it was mud. Very squishy mud with many deep puddles. You weren’t sure the ground would support you. Even standing on what looked like solid ground, it would move under you. Even when we were on a boardwalk, it was definitely single file.

The guide seemed knowledgeable but had some difficulty with the language as he has only lived in Chile for about 7 years. He is from France. So French is his first language, Chilean Spanish his second, and English was at least third. We’ve gotten used to the Spanish accents we’ve been hearing since leaving Fort Lauderdale, it was a little difficult to switch.

We were using our QuietVox headphones, so we could hear his commentary even if he was 50 yards or more ahead of us, but by the time we got to where he had been speaking, we had no idea which plant he was referring to. Although we must admit, many of the plants were very interesting. Many are interdependent.

The understory

These plants are taller than a human. The stalks are edible.
It is said to be similar to rhubarb

Wild Fuchsia

Chilean Firetree

Goldfinger

Some of the many different mosses and ferns covering the trees

Mud and water along the path we were on

Firetree

After an hour and a half of trudging through the showers and the mud, we returned to the bus and headed to our next stop which was lunch. A local restaurant had closed for the day to accommodate 3 busses of Viking passengers. Beer, wine, and Pisco Sours were offered as we entered. Rolls were served at each table of six. An appetizer of a small empanada and a small casserole of potato and fish gratin. A large piece of Salmon with purple potatoes was our main course followed by a dessert from local berries. The food was excellent, and the beverages continued to flow. I think I’m getting hooked on Pisco Sours. It is a good thing it won’t be available at home.