Chiloe

now appearing at streamlet.com

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Chiloe
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Chiloe

February 14-19, 2003

The island of Chiloe (pronounced CHEE-low-ay) occupies a special place in the hearts of Chileans. This rugged island is the ancestral home of the Chilote indians, and one of the last places to hold out against colonization by the Spaniards. Many Chilean folk tales and much of the folk music traces its roots to Chiloe. Many indigenous peoples still inhabit the island, farming potatoes and other crops in the abundant earth, and harvesting seafood from the bounteous waters. The island can be very rainy and stormy - I had pretty good luck with the weather, however.



	These are some of the traditional houses that were used by the fisherman of Chiloe. Many of these houses were swept into the sea in a terrible tsunami that hit the island in 1960. click here to enlarge



	This is the guest house where I stayed in Castro, the main town on the island. click here to enlarge



	The view from my room. Not bad for $5. click here to enlarge.



	Chiloe has several distinctive wooden churches that are now world heritage sites. This one, in Castro, was spruced up for the Pope's recent. click here to enlarge



	Here's another church, in Achoa. click here to enlarge



	The fishing fleet in Dalcahue. click here to enlarge



	I had the opportunity to take in some folk music and dancing while there. It seems that there is always some kind of festival going on somewhere on the island. click here to enlarge



	I went for a three day trek in the national park on the rugged and largely uninhabited west coast of the island. click here to enlarge



	I got a ride across a river on this makeshift ferry. click here to enlarge



	This beautiful beach was my camping base for two nights. click here to enlarge



	Silvan and Ryan, two guys I was hiking with. click here to enlarge



	Pretty thick rainforest in places. click here to enlarge



	My campsite. click here to enlarge



	Always interesting, changeable weather. click here to enlarge



	Some of the trails had eroded deeply from years of use by remote inhabitants and their horses. click here to enlarge



	Flowers. click here to enlarge