The Sleepy Island of Chiloé

In the background you can see the salmon farms

I love the Chilean holiday system. I haven't quite figured it out, but the important part that I do understand is that it allows me to travel without using my cherished days of vacation (which I have run out of at this point). The wonderful country of Chile continued dishing out long weekends and graced my calendar with November 1 and 2 holidays this year for All Saints Day and a day to celebrate the Evangelists (thanks evangelists!). Erica, my new-found-fabulous travel buddy and I jumped on the opportunity to fly down south to Patagonia to the sleepy little island of Chiloé. Though technically part of Chile, this island is as different from the rest of the country as it could possibly be - they eat different food, speak with a different accent, and have a completely different culture.



The Penguin Colony - look closely!

We began our trip in Puerto Montt where we rented a car and drove south to the ferry crossing and into the most northern town of Ancud. Not surprisingly, as it was a holiday, nearly everything in the town was closed, but we were lucky to find a place for lunch in the rain. Did I mention it rains all but 10 days a year in Chiloé? We fortunately got lucky enough to get 2 of those days! In Ancud we stayed at a really rustic guest-house built out of a converted water tower on the coast. The owners of the property were an American adventurer who owned a tour company in Patagonia and his lovely Peruvian wife, who was also a chef. We opted to stay in for the evening and enjoy the company of our hosts and great fresh seafood.


One of the UNESCO churches

The next morning we awoke for an adventure in our SUV with our Chilean guide and guide-in-training beginning at a penguin colony about 45 minutes away. Magellan Penguins are so freaking cute! They are about a foot tall, maybe 18 inches at most and just waddle around like their arms are front legs. After the penguin colony, we went to lunch at an organic farm where everything served came straight off the land. They even had fresh goat soup (which I did not eat).

Another UNESCO church

After dropping our guides back at the Tower (our guesthouse) in Ancud, we took the scenic route to Castro, the largest town on the island of Chiloé. Along the way we stopped at a number of the 14 UNESCO churches on the island. Each and every one was unique and beautiful in its own way. We arrived in Castro in the late evening with enough time to grab dinner at a restaurant in one of the famous calafitos on the water. The following day was another adventure of crossing across waterways in ferries and looking at churches. We ended the night with a bottle of Chilean wine on the balcony of our gorgeous hotel with a panoramic view of the bay in a small town called Quilquilco.

The palafitos in Castro

The next morning, we awoke and made a few more stops at the churches of Chiloé on our way back to Puerto Montt for our flight back to Santiago. I understand why Chiloé was named as one of the top 50 places to go in 2012 by New York Times. It was truly amazing!

Iguazu Falls

As if the beaches of Rio weren't enough beauty for one week, our trip progressed to even more spectacular views of God's creation - Iguazu Falls. The falls are the border between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay (though the Paraguay side is not worth visiting for anything other than the duty-free zone). Erica and I chose to focus our attention on the Argentina and Brazil sides.

Falls from the Argentine side

Our first day, we spent 8 hours in the National Park in Argentina, walking along slippery stone steps, crossing wooden bridges above the falls, and even riding a boat straight into them! Not surprisingly, we were soaked by the end of the day, which was actually quite refreshing considering the 80 degree weather. The falls were incredible - like nothing you have ever seen. Though I haven't ever been to Niagara Falls, I am convinced they cannot be anywhere near as impressive. The water just goes on for miles crashing and splashing into the river below.



On the river boat about to get soaked

To satisfy Erica's hunger for a good Brazilian rodizio dinner, we ate at a really friendly restaurant called Bufalo Branco that was all you can eat meat (yay!). The exciting thing for me was the all you can eat side-dishes, that were actually Cameron-approved. The waiters caught on pretty quickly that I was turning down every cut of steak that came around on metal sticks and asked if I was okay. I assured them that I was fine but did not eat red meat. Shockingly, they pulled out all the stops and requested the chef to make me some chicken and fish so that I too could have all that I could eat. After dinner, they invited Erica and I into the kitchen to take photos in chef's hats in front of the giant spit.



Dinner at Bufalo Branco Churrascaria 

 The following day, we ventured into the Brazilian park to get the view from above the falls. The two sides really offer completely different experiences. There is a sky elevator that you can ride up to get a panoramic view of the entire park while staying dry. The ability to remain un-soaked would have been welcome with open arms if we had not already welcomed the falls into our arms...and much more.


Drenched again!

We found ourselves drenched by both the falls and rain by 10 AM. Satisfied that we had seen the falls and our fair share of coaties, we ventured into the 5-star hotel on the property for a few final Caiparinas before heading to the airport. I've had Iguazu Falls on my South America bucket list since January, so I am glad that I can check it off. It was everything I thought it would be and more!


Tourist feeding the coaties (which is strictly forbidden)

Rio de Janiero

So...life has gotten in the way lately, and I have been really bad about blogging, but I'm baaaaaaaack! So much has happened since my last posting that I don't quite know where to begin, but I figure I will start with some amazing vacations, in my true style, and then fill you in on the other less exciting (but still exciting) bits and pieces of the history of my past 3 months.


Ipanema Beach

Let's begin with my trip to Brazil. September 18th is Chilean Independence Day, which entails a 5- day weekend of asados, fondas, and lots of chicha. To clear up any confusion about what those last three things are, an asado is a Chilean BBQ that lasts for hours and hours upon end most commonly characterized by meat, meat, mayonnaise, and some more meat. Personally, I hate mayonnaise about as much as a fruit cake on Christmas, and as you may have learned in some of my previous posts, I don't eat red meat, so an asado to me is mostly just an event where I end up starving and drinking a lot of wine. A fonda is a giant party in public spaces that is thrown solely over the weekend of September 18 (or "dieciocho" as it is called in Chile). Lastly, chicha is a fermented corn beverage that somewhat resembles moonshine and is a large part of Andean tradition for festivities. Though the excitement of 5 days of asados, fondas and chicha was enticing, I instead opted to take advantage of the long weekend for a jaunt over to not-so-nearby Brazil.



Christ the Redeemer

With only 5 days to race around Rio de Janiero and Iguazu Falls, my friend Erica and I fit in everything humanly possible, recognizing at the end of the trip that we will certainly have to return. Rio was amazing! Coming out of the Chilean winter, the hot, humid Brazilian weather was a treat. Louri, the owner of the guesthouse we stayed at in Copacabana, informed us that we were lucky to have arrived during the hottest winter in years in Rio. I couldn't believe that it was actually winter and in the 80s! We spent the first day familiarizing ourselves with the beaches in Copacabana and Ipanema, drinking coconut water straight from the coconut and watching the fit Brazilians play volleyball with their feet on the beach.


Escadaría Selaron in Lapa

Day 2 brought us to the giant statue of Christ the Redeemer where we were able to ride a long, scary funicular up to the top of the mountain and view Rio from all sides. The view was really amazing! We spent the afternoon strolling around Lapa and walking up the Escadaría Selaron. We spent the next morning lying on the beach soaking up our last rays before heading to Iguazu Falls to see one of the Natural Wonders of the World. I can't wait to return to Rio (since I spent a fortune on the visa) - hopefully for the Olympics!

Accidental wine tasting...I mean, Pomaire

Erica, Lumy and I packed into Shaniqua (Erica's car) this morning in route to Pomaire, a small village supposedly 1 hour outside of Santiago. Like anything else related to time in Chile, that estimate was a bit off. After driving for 3 hours, we made it to our destination, but for good reason.

 

The wine vats at Undurraga Winery

We decided to take the scenic route an stop through the towns Peñaflor and some town Tara...gata, Tarangaya...I don't actually know what it was called. Along the way, we got so lucky to happen upon the Undurraga Winery. Yes! That's exactly why you take the scenic route.

Empanadas bigger than your head!

After our detour, we finally made it to the little town (more like, street) of Pomaire. Pottery shops lined both sides of the road squished between empanada restaurants and cafes serving pastel de choclo (sort of like a shepherd's pie made with corn). We witnessed what I swear to God is the largest empanada in the world being made and decided we'd have to come back once we'd worked up an appropriately hungry appetite. Shopping has a way of doing that to a girl.

We started to get an understanding of the pricing and quality the various vendors' carried about the time my knee decided it needed a beer. I forgot to mention a devastating skiing accident last week that rendered my ACL useless....more on that at another date. Anyhow, in need of some Kuntsman, we located a restaurant to serve us beer and fries before moving on.


My new dishes with fresh home-made ceviche and Camwiches

Erica found a little gem off the beaten track beyond the more heavily trafficked shops that carried higher quality glazed pottery. I fell in love and bought myself a full set of 8 dishes!

Valparaiso & Viña del Mar

Day two of the Beckham adventure took us to Viña del Mar and Valparaiso. Viña is really not much more than a beach town. We toured the large amphitheater there and walked along the beach to see the sea lions perched above a large rock for a bit before heading to the historical center of Valparaiso.

Our guide, Manuel, showed us the old buildings and what makes the city a UNESCO world heritage site. We enjoyed lunch atop one of the many hills before riding up another in a funicular built in 1894. I think we're lucky we made it!

Vino!!

My parents trip to Chile got off to a great start. We spent the whole day Sunday traipsing around the San Antonio and Casa Blanca valleys wine tasting. Our first stop was Matetic where we were given a private tour of the winery and shown the Ferrari of wine tanks. The vintner taught us all about their process including how they use egg white to remove the solids from the wine as part of the filtration process. Weird.

We went to Casas del Bosque next where I ran into an old friend from High-school, Daniel Martin. The world is too small! We toured the winery there before enjoying an amazing lunch complete with chocolate fondue for desert. Mom was in heaven.

Last stop (and certainly the drunkest) was Indomita where we toured their major production facility and wine cellars before tasting their wines looking over the Chilean hillside.

The Pinot at Casas del Bosque was a winner among all three of us. I also really liked the Syrah at Matetic and the Sauvignon Blanc from both. Indomita was third among all, perhaps because we couldn't taste much by that point in the day...

Morande Wine Tasting

Chile is the fifth largest exporter of wine in the world, and I am pretty sure that I am the fifth largest consumer of wine in Chile, so it is embarrassing that it has taken me so long to venture into the Chilean wine country. The main reason for this is related to the fact that Chile recently passed a zero-tolerance drinking and driving law restricting any of my friends with cars from being able to enjoy the experience and tote me to a vineyard. (When I say zero-tolerance, I literally mean that you cannot even have an ounce of alcohol before they send you to the slammer. Intense!) Luckily, last weekend, my friend Sydni's 26th birthday was occasion enough for us to hire a van and trek into the Maipo Valley. Our stop - House of Morande.

Morande is a lovely vineyard, even in the winter time when there are no grapes on the vine. What makes it even more spectacular, aside from the obvious (WINE), is the restaurant - House. Wine tasting in Chile is a bit different than what I am used to in California. Visiting a vineyard is more than just a flight of succulent liquid touching your lips and ciao - it is a long, lingering, whole-enchilada experience. You arrive, tour the vineyard, and then sit down to enjoy lunch paired with wine grown just meters away. If you are like my friends and I, it may also involve teeter-tottering, swinging and some acrobatics in the fields outside the restaurant.

Teeter-tottering with wine in hand

We planned to visit two vineyards, but lunch took over three hours (due to heavy wine consumption) and were unable to make our reservation for tasting at the second vineyard. To me, all that means, is that I have to make plans for another day of wine tasting in the near future. My parents are coming to visit soon, so I plan to take them out and show them what all the Chilean wine hype is about.