Chiloe Island #1

We left Helga's at noon yesterday and rolled our bags to the bus station not far from her house. We caught a fancy bus for the 4-5 hour ride to Chiloe Island. We were on the 2nd level of the double-decker with reclining seats and legs, and large cushy seats. Not sure I was ever on such a plush bus before.


We had to cross the 1 mile between the mainland and Chiloe on the ferry. The big bus, along with trucks and cars drove right on and off again when we got to the other side.
The island is another new world for us. People here refer to themselves as Chilotes rather than Chileans. It has an "island feel" even though I can't really describe what that means.  Our travel book says, " steeped in magic, shrouded in mist, the 41-island archipelago of Chiloe is that proverbial world apart, isolated not so much by distance from the mainland as by quirks of history."
When we got to our palafito (houses poised on stilts at water's edge) I wasn't sure about spending the night.  Henry greeted us warmly and showed us our room and shared bath (how did I miss that?!), but it's just a small home filled with stuff! I had no choice but to take a deep breath and remember that we wanted some authentic experiences with real people. 
The steps to our place are buried down in the roses.

Looking out over the water from our breakfast table.
Henry served us real brewed coffee, bread, cheese, salami, eggs, and bananas for breakfast.
Henry explaining what we should do today.
Henry's kitchen was full of stuff!
Last night when we arrived, Henry walked us to a restaurant just down the street.  He delivered us in person so we'd get better service. We shared a Chilean specialty, Curanto. A heap of shellfish, a few pieces of ham, octopus, and one potato in a salty broth.








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