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The inland lake at Chiloe National Park
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March 8-12: It's always fun to arrive somewhere in the dark and then wake up the next morning to be dazzled by the new. Rarely more so than in Castro on Chiloe Island where we had rented a palafito: a house on stilts. The whole house is out over the water but entering from the street you would not know it. We had a delightful balcony with views across the estuary, up and down the line of other palafitos along the waterfront, and of the many birds doing their thing.
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Looking up the estuary from our deck
 | The sun rising over our palafito balcony
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 | Room with a view
 | Our kingfisher friend
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 | We made it outside for one dinner once the rain let up
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This is how you build a palafito
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Castro is one of Chile's oldest towns, a higgledy-piggledy mass of buildings hugging the steep hillsides overlooking the port. Nestled quite improbably amongst this ecletic mix of tumbledowns, is a sparkling new five-storey shopping mall, muted somewhat by its shades-of-brown facade, a concession to those who protested such an imposition on their old town. Inside it is a temple to the style of consumerism made famous by this continent's northern counterpart, all shine and shopping. Quite a contrast to the hustle and bustle outside.
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Castro's mall looming over the colourful homes and hotels
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These wooden sculptures line the seafront and several streets in Castro
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Chiloe
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Street art, Castro
 | Fishing boat
 | Tsumani alert system
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Somewhere I had seen that there was a modern art museum in Castro and since it was on the other side of town, we thought that driving there might also be a good way to get a sense of the layout. I love exposing the kids to art, and the more abstract the better. Their young, plastic brains see everything in a different light, even the portraits of men adorned in what we would identify as S&M equipment, just men with tattoos wearing some unusual stuff. They also seemed to be unphased by the taxidermied sheep and birds. And for a sprinkling of more traditional education we had a chat about the effects of mining in Africa, prompted by some stunning photo collages. The museum itself is set on the hill behind the town and made up of three or four simple buildings including accommodation for resident artists.
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Boardwalk and bush
 | Lunch break in Chiloe National Park
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Chilean rhubarb
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Yes, I think I would be running
 | The sand dune trail in Chiloe National Park
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 | Dune running
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 | Lots of beach
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From Castro we headed to the north of the island and stayed outside Ancud. Here our new home had views down to the water on one side and across to the mainland on the other. The evening light illuminated the Osorno volcano and the mountains all around in spectacular fashion.
Our main reason for stopping in Ancud was to go visit the penguins in nearby Punihuil. This was a nice trip out in a small boat. We saw a few penguins and a lot of other birds and we had a beautiful sunny day for it.
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Just as interesting as penguins
 | If you don't have waders you get a ride
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 | Out on the high seas
 | Penguins
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Rocky bird-inhabited islets
Afterwards we headed in search of a small beach we had seen on the map and were treated to a proper wild pacific show. This was a beach of small smooth rounded pebbles, piled high by the crashing power of the waves. All for us and two or three others who had ventured to this beautiful spot.
 | Playa Rosaura
 | Raw pacific power, Playa Rosaura
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Rocky shoreline at the Playa Rosaura
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Of course the highlight of our stay in Ancud were the resident dogs, Fluffy and Buckbeak, not their real names but presumably familiar to any Harry Potter fans out there. These two provided hours of entertainment for our two, running up and down the lovely sloping lawns in front of the apartment.
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Fluffy and Buckbeak, copyright J.K. Rowling
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Looking down the lawn of our apartment where kids and dogs will play
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Saturday, onwards to Pucon! A short ferry across to the mainland, a quick stop to pick up an errant Kobo in Puerto Varas and another four hours of easy highway driving. Pucon is lovely, the weather is wonderful and we are staying in a huge condominium development, of which there are many around here. It is also lovely with quiet green spaces, swimming pools and a beautiful waterfront that looks across to the peninsula that juts out from Pucon town. Pucon itself is a fun, lively and neatly laid out town with flower beds, adventure tour shops, cafes and restaurants. The beach is protected from the town and the roads by a strip of woodland and the whole place just has a nice vibe. The weather probably has something to do with it, but so far we love Pucon.
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| Villarica volcano from the private peninsula road that I ran, without asking for permission |
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| Looking back towards Pucon from the waterfront of the Parques Pinares development |
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Still together... rocks from Playa Rosaura on our balcony in Pucon
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Coming up... A volcano climb and another river rafting adventure.
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