Chilling out in Chiloé

Chiloé is colourful and calm and full of the smell and sound of the sea. It also has a wonderful way of making you slow down and relax - we just got back from a day spent meandering through the Sunday markets on the foreshore in Dalcahue, stopping every few paces to stroke a particularly soft-looking item of island knitwear or to marvel at the amazing range of nail-clippers offered for sale at an especially eclectic sales stand.

Island knitwear on sale in Dalcahue

Sunday markets in Dalcahue

We sat on the promenade beside the colourful clippers beached by the receding tide and drank a cool beer while watching the Trukey and Black Vultures, Kelp Gulls and Elegant Terns cruising past on the look out for tasty morsels. Mic ate two of the biggest oysters of his life and was finally able to get some close-ups of the vultures.

Bright boats beached by the tide

The biggest oysters you have ever seen! Fresh from the rocks and very tasty with a splash of lemon.

Turkey Vulture

Black Vulture

We sat on the breezy deck of a small wooden snackbar on stilts and ate lunch with a view over the sound and the snow-capped Andes in the distance, listening to the Spanish version of jolly sea shanties and the sound of the tide slowly lapping its way back in before piling into the colourfully overpacked colectivo minibus for the high-speed drive back to slightly-larger Castro. The main hub of the island, Castro is well-known for its crazily gaudy wooden church - from the outside it looks more like something you would expect to see at Disney Land than a place of worship, but inside the golden-coloured woodwork and dim lighting make it a peaceful refuge from the warm sun.

Castro's multi-coloured place of worship

The entire church is made of wood - wonderful craftsmanship

Now we are relaxing in our room, enjoying the view of the harbour  at sunset with a cup of the ever-present (and quite cheap) Gato cask wine - we feel we have slowed down to Chiloé time and are in no hurry to rejoin the real world just yet. :)

A room with a view - and a drop of cask wine, what more could you ask for?