A Week in Review

Monday, February 23-Friday, February 27

This week was a bit slow as we began to prepare for our trip to Torres del Paine. Just about everyday began with cloud cover and ended with bright sunshine, which made the mornings the ideal time to get some work done. Major initiatives this week included learning Spanish (no surprise), and working on the business plan for Patagon Journal. There were some afternoon breaks throughout the week when Pearl, Lily, and I tried to take advantage of the good weather while it lasted.

On Tuesday, Pearl and I went fishing over by town to try our luck in a new spot. It didn’t work, not even a nibble. Wednesday consisted of some food shopping and an evening rendezvous with Maca and Renato on the costanera. Renato had lived in Israel for 5 years and was fluent in Hebrew. I happened to be wearing my Hebrew Red Sox shirt that Lily got for me when she visited Israel and Renato read it out loud. Thank God it actually says “Boston Red Sox” and not “Yankees Rule”. I had a quick meeting with Jimmy on Thursday to go through some of the logistics of the business plan and collecting information, but nothing concrete or too productive came of it. Lily and I went for a quick fish before a dinner party at her co-workers Carolina’s house. We had dinner with some of the most important salmon bosses in Chile, and it was very interesting to hear their thoughts about the US, Americans, and the salmon crisis occurring in southern Chile. Also, it was a good time to practice my Spanish.

Friday was a beautiful day, and after a quick lunch at home with Lily I went fishing on one of the points on the other side of Puerto Varas. Again, I caught nothing, but had a burst of excitement when my lure got stuck on a piling. I had to dive into the water in my boxers to un-hook it from the submerged piece of wood. Lily thought it was hilarious, but at least I got to say I’ve been swimming in Lago Llanquihue. That night we met with Lily’s friends Sarah and Andy who had been doing some extensive travel through southern Patagonia and stopped in Puerto Varas on their way back to Santiago. They had been to Torres del Paine 2 weeks earlier and gave us some good tips for the hike. After dinner we tried the new wine bar in town called Dominga and the wine selection was great and not too pricey. Definitely a place worthy of a return visit.

Giant Oysters!

Sunday, February 22

We awoke to the smell of freshly baked kuchen again, this time of the apple variety made from ripe apples picked from the tree in the backyard. It was scrumtrelescent. After breakfast, Claudia drove us to the bus station where we hopped on a bus to Dalcahue on the eastern side of Chiloé. Dalcahue is well known for its weekly feria that takes place every Sunday throughout the summer. Much of the goods at this feria were similar to the ones we found yesterday in Castro, but it was nice to see the variety. Also, the entertainment at these feria’s is very amusing and worth the trip if nothing else.

We grabbed some final gifts before hopping on the free ferry to the small island of Quinchao directly across the channel from Dalcahue. We flagged down another micro and rode it until we reached Curaco de Velez about midway across the island. We stopped there for some lunch, and because it was our designated rendezvous spot with Cristian to return to Puerto Varas. We strolled down to the costanera where we found a small seafood shack offering oysters. We had heard great things about the Chiloé oysters…specifically how cheap they are. When we entered there were oysters spread across a large wooden table separated by size and ranging in price from 500-700 pesos each. Now, when I say these were the biggest oysters I have ever seen, I mean they must have been juicing on the same “arthritic” cream as Barry Bonds. These things were bigger than my hands! Lily and I couldn’t have been more excited to dig in. Pearl on the other hand was a bit more hesitant as she had never had oysters before and didn’t want her first experience to be with the incredible hulk oysters.

Lily and I got 2 each of the 500-peso variety and accompanied the oysters with empanadas de marisco (shellfish/muscles), while Pearl feasted on queso empanadas. The oysters were delicious, but couldn’t be slurped down in one bite like normal oysters. It was impossible to fit the whole thing in your mouth. So, this was the first time in my life when I was forced to use a fork and knife with an oyster in order to conquer these beasts. Stuffed from lunch and ready for a nap we met Cristian and his girlfriend and piled into the car to make our way home. We got a bit off track on some dirt roads trying to find a short cut, but we eventually made it back to Ancud where the ferry left for the mainland. While waiting in the line for the ferry we indulged in some manzana empanadas, which are like apple turnovers and specific to Chiloé. We can’t get these in Puerto Varas.

We made it back in time for Lily and me to meet one of her oldest friends from Maine, Jake Blaine. Jake was in Puerto Varas because he just started an incredible job with Parque Pumalin working for the Tompkins’. We had a great dinner at Meditarraneo, and I could tell Lily was thrilled to have a face to face talk with a friend from home. It made things feel very normal even though we were thousands of miles from home. Despite all of the action and projects we have going on here, it’s hard not to feel homesick. We dropped Jake at his hotel and returned to our apartment in Edificio Costanera for some well deserved rest. What a weekend!

Feria de Costumbrista

Saturday, February 21

Today began with fresh homemade plum kuchen in our hostel. Our host was so nice and this had to be the one of the best hostel’s I have ever stayed in. The owner’s name was Claudia and after her kids grew up and moved out, she transformed her large house into a place for wandering guests to stay as they passed through Castro. It felt like I was sleeping over at a friend’s house rather than bunking in an over-crowded dorm room like most hostels. She made homemade breakfasts for us and the price per night was more than reasonable. I would recommend anyone going through Castro in Chiloé to look her up and stay with her.

After breakfast Claudia gave us a ride up to the Feria de Costumbrista in Castro. This was an annual feria that took place on one weekend in February and we happened to be in Castro on that weekend. A feria is Chile’s version of a state fair and this feria was chock full of entertainment and local goods being sold. I stocked up on presents for my whole family made from authentic Chiloé wool. I wish I had known I could barter with them because I probably could have saved some money, but all in all it wasn’t too expensive. We saw everything from handcrafted baskets and wool products to marmalades and honey. There was a smoke house teeming with the strong aroma of smoked fish filets, and in the rear of the grounds were small pens showcasing the local livestock. Circling the fair grounds were carriage rides pulled by oxen with a yolk…just like Paul Bunyon and Babe.

On our way out of the feria we passed by the food stands and stopped at the most authentic and well-known food spectacle in all of Chiloé…the Curanto. Under a huge wooden gazebo structure was the cooking grounds for this massive curanto fenced off from the public and surrounded by make-shift picnic tables. Everyone buys a ticket to enter and then watches the entertainment unfold. A curanto is a traditional Chiloéan meal in which a huge hole is dug into the ground and lined with stones and fire wood. The wood is lit and burned for a bit to heat the stones and then a massive amount of muscles, clams, and pork are piled on top and covered with giant leaves from the nalcahue plant. Between the layers of nalcahue leaves are a sticky tasteless bread-type biscuits made from Chiloé potatoes. Finally the hole is covered with sod and the food cooks underground for a couple of hours.


When the hole is uncovered, everything is cooked to perfection and everyone under the gazebo tent gets a massive helping of all the curanto components. It is quite an experience and a must when visiting Chiloé.

Stuffed to the gills, we hopped on an afternoon bus Cucao on the Pacific coast. We hiked on some paths through the dunes until we finally made it to the Pacific Ocean. I was immediately reminded of Cape Cod. There were wind swept sand dunes covered in dune grass that ran into long flat beaches ironed out by the changing tides. Razor clam shells littered the dark gray sand as large waves crashed at a distance about 100 meters away from the shoreline. Remnants of the large beasts that crashed out on the sand bar continued pushing forward up the shallow sandy expanse creating a calm rippling pool that mirrored the rays of the setting sun. I approached the water, took off my sneakers, and for the first time in my life stood in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. The setting couldn’t have been more perfect with rays of sunshine beginning to poke through the clouds as the sun set into the sea.

Like a shamwow! I soaked up everything before Lily woke me from my blissful trance to inform me that our return bus was leaving in 15 minutes. We rushed back to the bus stop and made it just in time to head back to Castro. When we made it into the city we met up with Pearl’s family friend Ines who owned a book store. We had tea in the book store and then walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner with Pearl’s other friend Manuel. After a quick seafood dinner we split a collectivo taxi back to the Claudia’s hostel to rest up for tomorrow’s adventure in Dalcahue.

Shotgun Weekend Adventure

Friday, February 20

This morning began extra early with a meeting in Puerto Montt with a land conservation organization call Patagonia Sur. I sent them my resume in hopes of procuring some type of job or project and was able to schedule a meeting with their head of development in Puerto Montt. He was there only for the morning before he was on his way back to their headquarters in Coiaique further south. Our meeting was at 8am, which meant I would need to leave at 6:30am to catch the micro bus and leave myself enough time to find the Holiday Inn where he was staying. Luckily, I remembered that our friend Karem worked at the Holiday Inn and I was able to carpool with her at 7:30am and skip the hassle of coordinating the public transportation. What a lifesaver!

I met with Juan from Patagonia Sur over breakfast, and he explained the mission and goals of Patagonia Sur. They were a land conservation agency that purchased large pieces of land with money from private investors. The premise of their organization was similar to that of Parque Pumalin started by famed American philanthropist Doug Tompkins, but their mission was slightly different. A major effort of theirs was to allow the land to be self-sustainable by developing small portions of the purchased plots to help finance the maintenance & conservancy of the preserved portions. Their plans were grand and ambitious and they had a lot of promising ideas in development, but like any other company that relied on money from private investors, they were feeling the global financial squeeze. Things were slowing down a bit, but that did not deter their ambition, nor their goal of zero carbon emissions and completely green housing for the visitors to their national parks. Also, they were dedicated to the involvement and prosperity of the local communities in the areas in which they purchased land. All good things, and an organization I would be thrilled to be a part of.

I made my way back to Puerto Varas, and later in the afternoon I met with Jimmy to discuss progress with the business plan. Part of me is excited about the possibility of this turning into a great learning experience and resume booster, but another part of me is a bit frustrated and find it hard to get motivated. So much of this project and much of Jimmy’s demeanor is disorganized. I am having a very difficult time gathering all of the information I need to put together the nuts and bolts of the business plan and mesh it with the subjective and content-oriented information that was put together by Jimmy. It’s a challenge, but I’m excited about the possibilities. It’s going to be difficult over the next 3 weeks however, as my brother will be visiting and I won’t have much time to work on the project…c’est la vie.

As my meeting with Jimmy came to a close, I got a phone call from Lily saying that if we wanted to go to Chiloé with her co-worker Cristian we had to leave in 15 minutes. I met her at her office and we rushed home to the apartment. Literally the minute we crossed the threshold of our apartment Cristian called and was waiting outside our apartment for our decision. We weren’t packed, had no lodging arrangements, and no plan for activities or places to see in Chiloé. I wasn’t really comfortable hoping in a car with no plans or forethought, but Lily and Pearl were convinced we should go, so we threw some clothes in a bag and ran outside to meet Cristian.

The car ride to the ferry took about 2 hours and as we shoved off into the channel between mainland Chile and the island of Chiloé an enormous rainbow emerged from the dark cloud cover and rain. What an amazing, and welcome, sign from nature affirming our decision to make this trip. While driving, Pearl booked a room at a hostel through her family friends who lived in Santiago. Things were falling into place and we planned our activities for the weekend before we arrived in Castro, the largest city located in central Chiloé. Our plans were set and we were excited about what the rest of the weekend would have in store.

Weird Weather

Thursday, February 19

Today’s weather was bizarre. We had everything from wind blown sheets of rain, to drizzle, to fog, to bright sunshine, to high winds & dead calm. Even weirder is we experienced every aspect of weather in no particular order. At one point I saw clouds at different altitudes moving in opposite directions. I guess this is what they mean by extreme weather in Patagonia.

I met Lily in town for lunch where we had a small meal at a nice little Italian restaurant. I was still trying to flush out my system from all of the sushi from the night before and the only food that could do it was Italian. We sat down to order when a friend of ours, Oscar, came out from the back to say hello. We met Oscar at the Superbowl party we went to and it turns out his family owns this restaurant. It was great to see him again, and we were able to meet his father, the head chef. We had a great meal, delicious and hearty…just like home.

I biked home through the rain and was greeted by sunshine just as I walked through the door of our apartment...perfect. After a bit of work, Lily came home from work and we went for a quick run before our first English lesson with Felipe, Rosario’s husband. Felipe had asked us for lessons at the birthday asado and confirmed for tonight at his wife’s birthday party this past Sunday. We had a very interesting lesson, and one that was much different than my lessons with Jaime. Felipe’s English is much more advanced and he wanted to concentrate on conversation and high level grammar. We decided to base the lessons around conversation about news articles he we send to him throughout the week. It’s a new approach to teaching, but I think it will work quite well in this situation.

After our lesson with Felipe we threw together a quick meal of Chicken cutlets and veggies. I made a tons of cutlets to save for lunch tomorrow. We are still trying to decide on a destination for this weekend, and right now Chiloe seems to be taking the lead.

Sushi

Wednesday, February 18

Another rainy day, but I wasn’t too upset about it. I’d rather have rain during the week, than on the weekends when we go on our little trips throughout southern Chile. Plus it helps me concentrate on work.

For dinner tonight we ate at the new sushi restaurant, Japon, nearby our apartment building. I met Cristian, Lily’s co-worker from Santiago, who was very funny and a great addition to our meal. The sushi was much better than I had expected, but every sushi roll had cream cheese in it. They love cream cheese down here, but it was too over-powering in the sushi and masked a lot of the taste of the fish itself. I’m not a huge sushi lover, but I like it in doses. Unfortunately, like most sushi meals I have, I never feel completely satisfied at the end and my stomach was a bit knotted up with all of the raw seafood I ate.

I had planned on tonight being another great opportunity to practice Spanish, but every time I get around Nati and Martin, I clam up. It is so hard for me to keep up with the conversation, and I want to jump in with comments and stories in Spanish, but the conversation has moved before I have a chance to say something. It is really frustrating and makes me feel so of anti-social and unintelligent because I still can’t speak Spanish with them. I’m sure they think I am extremely uninteresting and shy too because I never say much around them. I’d love to change this, but I’m not exactly sure how to go about it. I suppose I’ll just have to jump in and say things that may not be completely relevant & at least give myself a chance at the practice.

I ended the night with Jaime and our 4th lesson. I’m starting to like this teaching thing.

Video Chat with the Kev

Tuesday, February 17

The weather hadn’t improved today, so I began with a long run in the drizzle. I’m starting to get in shape again and I ran for about an hour. It was a great feeling to run for that long and not feel winded or cramped. All jazzed up from the run, I did some afternoon reading for the business plan. Pearl came home early again, and we chatted for a bit before preparing and early dinner. We made tuna stuffed avocados. They were absolutely delicious. What a simple meal with such a big taste! This will have to be one of the go to’s if we ever need something on short notice.

After dinner we all walked along the costanera to check out some of the restaurants in our neighborhood. We made a list of the one’s we’d like to try and prepared to knock one of the list tomorrow night. One of Lily’s co-workers from the Santiago office was coming to visit the Patagonia office for a week and we planned a big dinner with him, Nati, and Martin tomorrow night at the new sushi restaurant near our house.

We came home when I got a message from Kevin. He wanted to use the camera on his computer for the first time and setup a video chat. Awesome! He set up a skype account and we got going on a chat. It was great to see him and chat live over the internet. I gave him a tour of our apartment in Chile, and he did the same with his apartment in Hoboken. We caught up and talk about work and life. It was great to talk to him. Made me want to hop on the next plane home.