JimBlog - Chile: February 2008

In February 2008 we spent a few days in Pucón with Alejandra's brother G and sister-in-law K, and then went south to Valdivia, for their summer celebration, Semana Valdiviana. Posted, March 2010.

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We have returned from (our short) vacation. We spent Sunday and Monday in Pucón, which continues to be beautiful, and crowded. We were there with G and K, their two daughters and sons-in-law and respective infants, C (4) and A (6 months), and spent our time on the beach, in the apartment eating and drinking and wandering among the gewgaw booths. The picture below, from the window of our bedroom in the apartment, is the same as last year’s but the view is so spectacular that you have to take a picture every time.

And the beach, from the apartment balcony, just like last year.

This year’s highlight however was kayaking. As you know, G has invited me to go to Chiloe with him to spend a few days in his cabin, and then to kayak and look at shell mounds in southern Chiloe around Quellón. He is the organizing member of a group of sea kayakers/explorers who are interested in exploring and mapping coastal areas for archeological sites. The original plan was to spend a couple of weeks surveying the coast further south, assisted and transported by the Chilean navy, but the ship was unavailable. G was reasonably confident that they would assist us if possible, so perhaps next year. The group (or at least G) seems pretty serious, and the area we were going to visit is pretty much unknown archaeologically.

At any rate, kayaking is part of the trip, so I got started in Pucón, and did reasonably well…. at least I didn’t embarrass myself. A lot of canoe skill (however limited) is transferable. Practiced getting out of the upside-down kayak close to shore, and had one opportunity to use the practice coming out of a river mouth into the lake. I wasn’t frightened, head down with the kayak on top, but was glad that I knew how to get out.

On Tuesday, we took the bus to Valdivia, on the coast about 500 miles south of Santiago. Valdivia was founded by the Spanish in 1544, who were driven out by the Mapuche in 1599. In around 1650 Spanish recaptured the area and established 17 serious forts to protect the area against English and Dutch privateers. After Chilean independence the Spanish held out here and in Chiloe, but Valdivia was captured by the Chileans in 1820. Germans started immigrating in the 1850s and the city still has a strong German feel… plus good beer. (See Valdivia, Chile - Wikipedia if you’re interested).

We stayed at the Hostal Kuntsman, build in the 1930s by a branch of one of the large German families, another branch of which produces Cervesa Kuntsman....

....which goes very well with pescado frito y papas in downtown Valdivia.

The Valdivia river front.

As you see, Valdivia is at the junction of several rivers about 7 or 8 miles from the Pacific at Niebla and Corral, on the other side of the bay. On Thursday we took a day trip by boat to the Isla de Mancera in the middle of the bay, and then on Friday we went to Niebla by bus and crossed over to Corral by water-taxi.