• MMM in the Americas 24-25
    Beautiful coast, Chaihuin
    Excitement with student Lia in the Uni Botanic gardens. Talking about big and old trees 🤩There's many beautiful old wooden buildings in Valdivia; this one an art gallery by the riverDelicious Chilean empanada de pino. So much better than a meat pie 😋Ferry trip with our car: Niebla to CorralLovely spot at "Camping Don Guido", by Chaihuin. Lots of native trees and ocean soundsChaihuin beach, a few hundred metres from campChaihuin bayThe parrillada - beef carefully cooked over several hours. Soooo good 😋 for lunch and dinnerChungungos/ marine otters (photo from internet)The Lobería, Huiro. At least 20 huge sea lions and thousands of birds feeding from the seaOur cute cabin, also at Don Guido's but with comfortable beds and more space for a rainy day 😊Classic street scene, near Corral, Valdivia coastAnother typical road scene near Corral. Red Mitsubishi Tritons (and other 4WD utes) are very commonAnd back on the ferry from CorralView out to sea from the historic 'Castle' on Isla Mancera between Corral and NieblaInteresting slate joins between the rock bricks of the castle. And pretty flowers 🌸

    Valdivia city and coast

    Jan 31–Feb 6 in Chile ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    We spent a couple of nights in Valdivia, a small riverside University city. Good food! Molly caught a bus to Puerto Varas for her multi-day cycling adventure around Lake Llanquihue, and Mark and I headed to the coast - to Chaihuin village, suggested to us by Marcela and Rodrigo at the start of our trip in Chile.

    It was so laid back compared to other places we've been in southern Chile! (And the whole area was relatively cheaper). We really enjoyed hanging out at camp for a BBQ and checking out coastal wildlife, trees, beach etc. Sure, there were plenty of local families and couples enjoying their summer holidays here too, but at much lower density than in other places we've visited.

    It was lovely to visit Marcela's niece Elisa & her partner Felipe (marine biologists), and then visit Elisa's friend Stephanie further along the coast. Her dad Rene told stories about their travelling dog Wilca, and we saw cute otters right out the front of their place - so cute! Apparently these are the smallest marine mammals in the world. Being an area of upwelling, the nutrient-rich waters support heaps of marine life. At the Lobería (sea lion colony) we could see thousands of birds out at sea, presumably feeding.

    While here we also had a fantastic day-trip into the rainforest, and learned about Mapuche culture - see other posts.    Read more