The South American Odyssey

A 147-day adventure by The Craze for Travelling Read more

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The South American Odyssey The Craze for Travelling
Lovely wooden houses Ancud
December 31, 2017 in Chile ⋅ 🌙 11 °C
We walked along the shore towards the fort. There were lovely wooden houses along the Lord Cochrane road. The fort is at the North end of the road to the left. There is a small archway marking the entry to the fort. There were vendors selling trinkets and souvenirs there.Read more
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The South American Odyssey The Craze for Travelling
Fuerte San Antonio fortress
December 31, 2017 in Chile ⋅ 🌙 11 °C
The entry to the fort is free. It was very well maintained considering that they don't charge anything. Its a small fort overlooking the Ancud beach. It was built by the Spanish in 1770. During the wars of independence, Fuerte San Antonio was Spain's last Chilean outpost.Read more
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The South American Odyssey The Craze for Travelling
Beach near Fuerte San Antonio fort
December 31, 2017 in Chile ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
Just next to the fortress along the Northern side, there is a secluded beach. We walked down from the fort, but it was quite dirty and smelly due to the seaweeds and other organic waste from the sea. There was no other way out from the beach so we had to climb back up to the fort amd then we continued our exploration of the town further.Read more
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The South American Odyssey The Craze for Travelling
Mirador Arena Gruesa
December 31, 2017 in Chile ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
From the fort, we walked to the Mirador Arena Gruesa. This is a viewpoint overlooking the Gruesa beach. There is an amphitheater like arena next to the beach where concerts seem to be held. Opposite the viewpoint, there is a small hill where it was possible to climb and have a view of the beach from the other end. All the while, we had our eyes peeled to the ocean as well since one can spot dolphins, sea lions and sometimes whales from the land only. Unfortunately, we didn't have any such luck.Read more
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The South American Odyssey The Craze for Travelling
Off to Puñihuil
December 31, 2017 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
Around 1:30 pm we walked back to the cabaña, picked up our car and drove towards Puñihuil. This is a small village outpost where Megallen and Humboldt penguins have small colonies on the rocks. It was nice sunny day and the island was lush with green vegetation on both sides of the road. There were a number of intense yellow flowers of the gorse shrub which was brought by the German, English and other European settlers to the mainland for their fencing needs.Read more
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Puñihuil
December 31, 2017 in Chile ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
Puñihuil is one of places of major tourist attraction of the island of Chiloé. It stands for the protection of Magellan and Humboldt penguins. We reached there around 2 pm and had to cross a stream (possible to do in a 2 wheel drive) and then drive onto the beach
The parking is free and is at the various kiosks of the companies offering a boat ride to the penguin islands. We were guided to the office of the company offering the next tour that day. The place is extremely scenic and we could see the rocks that form the nesting places of the penguins in the ocean.Read more
Traveler The cars are allowed on the beach? A very flat beach.
1/18/18Reply
The Craze for Travelling Yup. They are.
1/21/18Reply
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Boat ride to the penguin islands
December 31, 2017 in Chile ⋅ 🌧 24 °C
The boat ride costed us 7000 CLP per person and was for 30-40 minutes. We were loaded on to a rolling contraption where we could stand above the sea water level while one guy pushed it towards the rubber boat. We jumped into the boat and were off for the ride.Read more
Traveler Flat beach necessitate the platform ,it seems.
1/18/18Reply
The Craze for Travelling Its mainly so the tourists don't get their shoes wet 😉
1/21/18Reply
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Penguins!!
December 31, 2017 in Chile ⋅ 🌧 24 °C
On the very 1st island on the tour, we saw penguins. There were about 10-15 of them on the rock. How I missed my camera with a good zoom that I had lost a few day ago. We could see and enjoy the view with our eyes but it was hard to capture good pictures using the camera on the phone. Besides the penguins, there were 2 species of cormorants and many other different sea birds.Read more
Traveler No other member is carrying a camera?
1/18/18Reply
The Craze for Travelling Nope
1/21/18Reply
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More penguins and sea lion
December 31, 2017 in Chile ⋅ 🌧 24 °C
On the 2nd island, we saw more penguins and many other birds. We also spotted a sea lion basking in the sun. The sea was much rougher here and after stopping for a few minutes our captain guided the boat to the 3rd island that forms the Puñihuil Natural Monument Park.Read more
Traveler This island seems to be inhibited by humans also?
1/18/18Reply
The Craze for Travelling No. That's the place from where we started.
1/21/18Reply
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The South American Odyssey The Craze for Travelling
Bear Rock
December 31, 2017 in Chile ⋅ 🌧 24 °C
On the 3rd island, we didn't really see any penguins bit there were many other flying and sitting around it. We also saw a rock formation called the Bear Rock since it looks like a standing bear. The boat ride overall took about 30 min and after that, we were dropped off at the shore using the same moving platform.Read more
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Fun on the beach
December 31, 2017 in Chile ⋅ ☁️ -3 °C
After we came back from the boat trip, I went to the office to pay for the ride. Marcus, the guy at the counter was very helpful when I enquired about what else we could do on Chiloé island. He was a treasure trove of local information and while we walked to the restaurant nearby to make the payment by card, he had given a full list of amazing things and places we could visit. On his recommendation, we had our lunch at the restaurant on the beach and tried some of the dishes he recommended. The food was awesome and the views of the beach from the balcony where we sat, were fabulous.
Melinda was highly impressed with the guy so Maria tried to set her up with him 😄😄 After a few minutes of friendly banter, we started walking along the beach. At the starting end, there is a portal kind of lava rock formation. We walked around there for a while and then started walking towards the other end of the beach. There were many small streams crossing the beach. At one of the places, we stopped and drew our New Year wishes to the rest of the group. It was 5 pm in Chile and many in the gang in Europe were already heading out for the celebrations.Read more
Traveler Unique way to celebrate New Year.
1/18/18Reply
The Craze for Travelling 😉😉😉
1/21/18Reply
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The South American Odyssey The Craze for Travelling
Seaweeds and algae
December 31, 2017 in Chile ⋅ ☁️ -3 °C
We reached the other end of the beach. It was very rocky here. The formations were from the lava flows from before. We didn't see any penguins here but saw a few locals collecting seaweeds and algae. We stopped and enjoyed the view for a while before heading back to the beach. By this time, the beach was almost empty. All the kiosks selling the boat trips were also closed. Earlier, we had planned to go to Castro (the capital of the Chiloé island) about 75 kms away, but on Marcus' recommendation, we decided to go back to Ancud since they seem to have some organized fireworks in the stadium for the New Year celebration.Read more
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Playa Chauman
December 31, 2017 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
We didn't really drive back straight to Ancud. We stopped over at a few viewpoints and then drove to Playa Chauman. The beach was secluded with no one around. This place is also a good place to sight dolphins and sea lions. We didn't see either of them though. Hristo wanted to end the year with a dip in the sea so he jumped into the freezing waters and swam for a while. Melinda too wanted to go in but decided not to since she didn't have hear beachwear.
After spending a few minutes, we drove off towards the lighthouse Faro Corona.Read more
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Faro Corona
December 31, 2017 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
We reached Faro Corona at around 7:30 pm. The sun was going low in the sky by now. It was quite windy at this extreme end of the península. This place too is know for sightings of dolphins and sometimes even whales.
When we reached there, we realized that the places was marked as a military zone on Maps.me so we didn't want to enter unauthorized. We could hear loud music all the way outside the perimeter of the lighthouse area where we were parked. Someone in there was getting ready for a good new year party. Hristo checked on google maps and saw the place marked as a museum. We decided to go in then.
There was no one anywhere. The music was coming from 2 huges speakers near the entrance of the lighthouse tower and was blaring peppy tunes from the 60s. The views of the ocean were really stunning. We didn't see any whales or dolphins. Inside, the lighthouse tower has been converted to a museum with old pictures and information. Unfortunately, everything was in Spanish. We even managed to climb the narrow, steep stairs up to the illumination system. From here, we had a 360 degrees view of the peninsula. After coming down, we stopped near the speakers and danced for a while, then decided to leave, in case we were not allowed in, in the first place 😉
We danced our way to the rhythm of the music back to our car. Its only then we noticed 2 women looking at us from inside one of the huts and smiling at us dancing 😄Read more
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New Year celebrations
December 31, 2017 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
We drove back to Ancud and decided to stay at Hotel Isla Magica again. We reached back around 10:30 pm and got the same cabaña. We didn't have any food items with us to cook and the landlady informed that all the restaurants would be closed by now. She tried calling the restaurants she thought might be open but they were all closed. For the new year celebrations, she too recommended going to the stadium for the fireworks.
We decided to drive around the town and see if anything was open. The whole town felt like a ghost town. Nothing was open and there was no one around. One smallest shop selling alcoholic drinks was open. We bought some cookies, chips and drinks from there. Then we drove towards the stadium. On the way, Hristo bought a pack of sausages. That all basically constituted our last dinner of the year 2107. 😁😁
At the stadium, we managed to park our car quite near the entrance. We couldn't see any ticket counter near the gates but there were people giving away neon bands and some police inspecting all the bags etc. We decided to walk in and see if we needed any tickets or reservations. We found out that the event was organised by the local municipality and was free for everyone. There was a concert stage in the middle where some local bands played peppy Spanish music to keep the crowds occupied. We settled down in the middle of stadium seating and had our food stuff while enjoying the music. Everyone around was dressed up in costumes and wearing props. It was a total festive atmosphere.Read more
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Happy New Year!!
January 1, 2018 in Chile ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
At exactly 30 sec to 12 am, the countdown started on the big screen. The whole stadium roared after each count. Then at exactly 12, the fireworks started at the hill behind the stadium. It was an awesome sight. The weather had played along at the right time. After 3 days of rain, it was a clear starry night and the fireworks looked beautiful. The show lasted for about 10 min, after which, the live music started again.Read more
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Dancing in the new year
January 1, 2018 in Chile ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
After the fireworks, we decided to go down and join the dancing crowd near the stage. The music was good, the mood joyful and we danced our way into the new year. We were there till almost 1:30 am. Then we drove back to the cabaña and slept.Read more
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Sea Lions at Quemchi
January 1, 2018 in Chile ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C
We woke up late and freshened up. After that we went to the town. It was raining again. The weather had held at just the right time for just the right amount of time.
We weren't sure if anything would be open on the 1st day of the year. Only the place where we had our breakfast the previous morning was open. We went to have our breakfast. It was totally packed. The whole town seemed to have come there for their breakfast.
By the time, we finished with our meal, it was already past 2 pm. We started our drive towards Castro and as had been suggested by Marcus, we decided to go via Quemchi town.
We reached there at around 4:30 pm. It was quite rainy and windy. We stopped at the Humedal de Quemchi viewpoint. This is a small bay near Quemchi. Here we saw a group of sea lions swimming in circles trying to trap the fish. The birds took the opportunity and were crowding in, in the middle and snatching the fish. The whole group continued to move around in the bay repeating this maneuver. Unfortunately it was hard to capture this with the mobile camera. How I wished my stolen camera back at this moment 😏Read more
Traveler What you have been capturing with mobile has been equally good & the best thing is you have enjoyed yourself the live performances. So should not regret about camera as you would have spent time in focussing & clicking.
1/18/18Reply
TravelerJo Challa Gaya us Ka gum na kur jo tere paas hai uska shukr kur.😄
1/18/18Reply
The Craze for Travelling That's true but with the zoom I could have much more clearer imprints of what we saw 😊😊
1/21/18Reply
The Craze for TravellingJai ho... Jai ho 😁😁😁
1/21/18Reply
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Along Quemchi harbor
January 1, 2018 in Chile ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C
From the viewpoint, we drove a bit further along the road next to the harbor into the quaint little town of Quemchi. There were boats parked along the shore but the town seemed dead. There was no one around. Looked like everyone had partyed till late amd were sleeping in even at 5 pm.Read more
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Quemchi cemetery
January 1, 2018 in Chile ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C
We drove on up to the hill behind the town. The cemetery was up there and was also marked as a viewpoint on Maps.me. The views over the town and the bay were beautiful. The rain to had stopped by now so we parked our car nearby and walked in to the cemetery. The graves were more like vaults made from granite and tiles. Some of them were decorated beautifully with fresh and artificial flowers and candles. The dead had the best views of the town and the sea.Read more
Traveler Nice way to respect the departed".Are the flowers put regularly?
1/18/18Reply
The Craze for Travelling Yeah.. Some were fresh amd some were plastic ones.
1/21/18Reply
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The South American Odyssey The Craze for Travelling
Quemchi town
January 1, 2018 in Chile ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C
From the cemetery, we walked down to the town. It had a small main square with a beautiful green and blue wooden church. There were nice murals along the edges of the plaza. There was hardly anyone in the town. We bought some food stuff from the open grocery shop.Read more
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The South American Odyssey The Craze for Travelling
Off from Quemchi
January 1, 2018 in Chile ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C
It had started to pour heavily by now so we sat under the shade of the shops and ate some of the food. After that Hristo went and brought the car down while we walked along the promenade next to the harbor. We met up at the end of the walk and then drove on towards Isla Aucar.Read more
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Isla Aucar
January 1, 2018 in Chile ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C
Isla Aucar is just about 3 kms from Quemchi. We paeked our car near the entrance. It was about 6 pm and a constant drizzle was going on. There is no entry fee to the island. The access is via a wooden bridge connecting the island to the mainland. Below the bridge, we could see thousands of muscles most probably brought here by the tide. On the island there is a botanical garden with boards marking the names of the trees. There was also a wooden church in the middle.Read more
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The South American Odyssey The Craze for Travelling
Off from Isla Aucar
January 1, 2018 in Chile ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C
We followed the track going around the island. There were very lovely views of the Quemchi bay. We even saw the sea lions feeding again. After doing the walk we went back to the car and drove off towards Castro.Read more
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The South American Odyssey The Craze for Travelling
Cascada Tocoihue and Dalcahue
January 1, 2018 in Chile ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C
On the way to Castro, we stopped at the Cascada Tocoihue. It was another place recommended by Marcus. We reached just about 7:30 pm. They were closing when we parked. The guy at the counter told us they are waiting for the last of the tourists to come out. But he allowed us to walk inside the gate to see the waterfall. It was clearly visible from just 2 mts inside. We took some pictures and then drove off again.
The next stop was Dalcahue. Another small fishing town along the shore. Marcus had recommended some real good sea food restaurants inside a boat like building. We parked just outside. There was no one around and the building was closed due to the new year. We walked along the promenade next to the sea. It had been newly built a few months ago. It even had a cycling track and wooden sitting places.Read more
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