The 17th of February, we (my aunt, uncle and I) flew north to the port city of Puerto Montt. Puerto Montt is an unremarkable port city with little in the way of tourist attractions, with the exception of a fantastic fish market. We stayed in nearby Puerto Varas, which is wonderfully situated on the lake. The region a a very germanic feel, from the architecture to the food (kuchen and apfelstrudle).
We decided to make a small day trip to the island of Chiloe. The island has a different culture and feel from the mainland. The island is heavily dependent on agriculture, forestry, and fishing. The island is most known for two things; Scandinavian style wooden churches and curanto. There are a number of said churches around the island (15?) built entirely out of wood as early settlers did not have access to other materials. The churches are UNESCO world heritage sites, for good reason.
Ah curanto, how I love thee; let me count the ways. Chorizo, ribs, mussels, clams, barnacles, potatoes, potato cakes (both white and blue variety), and other starchy vegetables like carrots. Traditionally everything is placed in a hole in the ground and cooked for roughly an hour. The system acts like a giant pressure cooker. While the curanto I had was not cooked in the traditional manner, I can still attest to its deliciousness.
With our day trip to Chiloe over, we would be crossing the border to Bariloche, Argentina. We crossed the border in arguably the most convoluted (and most scenic) way possible. We used no less than four bus journies and three boat journies to make the crossing. The journey was spectacular, and it is surprising that there isn't more development in the region. The steep mountains abruptly end in lakes of magnificent shades of blue, forming stunning fjords. The region is one of only three in the world to be home to temperate rainforests as well, along with New Zealand and the Pacific Northwest.
Once in Bariloche, the germanic presence was once again evident. It is said that many nazis fled to the region, and I definitely believe it. The region is home to some of the best, if not the best skiing in south america. Bariloche's status as a culinary destination should not be underestimated either. The region is home to excellent chocolate (seemingly every other store sells chocolate), swiss restraunts, and beef. I had the best steak I've had in my life in Bariloche. The ribeye was so tender you probably could have cut it with a spoon.
We also visited Bosque Arrayanes, which is home to a type of myrtle tree found only there and on an island in Japan. The trees are orange and the grove is very cool. The forest supposedly served as walt Disney's inspiration for bambi.
I'll get something posted about my time in Buenos Aires and Uruguay soon; stay tuned!
