Tortel is a most peculiar small town deep in the Chilean fjords. Everything is made of wood; all the walking paths are narrow wooden bridges like a continuous narrow boardwalk. Wooden steps lead up to the houses many of which are built on stilts perched on the steep slopes of the mountain. The houses are generally very small wooden bungalows with corrugated tin roofs and occasional small flower patches in the yard; some are painted with bright colors, others appear deserted. The town is connected to the rest of the world with one road or by water. The business of the town is lumber and tourists, though besides our group we saw little sign of either. The week of our visit even the one road had been cut off because of regional unrest and riots and the town was running out of basic supplies. In the town square music and pisco sour from a carton had been prepared for us along with a meager array of crafts for sale. The children seemed well groomed and happy though, busy with their cell phones and game apps. Despite the obvious limited resources of the people, most shacks were equipped with satellite dishes.
Castro, a picturesque town with multicolored houses and capital of Chiloe Island, is tucked deep in a calm bay protected from the turbulent sea. Mussel farms dot the waters, their colorful buoys bobbing in the gentle waves. As we drove through it, we noticed more shabby small houses, though the streets and the people appeared well groomed. We stopped at Delcahne, another small quaint town to inspect local crafts including some unusual sock-shoes with soles made of sheep wool, fur on the inside. A rickety ferry boat took us across to Quinchao Island and the town of Cichao, famous for several old churches built entirely with wood. A small music band and chorus entertained us during snacks at the local restaurant, several local pros demonstrating regional dances and encouraging willing guests to join in.
Our stop at Nembla was only notable for the opportunity to learn something about Chilean history: in the 1500s Spanish forces were temporarily repelled by an aggressive local tribe. A fort was erected in this narrow strait to protect against hostile incursions. Later in the mid 1800s Chilean patriots, mostly sons of immigrant European families claimed independence from Spain, somewhat like the American patriots who wished sovereignty from England. Once in control of the area, the new masters recognizing a severe shortage of skilled labor and taking advantage of economic conditions in Europe recruited a large number of Germans whose cultural influence is very much felt throughout this area today.
Further inland from Nembla lays Valdivia one of the older Chilean towns destroyed by earthquakes and rebuilt several times. Today it appears the most modern city we encountered in southern Chile. It has a central square with a gazebo, tall trees and landscaped enclosures with shrubs and flowers. And a McDonald’s. It also has the only open air food market we ran into. Fruit and vegetable stands line one side while fish and seafood are arrayed on the other. Piures was the most unusual seafood, a spineless orange mollusk which was included in a salty and very tasty cevichi that we bought for the equivalent of $4. The fishmongers stood behind their stalls on the edge of the river filleting fish and tossing the bones and entrails into the water where obliging sea lions scarfed them up before they even hit the water, efficient and ecologically minded garbage collectors.
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