Trip to Chile

If you look at a map of Chile, about three quarters of the way down, there is a bay and a large island, Chiloe. This is the area where I stayed. I visited the island, the port city of Puerto Montt, and the tourist town of Puerto Varas. There is a national park where you can hike around a volcano, glacial lakes to boat on, lots of tiny churches built in the last two centuries, white water rafting, skiing, and wonderful food to eat. The people of Chile were very friendly. As I tried to say a few things in Spanish, a language I do not know, they attempted to teach me, a tricky job to say the least. This area is influenced by the Mapuche Indian culture, the Spanish conquistadors and the German settlers of the nineteenth century. Fishing, forestry, tourism and dairy farming are important industries.

Fishing boats in Ancud on the island of Chiloe	Fishing boats in Ancud	Fishing boat in Puerto Montt
Boat tied up in Puerto Montt	People who lived along the water used boats to go to the market like we use cars.	Processing sea urchins for sale at the fish market in Peurto Montt. In Spanish, sea urchin is erizo.
Sea urchins.	The roe is the part that is consumed. This roe hasn't been washed, yet.	Jars of sea urchin roe and tunicates or sea squirts.

Jars of sea urchn for sale.	Sea urchin roe in the shell.	Sea urchin served as an appetizer at a banquet.
Processing giant barnacles	Giant barnacles, mussels, oysters and jars of tunicates	Giant barnacles are called picorocos in Spanish.
Close-up of picorocos.	Crabs and bags of seafood used to make sopa de mariscos, a seafood stew.	The fish market in Puerto Montt

Small, sardine like fish, whole and filleted.	Congiro or Conger Eel fish.	Raspberries for sale for about $1.00 to $1.50.

Display at a tiny seafood restaurant which had only two or three tables.	Sopa de mariscos, a seafood stew with clams, mussels, fish and barnacles....and whatever else was laying around!	Boats in Puerto Montt.