Trip to Chanco

Erik's House

The most beautiful strawberries in the world.

A typical southern house, complete with creepy

girl from The Ring, in the picture.

View from the top of a mountain on the way 

to Chanco.

Retarded yet still picturesque construction.

This weekend I traveled south to Chanco and Pelluhue (pronounced pe-yoo-way), having been invited by my friend Erik to spend a weekend at his home and see the sights. We left Friday and began the six-hour drive around 4pm. The route took us basically straight south until we got off the central freeway and took side routes west towards the coast. The whole time, all I could think was how incredibly beautiful everything was, so beautiful in fact that I find it stupid. Whether it was the Cordillera mountains or the rolling hills and slopes of vineyards, there's beauty around every corner here.

After some pretty horrible traffic due to road construction (I have to admit that they seem to execute road repairs about as effectively as a 90 year-old with Alzheimer's can do long division), we arrived in Chanco, to my friend's home, around 10:30. My first impression was how beautiful the sky was, considering I hadn't seen a star in over two months in Santiago, the sky was breathtaking. My second sentiment was "holy shit, this is rural." Considering that my friend's family live reasonably well, it was a shock to see only one old TV, no internet, and a wood-burning stove inside.

After a "light" dinner, we drank a big pitcher filled with clary, an alcoholic beverage made from artesian wine, fruit, and juice. It was very smooth and tasted more like juice. After consuming the fruit at the end of my third glass, I was definitely more than just a little happy. We then went to bed, only to be woken up the next day by their rooster. Yes, I was woken up by a rooster, and there's nothing relaxing or quaint about it. I'll spare the meal sections in order to devote a post to southern cooking tomorrow. For now, suffice it to say that I came back weighing an extra four pounds from before.

On Saturday we took a tour of Pelluhue, which is the sister town to Chanco. Pelluhue is a beautiful beach town mostly dedicated to artesian fishing. Chanco is slightly more inland and is famous for producing strawberries, honey, and most of all cheese. I'll put up some pictures of Pelluhue, but it was stunning- right out of a Pablo Neruda poem. We drove and walked through town and then the beach. We stopped at the local radio station where Erik used to work where we chatted with the DJ/Mayor of Pelluhue. As we talked every car that passed by seemed to honk and wave or scream hello. Erik commented that here most people don't have cell phones, and because the town is so tiny everyone knows one another and they just holler across the street or what not. This was a sharp contrast to Santiago where no one goes out of their way to say hello. Not only did Erik seem to know everyone, but even if you don't you say hello to everyone or else they think you're rude.

After touring we came back and ate what they called lunch and what I now call a meal to feed all of Ethiopia. After rolling out of my chair, all I could do was crawl to the couch and take a nap. After about 20 minutes of napping, we all awoke and began to drink more clary and play darts outside. Three hours later, there was tea and about six different types of cakes, about the last thing I wanted. Then they served dinner which was about 3/4 the meal of lunch.

We drank more into the evening and went to bed quite easily. On Sunday morning I didn't awake to any rooster which was surprising. When I asked where the rooster was, Erik's father said that he was probably sleeping in, and then laughed, which leads me to believe that he might have later been lunch, though I don't think I'll ever know.

After breakfast, Erik's father took us on what I can only call a mountain safari. We hopped into this tall 4x4 and went up a mountain into this forest used to make wood products, many of which are exported to the states. The route was treacherous, and for a gringo like myself, stressful as he was driving like a maniac about six inches from a perilous fall down the mountain. However, the journey was well worth it because it lead to an interesting encounter with some oxen and then to some of the most gorgeous ocean views I've ever seen.

On the way back from the safari, we stopped at the Chanco fair to buy some food and other things. Since there are no stores really in Chanco, you can buy pretty much everything at the Sunday fair. There I bought, to no surprise, a giant block of cheese, about three pounds of the reddest cherries I've ever seen, and a kilo of honey, all for less than $8. After greeting everyone, because everyone was excited to see Erik back, we headed home to another delicious/agonizing lunch and then hung out a bit more. Around 4pm, we packed up and headed north. On the way back to Santiago, Erik did me a huge favor by driving me through Parral.

Parral is the birthplace of Pablo Neruda, perhaps the greatest poet of the 20th century, and one of my personal heroes. It was a wonderful feeling to be in his hometown, and helped me understand how he came to love the land, the mountains, and the people of Chile so much.

It was a wonderful trip. I had an amazing time and was shown a part of Chile that most tourists don't get to see. I learned a great deal (to be elaborated later) and also ate a great deal. I met a lot of people and saw some of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen. Enjoy my pictures, I hope that you like them. Thanks.