Chiloé is a large, rain-washed island off the coast of southern Chile, a place of mist, green hills, wooden houses on stilts and a culture of its own. The Spanish Jesuits arrived in the seventeenth century, and with few resources they trained local carpenters, who built churches out of native timber using the shipbuilding skills of the islanders. The result is a collection of wooden churches with pitched roofs, covered porches and towers, covered in shingles of alerce or cypress, many painted in bright blue, yellow or white. Sixteen of them are listed by UNESCO, and the town of Castro has one of the grandest, the San Francisco church, built in the early twentieth century, yellow outside and in warm varnished wood inside.
Everything here is wood and water. In Castro, the palafitos, houses on stilts, line the shore of the estuary, and at high tide the boats rock beneath the doors. The air smells of salt, smoke and wet earth, and the weather changes constantly, with fog, drizzle and sudden patches of sun. The islanders have strong myths, of the Trauco, a goblin of the forest, and the Caleuche, a ghost ship, and they celebrate the harvest with curanto, a feast of shellfish, meat and potatoes steamed in a pit under leaves and stones.
The ride to the island starts with the Panamericana, Route 5, going south to Pargua, from where a short ferry crosses the Chacao channel. On the island the road runs the length of the east side, from Ancud through Castro and beyond, with a decent asphalt surface, some bends, and views of the sea and the green hills. Rain can be heavy and tends to come with wind, so waterproofs and a careful hand on wet corners are needed. The best season is from December to March, though even then showers are common.
Castro, three kilometres from here, is a town of about thirty thousand, and the main service centre of the island, with fuel, supermarkets, repair shops and restaurants. Try the curanto, empanadas filled with shellfish and cheese, and the milcao, a potato bread. Churches are often open during the day, though some close at lunchtime. Remove your helmet and be quiet inside, as they are active places of worship, and ask before taking photographs during a service.