Dalcahue is a small port on the east coast of Chiloé, the big island off the coast of southern Chile, and its name means, in the Huilliche language, a place of dalcas, the plank boats that islanders once used. It sits on a channel facing the smaller island of Quinchao, and a short ferry crosses the water every few minutes, which gives the place its restless harbour life. On a grey morning the sea and sky blend in pewter, with gulls, fishing boats and the smell of salt and woodsmoke.
The town's pride is its church, one of the sixteen wooden churches of Chiloé that UNESCO has recognised as a world heritage site. They were built by Jesuit missionaries and then by local carpenters, using boat-building skills to shape beams and shingles without nails in the old way. Painted in soft colours, with a tall tower at the front, the church of Dalcahue stands above the plaza and looks over the water. Inside, the roof is a curved timber hull turned upside down.
On Sundays the waterfront fills with a craft market, where weavers sell woollen sweaters, baskets and carved wooden pieces, and food stalls serve empanadas and seafood. Chiloé's most famous dish is curanto, a stew of shellfish, meat and potatoes cooked in a pit with hot stones, and you will find versions of it around the harbour. The pace of the island is slow, with a good deal of rain, and a cup of something hot is welcome.
The ride from Dalcahue south toward Castro follows Route 5, the Pan-American Highway, through rolling green hills with sheep, small farms and wooden houses covered in shingles. The surface is paved and generally good, though wet, and the bends are gentle. With around thirteen thousand people, Dalcahue is a larger place than it looks, and Castro, with nearly thirty thousand, has all the services a rider might need, including fuel. Pack waterproofs in any season, since the weather changes quickly.