Chilean Magic

Well, I’ve learned a few things about hospitality recently. While traveling, there are many opportunities to experience generosity and for us, it seems that Chile is a place overflowing with these.

Arriving in Punto Arenas, Chile from Ushuaia, Argentina, we had a few obstacles to overcome. Only 10 minutes before our connecting bus left for the night, neither a Chilean nor Argentinean peso in hand and the money exchange office closed for the day, we were met with the kindness of a fellow passenger who offered to exchange USD for Chilean pesos. Voila! I boarded the bus while it was leaving the parking area (my children had already climbed on, if you’re wondering)!

We spent one night in Puerto Natales then embarked on our 4 day boat trip up the southern island channels of Chile. The highlights: 16 hours of nausea from the Gulf of Penas and a few new friends, one of whom became our impromptu Chilean guide for the week.

Now, we are being hosted in a fishing town, a 2 hour bus ride from our arrival port, with a family willing to absorb us as if we were their own flesh and blood. We arrived, unannounced, riding the coat tails of our nuevo amigo Chileno, an old friend of this family. Within the first few minutes we were eating crab being shelled for us by our hostess and “machas” (a type of clam) from the shell, being served faster than we could gulp them down. After spending the night and most of the next day, we were invited to stay for the week, so our friend left and we remained! We have eaten more machas than we could’ve imagined and experienced our first “curanto” – the Chilean version of a seafood/smoked meat combo, traditionally baked in the ground, but now, often boiled for ease, including machas, clams, sausage, smoked meat, and yes, chapaleles!!! Really, chapaleles are a simple food, a dough made of flour, oil and water, made into patties then steamed with the rest, but the way the word rolls off your tongue, well, it makes you want to announce their arrival with great fanfare.

If things turn out as we’ve planned (Plan Q, that is!) we will move on to the coastal surf town where our Chilean friend grew up, Pichilemu. Who knows what generosity we’ll find there, but maybe, just maybe we’ll be able to extend some of our own. – Cinnamon