After few thousand kilometers cycling in hot and nice weather Chiloe greeted us with strongly rain and cold wind. That was not a big surprise
because we just passed the gates to Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, the south pole was calling
with his unfriendly weather.
Chiloe is a second largest Island in Chile (8,394 km 2 ) and fifth in South America. Despite its size,
population density is only one person per 18.44 /km 2 . Expect the few small cities and villages,
all Island is full of temperate rainforests, mountains and an endless coastline. Most of those
natural resources are protected in few natural reserve, located on the island. Flora also has it’s
representatives in the form of  blue whales,   chilean dolphins ,  sea lions and Magellan’s penguins.
Foggy Landscape, abandoned forests and coasts, can really captured the  imagination. The Island
is full of legends, created by native tribes of   Chonos  and  Huilliches and medicated by Spanish
conquistadors. Chiloe is full of witches (Brujo) who has cave-headquarter somewhere in secret
place in island. Those cave is defending by Imbunches, ghastly deformed children (walks on their hands and communicates by squeals). Back to the witches topic, women who wants to be
become a witch must pass very cruel test. First, they must stay 40 days under water of waterfall to de-baptizing their self, to sign the pact with the devil. After that they should kill somebody close from their family and make a spell book from the victim’s skin. Once per time to Chiloe is
coming the ghost ship named El Caleuche, to get witches and wizards to secret meeting,
despite never being seen in person, plenty of fishermen have heard the sounds of music and merrymaking through the mist in the middle of the ocean at the dead of night. Besides the
witches Chiloe is inhabited by lot mysterious creatures. One of them is Basilisco, snake with the
head of cock. It feeds on the phlegm and saliva of the people who live in the house, causing the
inhabitants to dehydrate and eventually die. Is only one way to kill Basilisco, people can do it
when they are burning infected house. Another dangerous creature (but from another meaning
of dangerous) is Troll El Tauco. Ugly but has salacious and seductive breath which “hypnotize”
young virgins. Hypnotized women were sexually exploited by Tauco. Back in the old days, El
Trauco often copped the blame for unwanted pregnancies.

 
Also ,for cooking lovers Cheloe is delicious culinary stop. Interesting fact is that we can call Chiloe the world capital city of potatoes…. there are 3000 varieties on the islands and recent
genetic studies have shown that over 90% of the potatoes around the world today are descended from specific varieties indigenous to Chiloé. The most famous dish (included
potatoes of course) is curanto. Traditional curanto is prepared since hundreds years, in hot stone-filled pit, where ingredients are covered by nalca (Chilean rhubarb) leaves . The most popular version of curanto is mix of a miscellany of shellfish, smoked meat, chicken, longaniza
(sausage), and potatoes.