Day 16 was Castro to Ancud via Quemchi, a seaside village whose main attraction is an island that has a 500 m pedistrian bridge connecting it. The island is a biological reserve and has a church on it as well. Back in 2000 UNESCO designated 16 churches as World Heritage sites. The churches on Chiloe (island, SW Chile) were built from wood using nautical and marine building techniques (wood joinery, etc) and are very different in style than the rest of South America. Most of the churches are 100-150 years old, rebuilt almost exactly like the ones that stood before when they were destroyed by earthquakes or fire.
In Ancud, the map given by the booking site was not accurate. At all. It took the better part of an hour, asking a few people (none of whom were at all helpful), educated guesswork, and the breaking of a few traffic laws, to find it. Decent hotel, but not built by master craftsmen. The floor is unevenly sloped, everything sqeaks, and the hot water has a mind of its own. It does however, have an east view overlooking the ocean.
After waiting out the rain the next morning, we headed out to Punilhue for a penguin tour. For 12 USD equivalent, you go out in a boat (unlike most tour boat operators, they were professional to the extreme, boat was well maintained, and the driver was smooth) and they go past a few little islands of the coast and provide commentary (In spanish only unfortunately). In addition to the penguins, we were also treated to a pair of sea lions, numerous species of birds, and a sea otter that has caught a crab.
All done and back on the bikes we headed down to a beach at the end of a road about 15 km away, and after a few slippery hills, arrived at a desterted beach that was phenomenally beautiful. Ride out was easier than in, climbing slippery hills is much more fun than going down them on a bike.
Today we went north on the peninsula to the Corona lighthouse. After waiting out part of a rainstrom on the side of the road under a tree, the day began to warm up. The best way to describe the lightouse site is as a living museum. There is a modern strobe on the tower, but the traditional light is still there, and appears to still be connected and functional. I know this because the guide/operator there encouraged us to climb the tower and look.
On the main floor there is a collection of old and new technology from lighthouses, modern solar powered beacons, juxtaposed against the old behemoths of brass and glass. We don't build things in that manner anymore, and it is a distinct loss. There is a feeling of solidity from objects constructed in that manner that is rare today (Admittedly it was probably rare then as well, only the well built pieces survived).
The rain had left us, and the ride back to Ancud was what you live for as a rider, warm, sunny, clear of traffic, and twisty. Shedding our gear at the hotel we headed to the local church museum. The wood churches mentioned above are cared for by a society helping to rebuild, restore, and preserve them. In Ancud there is a museum that shows how the traditional joinery works with examples of different joints, old pieces that were replaced during restoration, and the opportunity to climb into the tower of the old church all this is housed in. There is no way with North American safety standards that they would allow tourists up the tower. There are no rails around the holes, and the ladders are quite steep. After going up a couple stories, you arrive in a small room with old coloured glass. Quite cool.
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