New Years in a new way

We had a number of experiences over the New Year's holiday that we never imagined would happen. Yesterday, we went to Cucao on the west coast of the island and walked about barefoot. In fact we were in short sleeves and wishing we had on shorts. Not one of us had on a single piece of knitted wool or fleece. The weather was so out of the ordinary that I put on sunscreen only as a casual afterthought. I got sunburned! After mornings of seeing our breath in the kitchen, I just couldn't believe that the sun could ever be powerful here. And to further our shock, when we returned to the house it was stifling inside.

Cucao is the location of Parque Nacional de Chiloe, an area of dense coastal rain forest bordering dunes and a beach that extends unbroken for over 25 miles. The trail to the beach was about a mile of light wood and dunes. Berto could not contain his glee at all the sand and the waves. He was in perpetual motion chasing the waves, building sand castles and watching the surf creep up the beach to engulf his line of sand fortresses. We got to the beach as the tide was going out and stayed through the nadir. At low tide the shore goes out gradually. Big Pacific rollers broke 100 yards away and then crashed again half way to us. Finally six inch high waves came in slowly the last 10 yards like unstoppable mini tsunamis. Once or twice Mike's casual back pedal became a full on trot to keep from getting soaked. Gabi, meanwhile enjoyed herself but preferred to keep her boots on. After lunch we explored the nature trail through the coastal rain forest. In less than a quarter of a mile the landscape changed from sand dunes to seemingly inprenetrable woods. Darwin made a stop in Chiloe during his voyage on the Beagle. Amongst the usual complaint about the weather, Darwin had some nice things to say about the Chilote forests. This island is about ninety miles long, with a breadth of rather less than thirty. The land is hilly, but not mountainous, and is covered by one great forest, except where a few green patches have been cleared round the thatched cottages. From a distance the view somewhat resembles that of Tierra del Fuego; but the woods, when seen nearer, are incomparably more beautiful. Many kinds of fine evergreen trees, and plants with a tropical character, here take the place of the gloomy beech of the southern shores. In winter the climate is detestable, and in summer it is only a little better. I should think there are few parts of the world, within the temperate regions, where so much rain falls. (Ch13 The Voyage of the Beagle http://www.readprint.com/chapter-2237/The-Voyage-of-the-Beagle-Charles-Darwin) For our part we were glad the nature trail was a continuous log bridge. The tangle of fallen trees, moss and bog was 2 feet deep in places.

Before we left the park, Berto and I went Chilote native and cut some nalca for all to eat. Nalca seems to grow every where in Chiloe, in the forest, on the dunes along the roadsides. Berto posed below a good sized, but not exceptional nalca plant. When the stalks get reddish, folks here cut them off, peal back the prickly outer skin and eat them in a salt with salt and lemon. They taste like a cross between a celery and a rhubarb.


And of course, there was food:
New Year's Eve dinner at Luis and Monica's. 15 year old Felipe (Pipe) showed the culinary genes by cooking a gourmet feast from ceviche to roast pork and beef in a warm apple mushroom sauce. Between courses Mike and I checked on sleeping kids next door.

As if that wasn't enough we were invited to the fondo (backyard BBQ shed) for lunch of roast lamb and salad this afternoon. as the plates were being cleared Margot arrived to take us all to her casita on the lake. Today, Margot invited us out to their casita on Lago Huillinco for the afternoon. We went swimming! Not the kind of jump-in-and-jump-out-so-you-can-say-you-did-it freeze dip like New Year's day in Boston (or Maine in June). Mike, Berto and I swam around and played in the lake on New Years day. We ate watermelon in our bathing suits on the sand. Everyone enjoyed a peaceful day of rest after the evening's festivities. Tia Victoria, ever the cook, wore her apron to the beach, Piti took a snooze.

(If you northern hemisphere types are feeling jealous, you should. If you are feeling unfairly taunted, please reread posts 6-12 or google August+rain+Chiloe.)
TO make life complete, Mike took out one of the casita's kayaks. Aaaahhhhh.

This evening after we put the kids to bed we went for a short walk at sunset. There was a vivid rainbow (from rain in Castro) to the north, and the clouds to the southwest were glowing with sunset colors. We could smell an asado and hear guitar music from our neighbors. A fitting end to a glorious New Year.