By now its no secret that the destinations of my journey have been selected more or less at random, oftentimes as a result of the availability of a private room on the hostelworld app. Be that as it may, my destinations have proven to be more than worthwhile, and the uncertainty of the journey has given me even more freedom to follow advice that has been given to me along the way. Having wrapped up my time in Puerto Varas, with a little Cochamo sandwiched in there, I decided to check out the largest island in Chile, a place filled with traditional fisherman cultures and a plentiful amount of options for a wandering outdoorsman. I hopped on a bus from Puerto Varas, took a short ride on a bus, and a ferry run by the bus company, and eventually found myself on the northern shores of Isla Chiloe, in a city called Ancud. My initial reservations had been set for the larger city on the island, Castro, but as luck would have it, an unorganized hostel owner there informed me that there wouldnt be room for me and I was diverted to Ancud.
Upon my arrival in Ancud, I was greeted with a pleasant welcome by Mirta and Pedro, the owners of Hospedaje Austral. No sooner than I had dropped my bags, Mirta was awestruck by our difference in height, and was offering me tea and maps and setting the schedule for the rest of the day. I knew luck was on my side here in Ancud! Exhasted and tired, I took a quick nap, grabbed a quick little cena, and then hit the hay for the night, with plans to follow a walking tour of the city as prescribed by Mirta. The morning fog on the island took quite awhile to break away, and I spent the first morning with my mind on job decisions and phone calls back home, eager for the sun to shine and my excusrion to begin. When it did, I went in reverse order from Mirta's city tour, meandering off the path to explore some little known paths to secluded beaches, making an effort to pet wild horses, and checking out some of the barrios and even some new tract houses being constructed in an undeveloped part of town. Having no plans for the evening, I happened to strike gold when I came across a flyer for Ancud's first inagural Beerfest, a gathering of food vendors, arts & crafts, music and artesenal cerveza. My opening for the evening was quickly filled!
After returning from my walk around town, I again took some time to rest and to let my shoes dry, and I began to ask around and google the location of the alleged beerfest, a place known as parque bellavista. I knew enough to know that nearly every chilean town has somewhere called bellavista (since the views are always beautiful), and it is usually located on top of a hillside. I set out for bellavista road, walking up and down hills and asking around, but to no avail. I followed young groups of people in hopes of finding the right path, but the beerfest proved to be quite elusive. At one point I was sure I had found it - excitement blaring from a loudspeaker in a town square - but it was an overzealous kickboxing class. As I walked down the last hill I intended to climb for the night, a woman asked me if I was heading for the beerfest, to which I excitedly replied in the affirmative. Luckily enough I was on the right path and followed a group of women towards the venue, which was indeed situated on a hilltop, at some sort of fairgrounds.
What followed was a wonderful collection of brewing companies serving half liter drafts (aka Schop Mediano), a very mediocre showing of food (I have not been impressed by Chilean food in the least), and the centerpiece of the festival, a shoddy climbing wall and a guy with a microphone who was willing to urge anyone up the wall who was brave enough to face the crowd and go for the top. It was a humble experience, and everyone was very friendly to me - I stick out like a sore thumb in rural towns where everyone knows one another, and the summer season of travelling students had ended the previous week, so its safe to say I was the only extranjero in the crowd! After a few beers and a wonderful sunset over the island and peninsula, I hiked back to the hostel, eager to see what the next day had in store.
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