Tarla Cuisine

Chile – March 25 – April 9, 2019

Just finished a wonderful 3 weeks in Columbia with Intrepid Travel and now it was time to be on my own.  After a delicious lunch at Cantina y Punto in Bogota, I took a taxi to the airport only to find the flight to Lima and on to Santiago had been so delayed that by the time we reached Lima, the connecting flight had already left…Rebooked for the morning flight and after a bus and then metro I arrived at my Airbnb in the Belles Artes district which was delightful.  I had a whole studio to myself!!!  First stop was a café for coffee and a brownie and then I wandered around and up to the Plaza des Armes.

Returned to my studio and realized there had been a time change of 2 hours so I had missed my reservation at Aqui esta coco!!!  Took the metro there anyway and there was a nice little table for me out on the patio.  Had a delicious ceviche with peppers and red onions and a crème brulee, both fine but nothing special.  The atmosphere was great so I was glad I had come.

In the morning I stopped for a croissant and coffee at Opera nearby and then walked to the central market where a lot of seafood restaurants are located.  It was too early to see much action but I got a feel for the place anyway.  Walked to Centro Gabriela Mistral, a striking building with a small art exhibition on the bottom floor which I enjoyed and then on to La Chascona, built in 1953 by Pablo Neruda for his secret love and then wife, Matide Urrutia.  The multi-level house is very ecletic in design and filled with interesting paintings, furniture, carved wooden sculptures, etc.  A must see!!!  There was a self-guided tour so you could enjoy the history of his collection.

Stopped at Mamboleta for brownie and ice cream and then walked to the top of Cerro Lucia where there is a little castle and a lovely view of the city.  Later that evening I walked over to the Bella Vista area to Peumayen, an ancestral restaurant with unique food and music of Chile.  I had the vegetarian selection and the courses came out in threes on a wooden board.  It was a fabulous experience!!  First came a board of different breads and starters, i.e. pine nut and honey and smoked cauliflower, etc., one of mains, i.e. lentil and quinoa croquettes with chimichurri and one of desserts, i.e. chocolate cake with rocoto marmalade.

In the morning I took the metro and then bus back to the airport where I had some coffee and a muffin and then flew to Puerta Montt.  Picked up a car at the airport and they gave me a GPS for free which I was delighted to have.  Found my way to the airbnb and the host came out to greet me.  He showed me the studio and then we went to lunch at his friend’s restaurant in town which was very nice.  Had some delicious pork, cucumber salad and chocolate cake.  I stayed on in town and wandered around, finally making my way up a very steep hill to Chile Picante where I had a delicious dinner, i.e. salmon ceviche/fish with vegetables and pesto/crepes with orange sauce, and a great view of the city.

There was only one other couple in the restaurant and when they heard me ask the waiter to call a taxi for me they offered to take me back to my airbnb!!!  Really nice.  I speak just enough Spanish to get by which really helped.

Drove to Puerta Vargas, a very cute little town nearby, for coffee and a muffin in the morning at Barista and then wandered along the water for a bit.  Drove to Frutillar and took a tour (unfortunately only in Spanish) of the famous theatre on the lake with fabulous acoustics and where many famous people have performed.  Wandered back to my car passing some very cute little houses along the way.  Drove up to Se Cocina and had a fabulous lunch even though I was the only person in the restaurant!!!  Had some cold shellfish from the area which I did not recognize, grilled salmon with roast Chilean potatoes and a lemon pie.  Beautiful view of the garden and very peaceful.  Drove up to the Volcano Ostorno hoping for a view but it was foggy all the way up and I didn’t see a thing…

Relaxed in my airbnb and made some tea to go with the brownie I had picked up at breakfast.  Very nice.

Made some coffee in the morning and heated up a muffin for breakfast, checked out and then drove to the ferry to Chiloe Island known for its wooden churches built by the Jesuit missionaries in the 17^th and 18^th centuries.  Visited the Centro de Visitantes Immaculada Conception in Ancud, which houses scale models of all 16 wooden churches and then wandered around the city down to the waterfront where I had cheesecake and coffee at a cute little café called Café Amaranthine. 

Drove on to Dalcahue, a town facing the inner sea of the island and visited the Church Nuestra Senora de los Dolores, the first of the many wooden churches I would visit.  Drove on into Castro, the capital of Chiloe island where I met my host and followed him up to the Cabana about 5 miles out of town where I had planned to spend three nights.  The road up was not paved and I found it very difficult to climb.  Later I drove into Castro and visited the Iglesia San Francisco de Castro, a lovely yellow church with a fantastic wooden interior and vaulted ceiling made using ship building techniques.  Wandered down San Martin to the palafitos, little houses and restaurants set on the water.  Had dinner nearby at Mercadito, grilled trout and salad. 

Had a terrible experience on returning to the Cabana as I couldn’t find the dirt path entrance.  I called my host who did not answer the phone and finally asked a couple to help me.  He spent almost an hour trying to find the place which lucky for me he did…

Heated up a roll for breakfast, made some coffee and had some fruit and headed out to San Juan and then to Tenaun to see the churches.  The one in San Juan was very old and a village lady let me inside.  Each one has special icons and is unique.  Drove to Isla Aucar, south of Quemchi, and walked the wooden bridge across the water to the park.  Stopped in Dalcahue for lemon pie and coffee and then took the ferry to Isla Quinchao.  Stopped first in Curaco de Velez, a sweet little town where you can take the walkway over the marshland.  On to Achao, another cute town with a very nice Iglesia Santa Maria de Loreto, Chiloe’s oldest.

Returned to my Cabana and then drove to Castro and had dinner at Cevicheria near the palafitos, i.e. seafood stew filled with mussels, salmon, clams, etc.  Very tasty. 

After breakfast in the morning and a drive down that very dangerous road out, I decided to stay at one of the palafito’s my last night as I did not want to miss this experience.  Found a lovely Palafito Hostel on the water and it was charming.  Returned to the Cabana and driving up the road my car almost flipped over – really the last straw.  Luckily the host helped me set the car straight which took some doing and I told him I was leaving.  He gave me a bit of a refund but at that point I didn’t really care.

After checking in to the palafito I drove south and stopped in Nercon to visit Iglesia Nuestra Senora de Gracia and was lucky again that someone let me inside.  There was a beautiful all-wood sculpture of St. Michael.  On to Chonchi, a really nice town on the water.  Visited the church and then walked down to the waterfront where I found a little café where I had a delicious piece of chocolate cake and coffee. 

Drove to Parque Nacional with some guidance from a very nice school bus driver and stopped in Rahue to pay the admission to walk the Muelle de las Armas shrouded in folklore.  This “dock of souls” was crafted by Marcelo Orellana Rivera, a Chilean wood sculptor.  It is quite a hike across some very windy but beautiful landscape where this “dock” seems to disappear into the bay… It took about 2 hours total but was well worth it.  Returned to my little palafito to shower and get warm.  Later I walked next door to Cazador for a fabulous dinner.  Sat by the window and enjoyed a glass of wine, hake fish with seafood sauce, organic greens and a slice of roasted pumpkin.  So relaxing after such a busy day…

Took a little walk along the water and then had breakfast at the communal table, i.e. homemade bread and jam, hard cooked eggs and coffee.  Drove to Cucao and took the ferry to Pagua and then drove on to Puerto Varas to spend a few hours before my flight to Punta Arenas.  Walked along the water and then stopped at Barista for a nice brownie and coffee before heading to the airport and returning my car. 

In Punta Arenas I picked up another rental car (no GPS this time) and drove to my airbnb using the map but it was late, dark and raining so I couldn’t really find it.  Stopped at a little café along the way and someone called my host and then let me follow them to the airbnb where my host awaited me.  I had a little studio of my own and my host was so nice.  She took me into town (so I didn’t have to drive and get lost) and we had some soup at Marmita, a very sweet little restaurant in town.   Afterwards she drove up the hill so I could get a nice view of the city and then around the city center so I could get a feel for the city as the airbnb was about a 10 minute drive away.  So very nice…

Drove into town in the morning and had a delicious muffin and coffee at Wake Up Café.  Walked up to the cemetery which was filled with very ornate headstones and gravesites and then spent some time in the Magallanes Regional Museum located in the Neoclassic mansion of the Braun-Menendez family with its interesting collection of furniture and objects that reflect Magallanes’ golden age.  Stopped at Wake Up for a quick chicken salad and then headed to Punta Natales about 3 hours away. 

My airbnb Cabana was a bit farther out of town then I had expected but it was a little house and very nice.  Walked into town and back and then drove up to Singular Hotel up on the hill for dinner.  It used to be a packing warehouse so is enormous and still has much of the equipment available to see.  The view from the restaurant is lovely.  Had an exquisite dinner, i.e. octopus with romesco sauce, rabbit loins with caramelized carrot puree and flourless chocolate cake.

Walked down to the little café I had stopped at on my way in for a delicious chocolate muffin and headed out to Torres del Paine National Park but headed out the long way!!!  After about 2 hours driving I stopped a big bus and asked where I was and he told me I was still about 2 hours away as I started off in the wrong direction.  He suggested I just relax and enjoy the beauty which I did and was actually quite happy to have seen all I did on that beautiful day as the weather only worsened after I arrived!!!  Luckily I had picked up a brownie at the café this morning and filled my water bottle so I was good to go!

I saw some beautiful lakes, llamas, mountains, waterfalls, etc. and finally arrived in Villa Serrano near the lake and Cabanas del Paine where I stayed for three nights.  The Cabanas are in a great location about 15 minutes from the entrance to the park and much cheaper than staying in the park.  Close to the lake and other nice hotels, it was perfect for me.  I walked over to Pampa Lodge nearby and booked a horse riding trip for the morning and later returned to Rio Serrano for salmon with tamale corn sauce.

Nice buffet breakfast overlooking the lake, i.e. toast, eggs, lots of fruit and great coffee.  Walked over to Pampa Lodge and although it was pouring rain, I took a two hour ride out into the woods and through the lagoon. 

Drove into the park and on to the most beautiful hotel called Explora, an awesome, very modern building, and an expensive all inclusive hotel.  I talked them into “letting me” stay for lunch and it was a wonderful, although expensive, experience.  I sat by the window overlooking the lake and had a mixed salad, grilled fish with carrot puree and chocolate fondue with strawberries for dessert plus a glass of wine and coffee.  Since it was rainy I returned to the Cabana for a hot shower.  Just had some pancakes filled with cheese and rhubarb later relaxing in the dining room.

After breakfast the next morning I drove to Lago Grey about 30 minutes away and found the Mirador trail down to the lake.  Walked to the end and enjoyed the beauty, i.e. a lot of little glaciers, ice and stillness.  The walk took about two hours.  Returned to the hotel for lunch overlooking the lake, i.e. pumpkin soup, glass of wine, beef cooked very slowly so it was very tender and served with potato puree and a chocolate dessert. 

Unfortunately it was still raining so returned to the Cabana to plan the rest of my trip.  Nice dessert buffet for dinner.

Beautiful day in the morning and unfortunately it was the day I had to leave.  Stopped at the Milodon Caves where remnants of several species of extinct animals were found and where the indigenous Selk’nam people lived.

Stopped in Puert Natalas at the café where I had had breakfast and had a very nice pumpkin soup and carrot cake before heading into Punta Arenas and back to the airbnb where I had stayed before.  Parked my car and took a nice walk along the water and back.  Drove to Yegua Loca for dinner.  It is a little hotel and very fun little café as well with great food.  I had grilled octopus with quinoa and a very nice chocolate dessert.

Took a peaceful walk along the water after a delicious muffin and coffee at Wake Up and then stopped there again for pumpkin soup and passion fruit tart.  Returned the car and flew to Santiago, arriving about 7 p.m.  Bus and then metro to the Bella Vista area where I was staying in an airbnb with multiple locks and combinations which just about did me in!!  I finally got inside and it was really nice.  Closed up everything and walked to the singular Hotel for dinner.  Had delicious grilled octopus with avocado cream, a glass of wine and a chocolate mousse dessert.  Walked back to the airbnb even though it was quite late as it seemed safe enough.

Had a brownie and coffee for breakfast at the porta café and then took the metro to Pajaros where I caught a bus to Valpariso about 1-1/2 hours away.  Took a local bus up to La Sebastiana, another of Pablo Neruda’s home and a lovely one at that.  Five stories filled with paintings, unique furniture, antique maps, etc.  Took another bus back into the center to see the famous colored houses and painted murals, stopping for coffee and pie at a little café where someone was playing the guitar and singing…Bus back to Santiago where I checked out of my airbnb and stopped by Bocanariz for a quick lunch of grilled octopus with crisp potatoes in a spicy sauce.  Metro to bus and bus to the airport and home!!!  Another excellent trip!!!