My World With Dance: The Long Journey in Chile: Punta Arenas and Castro

My last week in Chile had been interesting to say the least. I had a forced layover because there were no options of getting out of Puerto Natales to head North. You have to go south to Punta Arenas then through the east coast of Argentina (yes very much out of the way!) just to get to central Chile. I had no idea that was the only route or I might have reconsidered my options. I had 2 nights in Punta Arenas so I made the most out of it. The city was full of old well maintained 19th century buildings that I invited myself into through back doors. They are now converted into restaurants, hotels, municipalities and museums. The atmosphere was enchanting and straight out of an old movie with elaborate decor, shiny chandeliers and exquisite china. I love wondering into places with so much history and I imagine myself in a long flowy dress arriving in a carriage to the ballroom for an evening of dance. How different life would be with no internet and no planes or buses that I seem to spend so much time on!

When I say so much time I really do mean it. The last bus I took from Punta Arenas to Castro took 36 hours! This was your normal Grey Hound bus with no bells or whistles to make it comfortable and I didn't even get a window seat which keeps me entertained for hours on end. The old me would have been horrified with nothing to do and no where to go for so long. The new me just took it as an opportunity to catch up on sleep, practice my Spanish with duolingo (download this app to have fun while learning a new language), read, and make my official new years resolutions.

The original plan was to travel to Puerto Montt for the night but the bus was on its way to Castro which was my next destination. I decided to take my chances and stay on the bus for another 4 hours. It took many seat shuffles as people kept coming on with an actual ticket for the last leg of the journey. I remained flexible and in the end I got there. I didn't have an address or the internet to find out where I was going as of course I hadn't planned this. I walked the streets looking lost till a nice lady asked me if she can take me to a hostel. To my delight I had an ocean view private room for only $14, which is half of what my original hostel was going to cost.

Castro is a district on Chiloe island which is known for its stilt houses built on water. When you are inside one of these palafitos it's easy to forget that the ocean is alive right underneath your feet. The most amusing part of Castro was the giant Barbie themed church. This bright yellow and pink structure stands beside many jumping castles and looks like it fits right in with the other toddler amusements. The kid in me was delighted at the great color scheme of the church. I think it's important to allow our inner child to come out to play every so often so thank you Castro for entertaining mine!