Chillan



Food market, Chillan



From Valparaiso we took a day bus to Chillan.  It went back via Santiago so took about seven hours to get there. I can't say I was overly reassured to hear the conductor type person asking people for what I believe was their medical insurance numbers, but we did manage to make the trip without mishap!

Our hostel picked us up at the bus terminal and Samuel gave us rundown of where things were.  What he didn't mention was the possibility of a siren going off, so when it did shortly after he left, we weren't sure what it was for or what to do.

Food market, Chillan

As he had mentioned that the door tended to stick a bit since the earthquake we thought that may be an option, equally we knew there was a volcano nearby so that was a possibility.  Add to that the fact that we had just heard about a large number of fires across Chile, including one that had resulted in a fatality not so far away, and we had a third option.  None of which were overly reassuring.  However no one else seemed to be doing anything particular so we carried on and hoped for the best. NB we later added a third option of a prison escapee after walking past what we assumed to be a prison.  Anyway, nothing bad happened so we assume it was all OK after all.

 

Cathedral, Chillan



After a brief settling in period - and allowing time for the earthquake /volcano/ fire/ escaped prisoner issue to settle - we went out for an early dinner, having so far that day shared only a big packet of crisps and a banana.  The town is only small, so after wandering around for a while we hadn't come across much, but we did spot a little parilla restaurant and went in there.  Despite an unremarkable exterior, it was actually fairly decent, and we had a reasonable meal.  I had a piscola afterwards, which is a Pisco and coke, and he basically let me decide how much Pisco I wanted.  Needing to allow some room to add the coke, I only let him half fill it, which presumably wasn't enough, because later he came back and asked if I wanted more; it seemed rude to decline, so I didn't. 

  

Cathedral, Chillan



There is not a great deal to do in Chillan, but it was a reasonable stopover on the way to Pucon and is the birthplace of Bernardo O'Higgins, one of Chile's most famous sons.  Bernardo was in fact part Irish as he was the illegitimate son of an Irishman working for the Spanish, and a local woman. He gradually went on to fight for Chilean independence with San Martin and became the Supreme Director of the country, improving the country's structures and military and founding the Chilean Navy. There is a road called O'Higgins in most Chilean cities and there is actually an O'Higgins square in Richmond, London where he spent some years of his life.

  

Earthquake memorial cross, Chillan



Chillan also has a well known artisanal market and general covered market, so we spent some time wandering around those on our full day here. We didn't buy any of the knick knacks, but did buy some food to cook for ourselves that evening.

 

Our other bit of sightseeing here - there isn't that much aside from a couple of museums, was to see the cathedral in the main square. It is arch shaped to resist earthquakes, and is a bit reminiscent of the Sydney Opera House.

But the main sight here is the huge cross next to it. The cross is around thirty meters high, and each metre represents a thousand people who were killed in the huge earthquake of 1939.