21Feb14
Fact: Pablo Fierro is a local artist in Puerto Varas. That’s him on the right talking to some visitors from Santiago. Another fact: Peach-colored tights make people look half-naked at first glance. (Right? I did a double-take.)
OK, back on track. Here’s his museum in Puerto Varas, right on the edge of Lago Llanquihue. He doesn’t charge admission and just asks for donations.
The museum started in Puerto Montt, about 20 km away, until he bought an old house in Puerto Varas that he began to restore. Pablo paints local architecture and collects artifacts from the time of his forefathers, protecting the memory of a simpler life.
He’s a friendly guy, and he took a moment to chat with us and tell us about the museum. In three more years, he says all of his renovations and additions to the house will be complete.
He’s kept all sorts of random antiques that highlight the region’s past. One of the things I wish I thought to get a photo of were the hundreds of index cards with notes from visitors thanking him for preserving Puerto Varas’s history. He’s pasted them all over the museum, and upstairs there is a basket overflowing with even more.
Tomorrow we say good-bye to Puerto Varas and head to Isla Lemuy, a tiny island off the large island of Chiloé. See you there!
