Pomaire Travel Guide

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In the Chilean village of Pomaire, almost everyone makes or sells traditional ceramics. This distinct earthenware is made of clay dug from amountainside about 40 Km from town.

Each piece they create is sun dried, then smoothed and burnished with an agate stone before being fired. No glaze or varnish is used.

Ovens work around the clock, packed full with clay plates and bowls. It takes about five hours of slowly feeding firewood into the botton to get the oven hot enough to cure a few dozen dinner plates. Then it takes seven more hours of red-hot heat to dry the clay into an iron-hard finish.

It´s hard to sit down to a meal anywhere in Chile without being served something in a Pomaire pot. They´re tough as nails, distribute heat wonderfully and clean up more easily than glass.

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El Parron is a quaint local restaurant with lots of personality! The menu offers many different dishes, but we zeroed in on an oversize empanada about 12 inches long. We also received free pisco sours--a typical Chilean beverage for adults. The children were given a drink described as tutti fruti--a generic term for a mixture of fruit juices.

Our meal began with mini empanadas served hot and crispy. As we waited for our entree, a guitarist strolled through the restaurant singing traditional Chilean folksongs while we sat at our table beneath a vine covered ceiling--what atmosphere! A small dog watching over the restaurant added a little local color, too.

The giant empanada was as big as advertised...I could only eat half of it. If you come to Pomaire with a large appetite, stop here for your meal. It was delicious but way too large a helping for me. The dining room was crowded with tourists by the time we finished our meal, attesting to its popularity.

Favorite Dish: Empanadas--the giant empanada was only $2.500 pesos--about $5 U.S.

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I can't remember the name of this restauant but from the picture I posted I am sure it will be easily recogniazable. This restauant serves typical chilean cuisine from the region including this Pastille de Chocolo. I would consider it the Chilean equivalent of a Chicken Pot Pie. The top is encrusted with a sweet corn mixture and the bottom consists of a meat, onion and olive mixture. It was quite delicious. This restaurant also serves some great homemade french fries. Real potatoes, freshly cut and fried. Mmmmm.

The shops at Pomaire carried several items made of straw. This small jewelry box caught my eye at Nativa. I thought it was perfect for holding earrings or other items and would make a great gift for someone back home.

The small straw containers are brightly detailed and a good example of the local crafts made in this area. It measures 3 l/2 inches wide and 2 inches tall and cost less than $5.00 US.

What to buy: Straw products

My son and granddaughter are tolerating my request for a picture, but my grandson looks like he zoned out a while back!! That's what shopping does to our guys!

Here is another picture showing the type of merchandise that was available for sale, such as leather trimmed bottles, carved wood products and ceramics. I think just about anything you would want could be found in these little shops. You can use a credit or debit card for your purchase at this particular store.

What to pay: Reasonably priced

Pomaire is a small town with few streets, so once you find the main street you'll see the souvenir stalls edging the sidewalk. NATIVA was a terrific store with two levels. It was a cut above the other stores with better merchandise and selection, also.

I purchased several items here. There were windchimes, jewelry pieces, woven straw products, ceramics and clay products, home accessories and much, much more. I loved this store and highly recommend it.

What to buy: Woven jewelry boxes, straw items, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, all manner of clay products, leather pieces, handmade cards

What to pay: Great prices!