Puerto Montt, Chile

"First-time visitors to southern Chile are often surprised by the scenery. Chile's Lake District is a place of powerful beauty. The district, though often neglected on travelers' itineraries, is one of the most gorgeous places on earth. It comprises two Chilean regions: the ninth (La Araucania), and the tenth (Los Lagos, of which Puerto Montt is the capital). The official boundary is the Biobio River. South of the river, earth and water have contrived to produce a series of cerulean lakes to mirror the majestic ice-capped volcanoes and Andes range that guard their seemingly secret existence.

The region is named for its twelve biggest glacially carved lakes. Small rivers and streams link many of them to some of Chile's best freshwater fishing grounds. Six volcanoes line the district's center.

Puerto Montt is the region's largest city. Nearly 700 miles south of Santiago, it is the terminus of the continental portion of the Pan American Highway. German colonists first arrived in the community in 1852, and their influence is apparent at every turn. There is a Bavarian look to many of the homes - ski chalets, shingles, high-pitched roofs and ornate balconies. The wooden churches are a variety of colors, and all quite charming."

(* above is paraphrased from our on-board guide)

So yes, the biggest surprise has been how European the landscape looks! Forests, lakes, rivers. Who knew that a country this far south would feel like such a northern clime? I think most of us feel that if we're going south, it ought to be getting warmer. In fact, many people on this ship apparently forgot to pack warm weather clothes...as if they didn't look at the itinerary and see that it said Antarctica! So I guess I am not the only American who is woefully ignorant of geography. I just have to remember that the latitude numbers equal each other whether they are N or S. I glanced at a book in the library detailing a recent journey by dogsled to the North Pole - the log states: 90' 0" Latitude, 0'0" Longtitude. Pretty amazing to see those numbers as a place where a human being actually stood.

We travelled to the Petrohue Falls in the Ensenada national park. They were tiny, but brilliantly colored blue-green, and have created bizarre shapes in the surrounding basaltic stone by running through the ancient lava flow.

Along the way we drove along the southern shores of Llanquihue Lake, a chilly 65 degrees farenheit. There were loads of people swimming, to my delight. Our guide told us that, "Hey, it's summer here and people like to go to the beach to swim and barbecue. It's a lot colder in winter!" I say, "Hardy people!"

On the far shore we could see Osorno Volcano and behind us, another volcano, both snow-capped.

Earlier in the day I had checked out the local market, supposedly one of the best for Chilean handicrafts in all of Chile. There were lots of knitted articles, Lapis Lazuli, and wooden artifacts. Most amazing to me is that they sell the alpaca yarn in skeins the size of basketballs, by the kilogram!

Elqui Valley agriculture

Coquimbo and Elqui Valley, Chile

Coquimbo is a small fishing village, quickly turning into a second-home area. Its major industry is fishing, second is agriculture - tourism is fourth.

We left the port and made our way up to the Elqui Valley, a fertile river valley bordered on both sides by the Andean desert mountains. This is one of the few points in Chile where the Andes come right down to the coast. There are several river valleys whose waters flow into the ocean, thus creating unusual agricultural valleys amidst desert terrain.

Avocado orchards and wine groves abound. Again, the national drink is Pisco, and the Chileans lay claim to it (I vote for the Peruvians, however). The unusual weather, combined with the sandy soil, make for excellent grapes, and the Chilean wine is superb.

Along the way, we stopped in Vicunia, a small town where Gabriella Mistral, poet and Nobel Laureate, was born. She is less well known than Chile's other Nobel prize winner for literature, . There is much German influence in this area of Chile. A former mayor of Vicunia hailed from Ulm, Germany, and designed this unusual town hall, reminiscent of architecture in his home town.

We find the buildings and town squares in Chile to be drab compared to those of Peru. The food, and the music, however, are terrific!

More pictures from Miraflores and Pisco, Peru

Circling South America: Around the Horn and Antarctica

I was a stranger in a land that was new to me. I did not speak the language. Fortunately, I found my tribe right away. We don't need to speak to communicate.

We arrived in Lima, Peru, very early in the morning. We drove along the Pacific coast to the neighborhood of Miraflores, one of 24 districts in Lima. This seemed a well-do-do area. There are many colonial-time hourse tucked in amongst the modern hotels and skyscrapers. Our guide told us that, as the owners pass away, their children sell the old homes to developers. He said that probably in 10 years, none of these old homes will exist. I am glad I am here now to see them.

There was a large park with the ubiquitous cow exhibit going on. Beneath the park was a modern shopping area with restaurants, including sushi. As Peru is known for its excellent fresh seafood, and there is a sizable Japanese population here, this makes sense. Walking along the esplanade, I came to the Lovers' Park, where newly married couples come to have their photos taken beneath a large sculpture, and write their forever wishes in the ceramic walls surrounding the sculpture.

I found the steps to the beach, and walked the long way down to the surf tent. Although it is the Pacific, the water temperature was just right. Many people were in wet suits, but plenty of us chose to only wear rash guards. The waves were perfect, and there was so much room for everybody - a huge, wide open expanse of water. Of course, as the day went on, both the water and the bech got more crowded, so I am doubly glad we arrived early.

After this perfect beginning, we drove to the Seven Seas Mariner, in port at Callao, and boarded. Hey, it feels like coming home!

Overnight, we traveled 129 nautical miles, and docked in Pisco, Peru. To my surprise, this area looks like a desert. I've since found out that this is one of the driest areas on the planet. This dry coastline exists because the Humboldt current coming from Antarctica sucks away all the moisture.

Nevertheless, the months of January, February, and March are when the rivers are full, and there is a strong agricultural market here. pisco exports paprika, asparagus, and tangelos, as well as fish. In fact, fishing is the major idustry here, not tourism. Also, they export the mineral salt from this desert to Canada, for the purpose of melting ice and snow.

Peru has 9 National Preserves, and Paracas here in the state of Ica is one of them. The Paracas culture developed from 2500 B.C., preceding the Nascas, Juari, Cinca, and Inca cultures. In this Paracas Preserve, they have found more than 500 mummies from the time of the Paracas. So it makes me think there are similarities between this area and Egypt - the dependence on the river, and the knowledge of mummification. The Paracas also had monumental architecture, and trade items such as flutes made from pelican bones.

I learned that the Nascas culture is the one that created the lines on the ground that can be seen from outer space. There has been a lot of speculation as to the meaning of these lines (created by making stone walls), but our guide says the most reasonable explanation is that they were an astronomical calendar to asist with the agricultural planning.

The Incas, who I think we have all probably heard of, were the relative newcomers in 1533 A.D.

Again, these powerful and advanced cultures...and how little I know of South America, its culture and its history. Our storyteller, Terry Breen, believes that South America is poised to take a powerful position on the world stage.

Our destination as we traveled through this area were two wineries, one the oldest in Peru, and the other a neighborhood winery specializing in the national drink, Pisco, something like grappa. Again, passing through these lush fields of asparagus, paprika, and grape vines was somewht astonishing given the background of dry desert mountains.

From snow to cappuccino

Just a few more days and I'll be sipping cappuccino in Piazza San Marco....hearing Italian and watching the people and the pigeons.
It's been a fun summer, from Viggo to Joe Cocker, but no mushrooms. At least my English Ivy and miniature roses, as well as some other perennials, have enjoyed the cool, wet weather. I'm hoping for heat in Italy, and the chance to swim in the Adriatic.

Home

(Really I am just posting this to keep the blog alive because I think it disappears if you don't put a new post in for 30 days...)

We are happy to be home, and return with a new appreciation for our own beautiful spot on the planet. The Sir Francis Drake Channel and the views of St. John and the BVIs definitely compare favorably with Bora Bora and Moorea. Our water is the cleanest, clearest, bluest of all that we have seen.

Since we've returned we've had a lovely Easter celebration with John's parents and several friends from Switzerland and Jamaica, so the table languages included Italian, German, French, and Caribbean English. The food was good too!

We've even continued to travel...over to St. John for a few days to check on the rental property. Soft Winds has a brand new kitchen, and it looks great. I got to snorkel in Leinster Bay and Reef Bay. Leinster was full of surprises...lots of green, purple, and pink coral, and tons of baby fish. Two huge spotted trunk fish, and several healthy conch. Felt like I was surrounded by seahorses, but just couldn't see them....elusive little rascals.

Went into Reef Bay with the grom surfers, so it was a wild snorkel. Lots of tossing...spectacular coral. More exciting swimming than good snorkeling.