Feb. 20 ---another one not proof read

February 20 Puerto Montt, Chile

Puerto Montt is the capital of the Lake District (Los Largos) and it was easy to see why. The lakes are huge and numerous. The area has a distinct German flavor as German immigrants came here in large numbers in the 19th century. Ironsmiths, watchmakers, carpenters, brewers, tailor and others contributed much to the development of commerce and industry. Today a large amount of the architecture, music, language , surnames and food retain the German heritage.
While still at home and planning the trip, I pondered long and hard over whether to take a shore excursion to Osorno Volcano and Petrohue Rapids finally deciding not to go because
The excursion was 8 .5 hours long
It involved a 150 mile bus ride, much of it over bumpy roads. That’s 150 miles each way.
3. It required an hour walk up a rough path.
4. It was $139.
However, once on the ship, hearing the shore excursion manager (read salesperson), and seeing the pictures, I decided why not? So off I went at 9 am, leaving Alan to his coffee and pastry.
Once again we traveled on the Pan American Highway---the continuous string of national scenic highways that stretches more than 16,000 miles from Alaska to the Southern tip of Chiloe Island. Scenery on the bus ride was very pretty…..think mountains rising out of lakes, alpine style cabins, picturesque resorts and hotels, lakes with beaches and boat rentals, and checkerboard fields of crops.
After a photo stop at Lago Llanquihue, Chile’s second largest lake, we continued on to Osorno Volcano. At 8,500 feet the volcano isn’t the highest mountain in the area but it’s snow capped peak dominates the horizon. And we were fortunate to have a clear day.
Thankfully, since the excursion brochure had been printed the road had been paved. If you think you have seen switchbacks and hairpin curves, you haven’t seen anything! I can’t imagine what it had been like when it was unpaved.
I guess I hadn’t read the brochure carefully for I expected to trek up the mountain and peer over the edge of the crater into the ashes and whatever else was in there. Wrong.
We were at the base of a ski area….a couple of chair lifts went up (for $10 you could ride the lower on about one-third of the way up the mountain), a simple ski and souvenir shop was at the base as well as a snack bar. A 30 minute walk a short way up the mountain and back down was offered but it was pretty windy and cool up there so I sat in the sun and looked at postcards. Those who walked said the view wasn’t any more spectacular than from my vantage point. But it was pretty spectacular from any point. Both up and down.
It was then on to the Hotel Ensenda, a quaint, charming little hotel. The grounds were lovely (think spring in New England) and the hotel dining room, bathrooms, and lobby filled with every piece of household goods, equipment, farm implement, game, toy, etc., made in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It was like a Cracker Barrel. Only better because they weren’t selling anything.
We had a wonderful lunch starting with the national drink a pisco sour, then a pastry filled with a dollop of melted cheese, salmon with a spinach sauce, tiny boiled potatoes, wine, a wonderful German desert and coffee.
Fully stuffed, we traveled on to the Petrohue Rapids. Road construction and one lane traffic extended our traveling time but once again the scenery was worth the trip. The rapids/falls were not at their peak judging from all the crevices and rocky areas we saw but it was an interesting site. I would guess the park containing the rapids is a very popular place as there were many families and groups enjoying the day.
On the way back to Puerto Montt we made a 20 minute stop at a small pretty town nicknamed the Town of Roses so people could take a picture of a cathedral. I spent the 20 minutes trying to buy a good hand cream. The antiseptic we are required to use before returning to the ship, entering a food line or the dining room is really drying out everyone’s hands. I had no Chilean pesos, therefore no luck. Luckily both Alan and one of our table mates, knew of my predicament and came back to the ship with lotions.
Our bus arrived back at the ship too late for the Folkloric Show, or as it is stated in the daily program, “your local flavor immersion program.” The folkloric shows have been very entertaining and it’s nice to have a short time to chat with the local performers before they have to leave the ship.
And so ended day 50 of the voyage.