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Thurs 22 Oct General St Martin, Peru, in the Attaca Desert is our alternative port. There are a number of excursions (sea life on the Baleros Islands; sand buggy riding in the desert; Inca ruins and lunch in a hacienda; visit to a red sand beach) planned but we decide to take a shuttle to the very small village. As we manoeuvre to berth about 6.30am there is the opportunity to view "The Candelabra", a geolith dug by man about 200 AD and the lines marked with white rocks. It is a three pronged work of art somewhat like a trident on the face of a rocky outcrop and visible some distance out to sea. It is 170 feet tall and etched to a distance of 2 feet to reach the lighter coloured rock which gives it luminescence when the sun shines on it. The misty cloud is still prevalent here so one presumes the sun used to shine on this artifact nearly 2,000 years ago.
The shuttle bus takes us on a 20 minute ride through a veritable moonscape to the town on the opposite curve of this bay and we are very surprised on arrival. It is the harshest of deserts but we still see two tiny shacks in the middle of nothingness and cyclists with back packs pedaling through this National Park but the town is basically formed by a number of sizable resorts which we think must be for the benefit of deep sea fisherman or couples wanting an illegal weekend far from the madding (read observing) crowd. A pelican on the sea wall is happily posing with people wanting a photo; the foreground is filled with hundreds of little blue, red and white fishing boats; the pier is filled with happy people wearing life jackets before boarding 20 seat inflatables to visit the sea lions on islands nearby; the shoreline is bordered with small stores selling local wares but our private space is not invaded by people pressing their goods on us. Phil and Carol are with us and we have a beautiful few hours in hot sun wandering the shops and sampling Pisco Sour - Pisco being the local liquor made in this region. We lunch on the promenade and try the local fish with roving musicians playing haunting Peruvian music and the bonus is we have the chance to send our emails. Sore throat and headache by bedtime.
Fri 23 Oct At sea. Sneeze, sneeze, sneeze, sneeze, sneeze. Sneeze, cough, sneeze, cough, cough.
Sat 24 Oct At sea. Cough, cough, wheeze, cough, cough, wheeze, wheeze. Antibiotics.
As we read about the damage caused by Hurricane Patricia, we are thankful we had cleared Puerto Vallarta some days ago but feel so sorry for the people we met there.
The recipe for Pisco Sour goes something like this - 1 part each Pisco (local brandy), lime juice, sugar syrup, egg white and bitters for garnish. Delicious !
Sun 25 Oct Valparaiso, Chile. After a sleepless night we are up early and watch the ship move into the port. The lights around the surrounding hills promise much after the flat terrain of recent days. Our exit is down a steep ramp and we watch Carol tumble at the end. It would make a great water slide and is a wicked exit for the "aged and infirm" like us. Valparaiso is a significant port town and hugs the coast with areas of multicoloured houses hanging out from the hills. A flea market of great length is being prepared along the main street as we leave and already it looks to be a kilometer long. Chile already feels different to Mexico and Peru with better organization, clean streets and efficient staff. Our tour guide explains the topography; we are to pass over three distinct mountain ranges en route to Santiago which is in the foothills of the mighty Andes. The mountain ranges have existed for at least 650 million years and preceded the emergence of the Atlantic Ocean. The Pan America highway (Alaska > Chile) is excellent in these parts and we enjoy the mix of vegetation on the hills - spindly fir trees and eucalypts but all with a soft green grass below at present which will dry to brown in summer. It is foggy in patches but clears enough for us to see the vine covered valleys, market gardens and groves of citrus trees. Carpets of yellow Californian poppies on the roadside are starting to unfold as the sun gets warmer; it is a truly beautiful drive. There are idiots here too as seen by the remnants of recent forest fires started by fire bugs. All fires in the past 120 years have been attributed people. No lightning strikes in this part of the world. We learn that Chile is 4,200 kms long and only 160 kms wide - like a strip of linguini according to our guide- of which 80% is mountainous. Some parts of the Attacama Desert have not had rain for 120 years and in this area, an 8 year drought broke this year. The population is ~ 17.5 m and there is ~ 6% unemployment but no social security. No begging seen today however. Twelve families own 92% of the wealth which is a statistic to worry about. The working population pays 8% of their wage into a health fund and 12% into a pension fund. It is not a great surprise to learn that 60% of the pension fund is often taken for "administration". Chile is #1 exporter of copper and #2 exporter of salmon world wide. Timber and paper, fruit, wine (worth US$1.3 Billion p a) and tourism round out their export economy.
Approaching Santiago de Chile we are enthralled by the magnificent Andes, snow capped and with glaciers glistening in the sunlight, forming a back drop to the city. There is at least one hot air balloon near the snowline but it does not seem to have basket beneath only a person. We wait to make a left turn across a major boulevard where a fun run is in progress. There are several excited dogs joining in and they must think it is Holy Dog Walking Day. An amble through their major exhibition complex located in the town centre provides a comfort stop and then we walk into a nearby square where the entrance to the Presidential buildings are located. No great fuss here and we feel safe. A short drive past the (oh so private) Jockey Club and past many of the old European styled mansions of past years. Many are now part of the university complex. Then on past another bastion of wealth, the local golf club, where you need many recommendations to enter. The Los Dominicos handicraft market is a bit of a gem, overhung by the snowy hills and paved in cobblestones, it is divided into about 200 small shops selling animals, birds, leather goods, jewellery, woven and knitted clothing and rugs and coffee. It is spotlessly clean despite animals and birds roving around and it seemed that only a leaf would fall and someone was there with a broom. The downside was we only had 30 minutes to wander, review and purchase goods. Had we forsaken lunch for more shopping time, the Chilean economy would have benefited. Lunch was memorable however. In a restaurant that probably could seat 1000 people, we had soup, Chilean Atlantic salmon, salad and a large confection of meringue, sponge, cream and raspberries accompanied by a Pisco Sour, lovely wines, a bottle of water and tea or coffee. We were encouraged to visit the bathrooms with cameras and the resulting pictures showed the mens' room papered in reclining bikini clad lovelies and the ladies' in muscle bound, oiled young hunks. The business district has many tall office buildings of different shapes made of glass and plenty of large hotels. There is action in the streets where roundabouts are being replaced by under/overpasses to move 6.5 m people around more efficiently. Not many trains generally in Chile but plenty of colour coded buses and 6 underground train lines (120 kms) in this city.
The sun was setting as we left Valparaiso which highlighted the old coloured houses, the fenicular, the white colonial mansions as well as the million dollar cranes on the dock of this very busy port and the many grey navy ships at anchor. As we are called to our second Emergency Drill we linger to hear the BBC Sport's News to learn that Australia has made the Rugby World Cup Grand Final.
Mon 28 Oct At Sea. Neil: sneeze, sneeze, sneeze, sneeze, sneeze, cough, sneeze, sneeze, sneeze. Elaine: laundry mistress exraordinaire.
Tues 27 Oct Puetto Montt, Chile. Another early start for Elaine but Neil has not recovered enough to share a day in a bus with others, so he stays in bed and our friend John is happy to use his ticket. It is our first exit from the ship via the ship's tender (lifeboat) and we hope we do not need them in a rescue situation as they are desperately uncomfortable. (Plan to take a cushion as well a life jacket in an emergency). It is a slow exit as one of two pontoons on shore has sunk so we are almost single file to reach the buses. The port looks like an outlaw town - old wooden buildings, some with shingles, but clean. New constructions are overtaking the old and these are made with a metal frame inside, a vinyl cladding outside and a filter membrane, to remove excess water, sandwiched between. They look neat but have little garden or space outside. Both the old and new materials minimize damage during frequent earthquakes and tremors; this is a shaky part of the world. The roads are good but, a 13 hour drive from San Fransisco, this marks the end of the Pan American Highway. We enjoy a drive to the Petrohué Falls, located in a national park, with the constant view of snow clad volcanoes in the background. As we skirt massive Lake Llanquihue we see plenty of debris from a recent eruption of the Calabucco (?) Volcano which continues to steam. (There are 2000 volcanoes in Chile of which ~ 88 are currently active.) This area has a very Germanic feel - small green fields with a few cows, plenty of trees, chalet style buildings and many signs with European influences. This area was settled about 1875 by mostly Christian people from Czechoslovakia, Poland and Germany escaping political issues. Although Pinochet will be remembered for his cruelty, his government led to stability and it has remained in good hands since his demise in 1990. We continue on to the Osorno Volcano and start the slow winding climb to the snow line at 3,800 feet. John takes a ski lift even further up the mountain. The views are spectacular from the top - Lake Llanquihue looks bigger than Port Phillip Bay but is only 158 kms around if I read the Spanish sign correctly- and the mountains and valleys extend as far as the eye can see. Osorno last blew its top in 1835 and was witnessed by Charles Darwin which set him thinking about tectonic plates. It is fitting that a man we eat lunch with is called ….. Darwin! It is a beautiful sunny day and we are given time to wander around the Puerto Varas Handicraft market after lunch. This area feels a bit like being on the shores of Lake Geneva but most of the snow capped mountains here are volcanic in origin and the shops simple.
Wed 28 Oct Puerto Chacabuco, Chile. As dawn breaks our ship is threading a passage through green hilly islands and there are heavy rain squalls and mists over the mountains. In parts the depth of water is quite shallow and there is not much clearance on either side for our ship either. The port is located at the end of a 3 hour maze of islands and sounds and more snow capped mountains surround us. Neil makes it to his tour today and the sun comes out. Elaine die not book on this tour as it looked like it could be quite mountainous and would not sit well with her vertigo.
Puerto Chacabuco is small, 1500 inhabitants all of whom are engaged in fishing. There are many Salmon farms along this coast having been introduced by the Norweigns. Chile is now the 2nd greatest exporter of Atlantic Salmon. The only other activity in this region is cattle farming for both meat and dairy. There are two small mines to the north for gold and silver.
After transferring by tender our coach leaves to take us to Coyhaique which is the capital city of this region known as Aysen, having been named by Charles Darwin. Aysen is the 11th district of Patagonia. Patagonia in Spanish means Big Feet as the Indians who inhabited this area were noted by Darwin to have large feet.
After passing through the village of Aysem we stop at the Virgin Falls for a brief photo opportunity. The countryside is beautiful, looks like Switzerland in parts with many steep mountains, all snow capped. We drive over a suspension bridge, the largest in Chile which was rebuilt after its predecessor was destroyed in the 2007 earthquake.
We then travel on to Coyhaique and stop at a lookout for a long range view and photos.
Coyhaique is a town of 60,000 people and apparently no major industry. The main square in the town is in fact a pentagon, and on one intersection of two roads there were 4 pharmacies, all facing each other. A handicraft market was in progress.
On our return to the ship we stopped at a restaurant near the Virgin Falls for a buffet snack which was good once you could elbow the Americans aside. We have found many of them on this cruise to be rude, ordering the staff around with almost never a please or thank you. They should all be fitted with a volume control as well.
My cold now much improved I made it back to dinner with the others and we sailed away to spectacular scenery on both sides of the ship.
Today and tomorrow we cover the Chilean Fiords and the Canal Sarmiento so looking forward to what should be the highlight of the cruise.
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