Puerto Montt and Valparaiso

After a bumpy night in the Pacific Ocean we reached the shelter of the fjords again after lunch and enjoyed the views from our sun bed on the Promenade deck although the air temperature was still only 12C. Come Sunday morning we woke to find Aurora anchored off the town of Puerto Montt and ready to take us all ashore by tender. It was a cold overcast morning but we were ashore soon after 1000hrs. The town is the capital of the Tenth Region of Chile and the centre of the Lake District but we had decided that we did not want to spend the day on the road so just opted to walk around town. With hindsight this was probably the wrong decision as it was Sunday and only the supermarkets and a large shopping mall were open.

  The city which now has a population of 175,000 was first settled by German immigrants in 1852 and there is a bronze memorial to the first 200 on the seafront. The city is named after Don Manuel Montt, President of Chile from 1851-61. It is a modern but untidy city, largely rebuilt after a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami in May 1960 which destroyed much of it. It lies on the same latitude as Wellington, New Zealand.

  After walking around the city centre and visiting the Cathedral while a service was in progress we replenished our supplies and ended up returning to the ship just as the sun was breaking through. Later that afternoon we were resting on a sun bed on Aurora´s classic stern area when the last of the cloud evaporated to reveal the most fantastic view of the two nearby volcanoes, Calbuco the largest and nearest and also Asorno, likened to Japan´s Mount Fuji and completely snow covered. These volcanoes made a wonderful backdrop as we sailed away later that afternoon on our way north towards Valparaiso where we will spend the day on Tuesday.

  On that morning we were up before sunrise to find Aurora already alongside a container berth in a port surrounded on 3 sides by high hills that were heavily populated. It is known as the city of 42 hills and has a population of over 300,000. We had taken the advice of a friend to explore the Chilean capital Santiago rather than Valparaiso (Vale of Paradise) so had soon boarded our tour bus for the 2 hour journey inland. Santiago is a sprawling city, the largest in Chile and has one third of the country´s 20 million population. The morning had started grey and cold so we had taken warm gear with us but we need not have worried as no sooner had we climbed over the port hills than the cloud evaporated and the sun shone. It was a fascinating drive, initially over the port hills and down into a fertile valley where many major vineyards produce wonderful white wine. There were 2 major tunnels, one over 3km long and more hills which resembled those in southern Spain until we entered the outskirts of Santiago.

  As we were `on your own` our guide drove us around the centre, showed us where to meet at 1500 and then took us to the base of the mountain where the statue of the Virgin Mary stands in Metropolitan Park. We rode a funicular railway up the steep track to the top and enjoyed the wonderful views and restful music playing there. As time was limited we made our way down by 1300 and walked through Barrio Bellavista,(the two ls are pronounced as js here!) the lively and Bohemian Paris Quarter of the city. We would have loved to be able to visit at night! On across the river (not impressive) to Plaza Italia

and along wonderful parks with so many statues and back to Plaza de Armas at the city centre. Here was the cathedral, many museums and government buildings. Interestingly the parliament is meeting in Valparaiso at present due to earthquake damage to the building in Santiago. We explored for a bit and enjoyed the feel of the city but by then it was 30C so refreshments and a snack was called for and we found a pavement café in the square to watch the world go by. 1500hrs came so quickly and it was time to reboard the bus to the ship.

  Back in Valparaiso at the terminal at 1730 we decided to walk the short distance into the local centre but found it dirty and did not possess the grandeur of Santiago. Later we were told we missed the best bit which was the old town but as this was such a long walk from the terminal (and no shuttle buses) we did not find it. (The port guide was pretty poor!

  We returned to the ship for dinner, as we found nowhere suitable in the city and enjoyed a wonderful sailaway after 2300hrs as all of the lights of the city slowly disappeared into the distance. Goodbye South America - we have thoroughly enjoyed our visit and hope to return someday! We have ahead of us 8.5 days on board until we touch dry land again in Tahiti. Back into our sea routine and good weather we hope!

  P.S. Thanks to everyone who has commented on this blog.