Feb 28 - Puerto Montt, Chile

DONNA KAY PHILLIPS : Puerto Montt was a very unique port for many reasons. One, mainly because, unlike all of the previous ports, each of us experienced it separately returing with insights that stories that allowed us to feel like we had been able to see more than we would of the place had we stuck together... it was a nice change.

My father and Pietro toured the city and massive glacial fed Lake Llanquihue in the Andes. Diane and Natalie went into Port Angelmo to the shopping village in the later afternoon. Sandy spent the first part of the day finishing up our client's marketing campaigns for our March 1st start date, later boarding a tender to shore, where she was joined by fellow passenger, Sharon from Atlanta, for a day of shopping around the Fishmarket. The exchange rate here is 600 Pesos to $1 US dollar, so needless to say that our cabin has many more South American items decoratively sitting around and our fridge and drawers are now completely packed with beer (she found six packs of Brahma Porter for $2).

Finding a new aversion to tour buses having set in, I opted for river rafting on the Rio Petrohue (pr. Petro-way). The Petrohue is a beautiful little Class 3 that swells to a 4+ in winter (Jun-Aug). It is fed from Lake Llanquihue in the Andes (the same one my father went to) and runs all the way to the sea revealing pristine scenic beauty along the way, with two large volcanoes as our backdrop. Our timing this morning was perfect as the morning fog cleared in time for us to have a great view of the volcanoes and surrounding mountains in the afternoon.

We met our guides Rosa and Ysidro on the pier and travelled by shuttle vans from the fishing village through a seaside resort area, and scenic countryside with beautiful large German-style houses and farms. Other than the alpacas and ostrish, the houses, farms, flora and fauna greatly resembled a drive down 101 the Central Coast of CA. The similar aromas of sweet grass and flowers allowed me to feel a strong connection to home for the first time on this trip. It's comforting somehow to know that life repeats itself in opposite hemispheres of this perfectly designed planet.

We reached our "put in" point 1-1/2 hrs up the mountain road. We met our rafting guides, who turned out to hail from different countries around the world. Ahh yes, the life of skii instructors and river guides... to move with the seasons... to travers mountains via snow and rivers in both hemispheres - sport gypsies of sort. Ysidro has even guided in Coloma on the American River, one of my favorite rafting experiences.

Alejandro steered our raft of six with great command and, with our help, was able to traverse the rapids with a great sense of humor and adventure. He adeptly positioned the raft to allow for scenic photos between rapids and informed us of facts about the river and vegetation along the ride. He even allowed for us to hop out of the boat into the water to float down the river. It was a refreshing changeup to see things from this perspective and a welcome shift from the hermetically-sealed bus tours.

Rosa had lunch set up for us upon our arrival down river. I was able to learn more about her and my fellow passengers in this time and was excited to tell them about our pioneering efforts in internet radio. I wrote down the station website addresses on cups and scraps of paper so that they could listen when they got back to their computers and phones. Everyone agreed that the music delivery paradigm was shifting and that internet radio seemed like a great solution. (Note to Self: design new business cards when you get back.)

Aftwards, my fellow passengers, desperate for local food, wine and experiences, convinced our driver to avoid the pier and drop us in the famed Fish Market where I braved one of the tiny local seafood restaurants with my small set of Spanish nouns. I found the bedroom sized restaurant packed "family-style" with fellow passengers thrilled to have found such great local culinary experience.

Conveying my preference on the seafood preparation was a bit dicey but between the South African couple who spoke a bit more Spanish than I, the British couple who spoke more Spanish than they and the Argentinian couple who spoke more Spanish than English, I was able to get a large plate of steamed clams prepared with melted cheese (strange), salsa and lime with a bottle of Cristal (local pilsner - yum).

The purveyors were so friendly and good humored about my utter lack of comprehension and I proudly say that I finally know what it feels like to have someone speak louder to me with every passing attempt, in hopes that I will somehow snap out of my American English stupor and instantly grasp one fleeting word of Spanish that will end this charade. I became so frustrated that I told them to make the clams "muy bueno" - which in the restaurant equals "Large Cheesy Clams and Salsa." This is just the motivating experience required to get my ass to Spanish lessons when I get home.

A little background on Puerto Montt reveals that this city was actually founded by German immigrants in 1853; the town was named for then President Manual Montt. It is the capital of Chile's Southern Lake District and South Chile's fastest growing city (pop. approx 155,000) because of the explosive growth of the salmon culture.

The temps average around 60º F, with morning fog buring off in the late morning, much like the Monterey Bay. Puerto Montt is considered the Chilean side of Patagonia which is also a part of the ring of fire around the Pacific Ocean with 60 of Chile's 2000 volcanoes in the area.

The waterfront in Puerto Montt was rebuilt after the devastating earthquake of 1960 which destroyed the city's port, church, and neighborhood of Angelmo. Osorno Volcano is 2800 meters high and has not erupted for more than 5,000 years which is why it keeps its perfect form. - dkp