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Published: January 24th 2023
“Easy San Antonio & Villages by the Sea” Optional Excursion – San Antonio, Chile
I Was Told the Monument in the Center of the Frame Is a Tribute to Lost MarinersA one-night sail transported us to San Antonio (Santiago), Chile for our Friday, January 20, 2023 day in port. I had signed up for the “Easy San Antonio & Villages by the Sea” Optional Excursion which began on board at the World Stage at 0830. Given that I usually have my coffee delivered at 0700 and set out for breakfast at the Lido Café about 0800, an 0830 meeting time wouldn’t allow much time for breakfast, so I opted to have room service deliver a full breakfast, as I had done once before under the same circumstances. Over the decades, Holland America has perfected the art of moving people quickly and efficiently. Upon arrival at the World Stage, each participant is given a colored sticker with a number to affix to his/her shirt. My sticker was pink, as were all the “Easy San Antonio & Villages by the Sea” participants, and my group number was 9 (in case there was more than one bus going on the same tour).
From the Holland America web site: “San Antonio lies immediately north of the mouth of the Maipo River, draped over hills and dunes. Its Mediterranean climate makes the valleys in the
hinterland a marvelous place for wine growing. This outing consists of an easy panoramic drive, with some stops, to showcase the development of some small villages around the central coast, close to San Antonio. Heading north from the port, you will visit some popular summer resorts whose proximity to the capital have made for recent growth. Your first stop is at El Totoral -- a country town surrounded by exuberant native vegetation. This green village has a National Monument colonial-style church dating from 1815. It contains an image of the Virgin of Mercy donated by Casimiro Marcó del Pont -- the last Spanish Governor of Chile. At the local handicraft market, enjoy some free time for shopping among products made by local artisans. Visit the popular summer resort of Algarrobo, where Chilean Presidents Eduardo Frei Montalva, Jorge Alessandri, and Salvador Allende all spent their vacations. Take photos from the lookout on the seaside, offering a lovely view of Algarrobo Bay. The small resort of El Quisco boasts one of the most beautiful beaches along the central coast. In the '70s, it was home to nautical activities, including a famous motorboat race and a water-skiing competition organized by the El Quisco
Yacht Club. Visit this club and relax over a light refreshment. Take photos of the beautiful beach and bay before returning to San Antonio.”
At the appointed time, our group, “Pink 9,” was instructed to go to the gangway where we disembarked the ship and boarded a shuttle bus for transport to the cruise passenger terminal. After a cursory security and immigration check in the cruise passenger terminal, I exited the cruise passenger terminal (through the opposite-side doors) and boarded the clearly-identified coach that would take me and the rest of the “Pink 9” group on the “Easy San Antonio & Villages by the Sea” tour. Our tour guide began by telling us that this was his first day working for the company and that this was the first group tour he has ever conducted. Perhaps, this was the twentieth time he has said “this is my first time.” Who knows and who cares, but we all were empathetic none-the-less. Most of the seaside villages on the agenda have relied on fishing as a lifeblood; however, they are beginning to see tourism as an economic force.
The tourism comes not only from the cruise ship industry but from
domestic and South American tourism as well. He pointed out that from some inland places in Argentina, it is only half as far to the beaches of Chile than it is to those of eastern Argentina. We made stops at a scenic overlook, a small mercado or market (where restrooms were available) and drove through a heavily forested area. He noted that most of the trees in this section of forest had been imported and planted after a forest fire. The domestic trees are very slow-growing and not conducive to commercial forestry needs. Our final stop was at a seaside restaurant where we would be offered a “light snack” but; instead, were served unlimited wine, skewers of fruit, followed by skewers of cheeses and vegetables, and, finally, by platters of melons. Since I anticipated lunch would have ended by the time we had returned to the ship, I planned to get a burger at fries at the poolside eatery. Plan B was no need for a burger! We returned to the ship via an “interstate” highway and got to see a lot of the industrial and shipping container facilities. All-in-all, a very enjoyable four-hour adventure.
Back aboard MS Volendam,
“Easy San Antonio & Villages by the Sea” Optional Excursion – San Antonio, Chile
Many of the Beaches Are Beautiful, But, We Were Told, All of the Waters Harbor Dangerous Riptides I watched two tugboats and their entourage emancipate a container ship from the berth directly in front of our bow and then accompany it from the harbor to the open sea channel. Once the container ship was free of the need for a harbor pilot, the pilot was brought to MS Volendam. Soon we were free of the shoring lines, were “tugged” away from the pier and were on our way to the shipping lanes as well. Even though there were 17 shore excursions available, there was just not enough time to see it all. I surely would have liked to have ventured into Santiago, the capital of Chile for a tour and to have signed up for the "Best of Valparaiso." At the end of the day (and in my opinion), too much time in Lima (Callao), Peru and not enough in San Antonio (Santiago), Chile.
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Bruce J
non-member comment
I miss my Navy days at sea.
These pictures brought back memories, though I was usually at work below decks during the movement in or out of port and never got to see them. I often did my time on deck in the night, cold wind and with wild sea waves between two parallel ships.