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Published: June 13th 2017
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Geo: -41.3265, -72.9882
Day 5 – October 26
We checked out of the Ritz and headed to the airport for our Sky Airlines flight to Puerto Montt, a shipping port in Chile's Lake District. Murray informed us it is rainy and cool most of the year, not unlike Seattle.
On the transfer, Murray bought us up to speed on a little of Chile's political history, including Salvador Allende, the first Marxist to become president of a South American country. In 1970, he won the presidency, but three years later, the military moved to oust him in a coup d'état sponsored by the United States CIA. Army General Pinochet then ruled by a military junta until 1990, when democratic rule returned. All three countries we will visit on this trip have relatively recent democratic governments.
He talked a little more about Chile's geography. Chile extends 2,653 miles north to south, and averages just 110 miles east to west. ("The shape of a chili pepper!"😉 It runs from the middle of South America's west coast straight down to the southern tip of the continent (Cape Horn). Puerto Montt/Puerto Varas are at the 39th parallel, roughly equivalent to where NYC is in the north.
We landed Puerto Varas volcano
Take from the bud! That yellow stuff in front is gorse, the bane of my existence on the golf course in Scotland in Puerto Montt and toured the Lake District which lies between the Coastal Mountain Range and the Pacific Ocean. It was overcast and grey, but not rainy, which I guess is noteworthy (the area gets 100” of rain a year). Our guide talked about the gorse (introduced by the Spanish) and apple (used mostly for apple cider). Salmon fishing is both an industry and a sport here – the season runs from November to April. This area exports 500,000 tons of fresh water salmon annually. Sphagnum moss and potatoes are the region's other exports.
Houses in the area are made of wood … flexible for earthquakes, abundant in supply and easier to heat on those “Chile” rainy days.
We drove along a segment of the Pan-American Highway, which runs from Alaska to Patagonia in a network of roads 30,000 miles in length, linking most of the mainland nations of the Americas in a connected highway system.
We had lunch at Kiel Restaurant in Puerto Montt, a quaint cottage overlooking the bay, with lush gardens and tasty food. A lovely respite. We stopped at an overlook, for a view of the bay, before we headed to Puerto Varas, our home for the
night … at Hotel Cumbres.
The city is well known for its German traditions and its three volcanoes. We checked into our rooms and took a walk into town to explore what shops were open on Sunday. On the way back we took photos of the volcanoes as they “peaked” in and out of the clouds. Late in the afternoon they emerged for good, showing off their sunlit, snow-capped peaks.
Dinner was in the hotel. The fish dishes were superb and the desserts were dandy. The hot chocolate and the wooding burning fireplace were the perfect ending to a perfect day.
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Cheryl Redohl
non-member comment
Gorgeous scenery! Love the mountain peaks. Are those azaleas around the Kiel Hotel? Lovely. You gals look great!