(For all photos, especially panoramas, click on the image for a full screen view.)
Next, we were off to see the penguins! And, yes, it was another gorgeous, sunny, calm day—perfect weather for a boat ride! Mother Nature sure was kind to us throughout our travels!
When we arrived at the boat launch, I was surprised to see that vehicles were permitted on the beach. We drove right up to the site, collected our life jackets, and boarded a cart that was pushed down the shoreline directly to the boat. No wet shoes on this boat trip! I had never seen anything like it.
Punihuil Wildlife Preserve is comprised of three rocky islets off the coast declared a National Monument to protect the breeding colony of Humboldt and Magellanic penguins. The best time to visit is October thru mid-March, so we were fortunate to see the penguins before they ventured back out to sea.
On our way out to the preserve.
Although the boat was able to maneuver quite close to the islets for a good look, there was some boat movement with the current making photography of the birds a challenge. I needed to back off the zoom to get sharper shots, so these photos have been cropped.
These cuties are Magellanic penguins. They grow to be 24-30 inches tall and weigh 6-14 pounds:
Humboldt penguins, which range in size from 22-28 inches, have some pink in their face, so this is one here:
It was so exciting to see the penguins in their natural habitat, rather than at Sea World!
When we returned to the beach, our group had a seafood lunch at this restaurant with a beautiful view:
It was a lovely day for a walk on the beach afterwards, and Andrea snagged us for another “seeing double” fun photo:
Visiting Chiloe Island was a wonderful experience, but it was time to take the ferry back to the mainland for more adventures. We returned to Puerto Varas and were ecstatic to see a clear view of the volcanoes! Bruce and I grabbed an ice cream and headed out to enjoy the amazingly clear views, savoring one last evening in Puerto Varas before flying south to Punta Arenas, our southernmost city of the tour.
Coming up next: ARGENTINA & CHILE #12: PLEASANT PUNTA ARENAS
Orsano Volcano can be seen across the lake from Puerto Varas if it’s a clear day. Fortunately, the 8,000-foot-tall volcano hasn’t erupted since 1869. There is another volcano that can also be seen from town, Calbuco, that erupted in 2015—the first time since 1972. This morning, we got a peak at the volcanos in between the clouds that were forming and threatening to douse us with our first rain in eight days. Fortunately, as it turned out, it didn’t rain until late in the day, when we were indoors, and it didn’t matter.
A rainy morning would have made for a messy and slippery hike—our first activity of the day. It rains a lot over ten months of the year at Petrohue Falls in Vicente Perez Rosales National Park , so we were lucky this wasn’t a wet day.
The park is a popular tourist destination, so Andrea made sure to get us up and out early to beat the crowds.
Following our guided hike with Daniel, our local guide, we took a break for another “discovery” (we were getting good at the traditional toast by then), before having free time to explore the falls on our own. The sun broke out from the clouds revealing a beautiful landscape and a snow-capped volcano. Bruce and I spent almost all our time just watching the clouds pass by, listening to the water, and hoping for a better view of the volcano. It was lovely!
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
Scenes from our hike:
Mary caught me in action!
Andrea with another “discovery” joining our guide, Daniel
The volcano kept peaking in and out of the clouds; a very dynamic sky!A close-up view
After we returned to Puerto Varas, we had a few hours of free time to grab lunch and enjoy the town. We quickly grew fond of empanadas when we were in Argentina, but the ones we picked up at Café Danes were the best!
Here are more scenes around Puerto Varas:
I just love these mosaic stairs!
The view from Kunstgarten (Garden of the Arts), located at the top of the mosaic stairs.
These, uh, interesting(?) wool fiber art sculptures were hanging from the tree at the entrance of the garden.
Rose bushes lined many of the sidewalks.
This is what the Chilean currency looks like. Their peso was valued a bit stronger than the Argentinean peso; however, they print larger denominations, making our wallets less bulky! Today’s exchange rate: $1 USD = 975 CLP. So, that green 1000 note is worth a little more than $1.
Later in the afternoon, we visited the Combas Music School, a wonderful school that is supported by Grand Circle Foundation. This was the first performance for the new music students—so charming!
The evening was spent doing what Bruce and I look forward to each time we travel with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT): a home hosted dinner. It is always a great opportunity to visit with a family, enjoy the cuisine of their country, and have meaningful cultural interaction.
Our group of 16 was split in half to visit two different homes. Bruce and I were assigned to Carolina and George, a warm and wonderful young couple. As soon as we stepped into their home, I felt comfortable, and I loved much of the décor! It felt almost too familiar; they were listening to American classic rock played by their local radio station!
Throughout Argentina and Chile, we had enjoyed Pisco Sour cocktails—a South American favorite—and learned how to make them at our hotel. Carolina and George welcomed us with their version, which they make with whatever fruit they have available at the time. Delicious!
Carolina taught us how to make empanadas, which we enjoyed with our cocktails. We all took turns making our own and George fried them while we chatted in the kitchen. They were eager to learn where we were all from and to tell them something about our state. Carolina had a map marking where all the OAT travelers they had hosted were from, and she was eager to see if we were from any new states.
In between the laughs we all shared, we learned a lot about the two of them and their views about Chile. Carolina is a former English teacher and now has her own business raising and selling plants. George, also a business owner, is a landscape builder.
They explained that much like many countries throughout the world, including Argentina and the U.S.A., Chile is very politically divided. Their current president, Gabriel Boric, is far left—opposite of Argentina’s far-right president. Asked what their top concern is for their country, Carolina and George agreed that crime and safety worry them the most. In October of 2019, there was a “spontaneous” (organized?) uprising in the city centers throughout the country. Young people burned churches and city buildings causing major destruction. They doubt it was spontaneous at all. After all, ten metro stations in ten different cities burned at the same time. Speculation is that it was connected to mafia.
As we learned about our hosts and their concerns for their country (which sounded all too familiar; they echoed concerns we have in the U.S.A.), we enjoyed delicious corn pie with chicken—a traditional Chilean dish, followed by a German dessert. German? Yes, many Germans settled in Puerto Varas and the region, just like they had in Bariloche.
The evening ended too soon, as it always does during a home hosted dinner. It was so enjoyable; the time flew by!
Coming up next: ARGENTINA & CHILE #9: CHARMING CHILOE ISLAND
This was a big travel day by bus. We drove into Chile by crossing over the beautiful Andes Mountains. The Chilean border station where we stopped to have our passports checked and our luggage scanned for fruits, nuts, and other banned foods, was in Argentina. The border itself, however, was technically at the top of the Andes at an elevation of 4,000 feet, 80 miles from Bariloche where we had departed. When we arrived at this invisible border, we got out of the bus and had a decision to make: Should we stay or should we go? The group was split at first:
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
To Chile we go! (Fortunately, we escaped being obliterated by an 18-wheeler that sped by following our border-straddling stunt. We celebrated our ultimately unanimous decision with another “discovery,” made a toast to Chile, and ventured on.
Along the way, while taking in the gorgeous views, we learned about our new country. Andrea summed up the differences between Argentinians and Chileans with this comparison: Argentina is the Italy of South America, and Chile is the England of South America. In other words, Argentinians are loud, disorganized, (and drink mate); and, Chileans are humble, more conservative, organized, follow the rules, and drink tea. As an Argentinian married to a Chilean, Andrea and Julio both agree on that assessment!
A wildfire had destroyed the forest, but it’s coming back!
Chile is a funny-looking country on the map. It is very long (2,625 miles!) and narrow (averaging just 10 miles wide). An arid desert is located at the north end, and the south has glaciers and a rugged terrain. In between, there is everything from mountains and cliffs to valleys, and lakes as well as forests, islands, and canals. The Andes separate the country from Argentina to the east, with the highest elevation being at 21,000 feet. We were going to see Patagonia, in the south, beginning with the Lakes District, one of Chile’s five regions. The region is famous for its wonderful cabernet sauvignon wine as well as copper and lithium production.
Daniel, our local guide, told us a lot of interesting information about his country as we made our way towards Puerto Varas. We learned that Chile is the second-largest salmon producer in the world after Norway. Surprisingly, it’s not Pacific salmon they are farming, even though Chile faces the Pacific Ocean. They are farming Atlantic salmon, because the Norwegians brought it over and taught the Chileans how to farm it successfully.
We also learned that Chile experienced the biggest earthquake (9.6) ever recorded. That was back in 1960, and it lasted ten minutes! 1,500 people were killed, and the earthquake caused a tsunami with 120-foot waves!
Since then, Chileans have gotten used to earthquakes and have strict building codes. The last big quake was in 2010—an 8.8—which also caused a tsunami and left many people homeless. These days, Chileans consider a 7.0 earthquake no big deal.
More about Chile in the posts to come, but it was time to stop for lunch. Fortunately, we didn’t get held up at the border station, which often takes three hours to get through. It was quiet there, so it only took about 75 minutes to process our group—a good thing, because we were getting hungry!
Our lunch stop was a cute little family restaurant where we were served the most tender chicken I had ever eaten. I felt a little guilty, though, because we could see those farm-raised chickens just outside the window as we enjoyed their former relatives. Which one was going to be the next victim?
Before hitting the road, we stopped in to see Moncopulli, the auto museum located next door. I just looked it up on Trip Advisor; it gets a 4-1/2 out of 5 rating. Bruce and I agree; it was worth a visit if you are in the area! The museum’s owner is a collector of Studebakers, and he opened the museum as a tribute to his father who owned a Studebaker. Tragically, his parents were killed in a car crash when he was just 11 years old. Now, the museum features his car collection as well as an assortment of Studebakers that were donated to the museum.
A funny little Beemer!
Onward ho to Puerto Varas we go! It was a beautiful afternoon when we arrived—much different than the cold and windy weather we were expecting. The remainder of the afternoon was free, so we headed out to get some Chilean pesos and explore the town before meeting up with the group at a local restaurant for dinner.
The city was founded by German immigrants, which was evident in the architecture and vibe of the town.
Here are a few scenes I captured while visiting the craft markets and walking along the waterfront of town:
Better views of the volcano in the background will appear in a future post.Families enjoyed the beach on this rare warm and sunny afternoon and calm evening.
Next up: ARGENTINA & CHILE #8: PETROHUE FALLS, A MUSIC SCHOOL, AND HOME HOSTED DINNER
Elaine-iaK's Travels: A Traveler's Tales of People, Places, Photos, Pools... and CHOCOLATE! 