The Amsterdam arrived to the Bay of Puerto Montt, Chile around 7am. Since the bay is shallow and there is no dock area, we had to drop anchor, and use the tender boats to go ashore. As we are hardly ever chomping at the bit to go ashore, we went for our usual breakfast at 8am. Sure was nice to see the sun shining in this pretty bay.
Puerto Montt is considered the gateway to the scenic Lake District with eucalyptus and pine forests, icy lakes, and Bavarian-style hamlets, not to mention many snow-capped volcanoes. In the old days (late 1800's), this town was the end of the road, as far as travel went from the north. That is, until a railroad was extended to here. As many as 30,000 German immigrants populated this region, bringing with them their traditions and cuisine. We will still find sausage, cakes, and pastries on the local menus. And many of the last names of families here have German origins.
Today Puerto Montt is an important city, as well as a boat and ferry port. And for the tourists that come here for the outdoor hiking, fishing, and sport activities, they are in the right place. Most of the ship's excursions took guests to the Lake District, a 30 minute ride out of town. In fact, we recalled that we had taken the tour that took in Puerto Varas (The City of Roses), Lake Llanquihue, a lake boat ride, and a visit to Petrohue River Rapids. And we did it twice on two different trips to South America. While in Puerto Varas, we bought a ball of dyed yarn that was "raw", with bits and pieces of straw in it. Oddly enough, the turquoise dye stained my fingers when knitting a cap with it. To this day, 10 years later, it sits in a basket of yarn balls, unfinished, at home.
A strange message came with every tour here……a warning about horse flies that could be present near the lakes and rivers. They advised folks to bring insect repellant, and we know from firsthand experience that those fly bites can pack one heck of a wallop. So we decided to stay in town, and check out what was here to see. Glad we did…..
We noticed that after leaving the tender boat, the ramp was at a steep incline. Later we learned that there was a 20 foot tidal change here, which is significant. Our plan was to turn left, and follow the crowd to the several craft stands that lined the main road here. Most all of the souvenirs being sold sure looked like what we would see in Peru. Only the name on the ponchos, sweaters, knit scarves, hats, and llama wool wall hangings were labeled Puerto Montt on them. There were hundreds of knickknacks, as well as a selection of Chilean jewelry items. Many guests from our ship were in shopping heaven, as the prices were fairly decent.
Further up the street, we came upon Angelmo Artisan Market with more cafes, souvenir shops, and a fish and produce market. This market is housed in stilt houses built on the sea side. Since the menus were in Spanish, of course, we were not sure what the dishes were. One of their famous dishes is called pulmay, which is boiled curanto made out of seashells, smoked pork meat, and mashed potato bread. Now that is different. They also serve sea urchins, as well as a variety of fish and seafood soups. Shrimp cerviche is popular too.
We found all of this food and more in their fish and produce market. The majority of the fish being sold were very large salmon, which may have been farmed in the fjords. A few other types of fish looked like barracuda, and we do know Chilean bass is a big seller. Their produce was healthy-looking with over-sized lettuce and cabbages, grown large due to the amount of daylight they get this time of year. Kind of reminded us of the Alaskan produce during the summer months.
At the back end of the market, was an area where locals can buy pre-dished food items, and sit outside to enjoy their meal. That's when we spotted something very large in the shallow water in this canal. It was a giant sea lion, that had the head of a lion, more or less. We estimated that this behemoth weighed over 800 pounds. He swam to the rocky bank, almost beaching himself, then proceeded to hoist half of his body erect, pushing out his chest, and looking towards the sky. Many people began gathering near him, as if they might feed him something. If he decided to lunge at people, he could have crushed them. Wanting to get some good close-up photos, Bill went down with the crowd, and did get some good shots. About 10 yards off the shore, a female sea lion popped her head up, but came no closer. Overhead, many birds were flying, like gulls, terns, and even vultures. The draw must have been the low tide that exposes some good food for them. Some old wooden fishing boats were laying on their sides, so this must be as low as the tide would go today.
Well, this sighting made our day, as we were not expecting much to see here. You just never know.
Continuing on, we decided not to search here for a place for lunch, because the menus were unreadable and one of us cannot eat shellfish, which might be added to any seafood dish. Pizza was nowhere to be found. But there was one more option, and that was hiking past the cruise terminal, and following the pedestrian waterside path along the bay. This led to a most modern shopping mall, which we do not believe was here eight years ago.
We ran into many friends that were doing the same thing, as it was such a perfect day for a walk. Talking to Wendy and Steve, we found out they had taken a 30 minute taxi to Puerto Varas, the City of Roses, for $5 each. Then they used a local bus to come back, which set them back 90 cents each. They were lucky the buses were running today, considering it was Sunday. But we are sure they checked it out before they came here. Everyone we talked to spread the news that the internet on the ship was not working for anyone, including the crew. This is becoming a problem with the people that depend on the internet for banking for instance. Bills need to be paid, not to mention keeping in touch with family and friends. We have kept up with the blog with photos, and will send all of it when we can.
The sidewalks of this promenade walkway began to fill with street vendors with different items from what was being sold back at the Angelmo Market. This was typical sportswear, handmade knit items, scarves, and even toys for the kids. Looking for a belt, we found just the right one for a mere $6. Back at the market, they were $25 and up. An embroidered scarf was also added to the collection for $5. We never did get any Chilean pesos, but we did recall that the vendors were happy to take US dollars.
At the mall, we entered the Ripley store, which we suspect was here first. Oddly enough, every store window had either been boarded over or covered with corrugated aluminum. Must be due to sudden riots that occur suddenly, the same situation we saw while in Punta Arenas. You can always get the feel for the area by studying the local graffiti. The mall was three or four levels of high end boutique shops, something we never expected to see here. All of the restaurants were more of a fast food type, so we did not choose to dine here either. They did have very nice restrooms, and there was no charge to use them, unlike those in Punta Arenas. A quick walk on each level, we exited at Ripley's, and walked back to the ship.
We had run into Greg and Heo at the fish market, and then again, they followed us out of the mall while walking with Renee. They were feeling the results of a long walk, although they are the "kids" at our table. It was getting late, and all of us agreed it was time to get back "home" for a late lunch. That turned out to be 3pm by the time we re-boarded the tender boat. At least walking down the gangplank to the boat was easier. Terry, the head security guard, told us the tide has risen 20 feet since they started tendering at 8am.
Back on the ship, we ordered chicken Caesar salads, with one club sandwich. Then it was time for the sail away festivities on the back deck. It was not fully attended since dinner was starting at 5:30pm in the Lido. There was a full seafood spread tonight, so many guests took advantage of this, and skipped dinner in the dining room. On busy port days, a large number of folks will eat early, not wishing to change their clothing, then retire for the evening. Not at our table, as everyone showed up on time. The best salmon entree was served tonight, and we think it may have been fresh from here.
There was no live show tonight, but the televised Academy Awards Show, which was due to begin at 10pm. To entice the folks to attend, they offered a free glass of sparkling wine from 7 to 8pm. Or, it could be watched from the staterooms on channel 39. That's what we did.
A day at sea tomorrow will give us a chance to catch up on backed up reports, and we hope we will be able to start sending them.
Bill & Mary Ann
Sunday, February 16, 2020
Report # 95 Puerto Montt, Chile February 9, 2020 Sunday Partly cloudy & 66 degrees
