Day 5

December 25^th 2007

Happy Birthday JC. Our Russian friends (Arty and Matt) are Jewish so they didn’t have much to say about the occasion. One thing Neha and I definitely added to our Spanish lexicon was “Feliz Navidad”. Before today, I always thought that meant “Happy New Year” – I have obviously never heard the song!

We signed up for the Petrohue Falls and Lake Esmeralda Shore excursion. Strong headwinds and stubborn currents delayed our arrival into Puerto Montt by half an hour this morning. It was interesting to see the guide boats ramming the ship from either side to get it docked. I want that job.

Puerto Montt is a small and bustling city of about 110,000 people mostly invested in the ways of salmon farming and deforestation (i.e. wood chip exports). Our shore excursion at Puerto Montt included visiting Lake Esmeralda and the Petrohue Falls at the foot of the Osorno Volcano. Chile’s geographical outlook is stunning. In this case, the Lake Llanquihue on one side and the snow-capped Osorno and Puntiagudo volcanoes on the other side results in instant thoughts of retiring here forever with a pack of Border Collies. Most of the breathtaking landscape at the Petrohue Falls (much smaller than the Niagara but in a location unparalleled to any other) is a direct result of volcanic activity and lava deposits. Even though we took a gazillion pictures, they do no justice to what a panoramic view invokes.

On the way back we stopped at a Chilean farm in the Ensenada region. We were treated with a wonderful feast of Pisco Sour, wine, salmon and lots of other delectable munchies. Neha and I were both thrilled to see llamas (pronounced “jamas” apparently) at this farm. Our tour guide warned us about llamas spitting in your face as a defensive tactic. The sign to look out for was if they pulled their ears back. Neha was quite afraid of being spat upon so I found her some puppies to play with instead. I on the other hand really wanted to get close to these llamas and put on my best behavior. I was spared a bucket of spit and Neha got some good pictures of me and this one curious llama in return. There were obviously those in our group that resorted to the sudden approach tactic and there were several occasions when the llamas did “pull their ears back”. Every time that happened, two things would take place simultaneously: Humans would scatter and the llamas would all team up together running around in circles with their ears pulled back. It was hilarious!! We left the farm soon after, much to my disappointment.

A quick stop in Puerto Varas on the way back to Puerto Montt, gave us the opportunity to shop a little. I tried to convince Neha to wear one of the really colorful ponchos they sold, but she would have none of it. We also saw a very funny piece of memorabilia at one of the shops: A carved wooden native with legs that disappeared into the body when placed upright. If you decided to pick up the little guy however, the spring mounted legs extend out, transforming him from a dwarf to a human. The legs however are not the only parts that extend out of this wooden spectacle. To much shock and laughter, there also extended a third “leg” from between his fully extended legs. I am not about to explain this in further detail if you haven’t already gotten it. Looking back, I should have picked up a dozen of them for all my zany friends!

At the port, Neha and I bought some much famed Chilean wine and snuck it onboard without paying the corking fee that the ship charges if you don’t buy their wine onboard. In your face NCL!

Good bye Puerto Montt.