December 17, 2017

   The sky was sunny and bright, the morning started with a temperature of 9 C and rose to about 14 C in the afternoon with a wind of about 30 km / hour.  Some cloud formed during the day, but not enough to obscure the distant snow-covered peak of Calbuco Volcano.

    We visited Puerto Montt once before on February 14, 2012 see that blog entry:   http://routeoftheancientmariners.blogspot.ca/2012/02/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-x-none_14.html

    The cruise director, Ryan, announced before 8 a.m. that the ship had cleared Chilean Immigration and the tender boats were ready to take people ashore. The public-address system announcements either by the captain or the cruise director are only given in English.  On the Infinity, the most important parts of the English announcements also were given in Spanish, German and sometimes French, daily. On the message clip, by the door of all cabins, was an envelope containing the Chilean Declaracion Jurada documents to be completed by each person leaving the ship. It was the same form that we completed when we left the Infinity in San Antonio nine days ago. We were advised to keep the form with us whenever we disembark the ship, to produce for Chilean Immigration officials if asked, along with photo ID either a driver’s license or photocopy of your passport.  The Front Desk could make a photocopy of your passport’s photo ID page, since they have all the passengers’ passports.

   Today is the second round of 2017 Chilean Presidential voting. There were no election signs at all on the main streets of Puerto Montt, Chile. The result was that returning presidential candidate

Sebastian Piñera, a billionaire and Chilean president during the Chilean coal miners rescue in 2010 and until 2014 won with 55% of the vote.

   After breakfast, we took pictures of the large yacht, with its own helicopter, and the fishing boat in the harbor and several photos of the shore. Shortly after 10 a.m., we took the 65-person tender boat to the ferry pier in Puerto Montt. It was low-tide and the harbor water was almost smooth, for the nine-minute ride, but on the return to the ship around 3 pm, there were white caps on the waves.  The short overnight cruise to Castro on Chiloe Island, not too far south, may be a bit rough but not nearly as intense as the waves yesterday on the open sea.

   We checked the Wi-Fi in the cruise Passenger Terminal and there was a strong signal and very few people connected.  There was a nice lounge area, with tables and chairs for laptop computers and nice leather couches for people accessing their phones or tablets.  There was also a display of local artists’ paintings in the carpeted area. With the good Internet connection, we could receive and send emails and post two days of blog entries. While we were checking the emails, Doug and Jan came off a tender and we had a chat.

    At the terminal the bathrooms were free, but around the town, the baños fees ranged from 250 to 400 pesos (50 to 80 cents Canadian).  We turned west out of the terminal, past the people offered taxi tours, to walk to the Mercado Tipico Angelmó, crafts market and artists’ studios, about one kilometer away.  From there we had a good view of the ship and Calbuco Volcano in the distance with its peak covered in fluffy white cloud.  There was a fish market and produce market with flowers and lots of handicrafts including sweaters, long socks, hats, mitts and gloves.  While at the market we stopped to watch some seals playing by the shoreline. We took photos as we walked back past the cruise terminal toward the town center.  Along the walkway, we spotted Joe, who we had breakfast with yesterday and his wife, Terry.  We walked and chatted with them as we walked to the Plaza de Armas and the Cathedral of Puerto Montt made from larch wood. Sunday services were being held so we did not go into the church. The plaza was decorated for Christmas, including a Christmas tree and a Santa in a sleigh being pulled by reindeer!

    There is a flavor of Germany, due to the many German immigrants who moved here over the past 150 years. A few streets over was a yellow church which was the Iglesia de los Padres Jesuitas – the Church of the Jesuit brothers.  Along the way passed a McDonalds, Subway and Ibis hotel.  Finally, we made our way back to the cruise terminal, where we stopped to have Pisco Sour cocktails at a bargain price of two for 3,000 pesos ($6 Canadian).  We checked emails and sent some that we had tried to send as blind copies but found that they could only be sent individually or up to seven names in the “To” section. While doing this, Jan and Doug came by having finished their look around Puerto Montt.  More passengers arrived to link to Internet and the system slowed down to a crawl.  At other public Wi-Fi areas, we have encountered the overload slowdown which is just frustrating.  We were glad that we had posted our photos in the morning when there were very few people in the terminal.  Before taking the tender back, we tried the Mango Sour cocktails at a bargain price of two for 1,500 pesos ($3 Canadian). 

   We were back on the ship shortly after 3, too late for lunch, so we went to Afternoon Tea.

   At dinner, the fourth couple, Violet and Jerry, joined our table, but Jan and Doug were absent because they were attending the Interdenominational Sunday church service being held at 6 p.m. There were many more diners in the dining room tonight with the calm waters, compared the low numbers yesterday in the rough seas. Our choices tonight for starters were Brie in crispy Phyllo and Spinach and Button Mushrooms; entrees were Prime Rib with gratin potatoes and Parmesan coated Veal Loin.  Desserts were Mango Blueberry Crisp with French Vanilla ice cream and Viennese Apple strudel slice.  On the way to the show, we passed the Ocean Bar and the Ocean Quartet were playing nice Latin dance music. We had three dances.

    Tonight’s entertainment was instrumentalist, Andy Bünger. Instrumentalist from Germany. For his 8 pm performance, he started on drums, then the xylophone, followed by a Pan Flute and the Hawaiian Guitar and repeated the drums, xylophone, Pan Flute and sang and played saxophone for “Blue Suede Shoes” then ended with another Pan Flute melody.  On one of our other 14 cruises, we enjoyed his show then, too.

   The distance to Castro is so short that the captain is dawdling along at 9 knots per hour in a calm channel.

Daily steps total: 15,387 (6.8 miles [10.9 km])