Spring Moon of the Southern Cross<\/p>\n
41 degrees 28 minutes S 72 degrees 56 minutes W<\/p>\n
Puerto Mont, Chile the end of the Chilean lake district and the beginning of the fjords<\/p>\n
If you’ve ever taken an overnight train, a cruise is similar. We leave a port in the afternoon and often, like the trip from Valparaiso to here, awake at a new destination.<\/p>\n
This time the change is dramatic. Valparaiso hit 80+ while I took the funicular and walked the Plaza Sotomayor. Here the weather has a gray, wet presence and the predicted high is 59.<\/p>\n
We have to tender in to Puerto Montt, meaning there is no dock space large enough for us, so we have anchored out in the bay, a very sheltered bay, closed in on three sides by hills and mountains. It’s also very green here, not the case while we traveled though the atacama desert and the semi-arid region around Coquimbo.<\/p>\n
I have happily donned my rei breathable undershirt, flannel shirt and Ecuadorian alpaca sweater, blue and white and yellow and red with llamas across the chest. Layering clothing is a Minnesota art from not much appreciated by others, but this we know. If the weather warms up, I can remove clothing down to the rei undershirt. If it gets cooler, I can pull the Marmot rain wear\/weather breaker out of the pack.<\/p>\n
Today Kate and I go to a Chilean farm to experience a typical day there. The tour guide warns us that the owners dogs roam freely among visitors. Can’t wait.<\/p>\n
On that note. We’ve met many dogs along the way. Some, like Tada in Peru, had distinctive personalities, but most, urban strays, seemed to have adapted to a life where people either ignore them or chastise them, so they don’t respond much to attention.<\/p>\n
I can see some salmon farming from the ship. This industry crashed here four or five years ago when an illness killed off the salmon, a problem with acqua culture in general. It’s not easy to dispose of the waste, both from the fish and from left over food, creating a perfect environment for disease. I’ll be interested to learn if this leg of the area’s economy has bounced back<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Spring Moon of the Southern Cross 41 degrees 28 minutes S 72 degrees 56 minutes W Puerto Mont, Chile the end of the Chilean lake district and the beginning of the fjords If you’ve ever taken an overnight train, a cruise is similar. We leave a port in the afternoon and often, like the trip … Continue reading A Dramatic Change<\/span>