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| Port of Call - Puerto Montt, Chile |
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| Chickens for sale at the Angelm・fresh produce
and craft market |
Peace Boat docked for a day in Puerto Montt, the
capital of Region X Los Lagos, and the gateway to the southern lakes,
Chilo・and Chilean Patagonia. Participants seized the opportunity to
explore the region's picturesque scenery, including the nearby Volc疣
Calbuco, which is often called the Mount Fuji of Chile, thanks to
its solitary positioning and snow-capped peak. Also popular on the
list of destinations was Angelm・ an impressive craft market with goods
ranging from handmade boots, alpaca sweaters and ponchos, to copperwork,
traditional delicacies and fresh produce. |
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| Fishing for salmon and rainbow trout at Lake
Llanquihue |
A group of participants travelled north to 'Lago
Llanquihue' where they spent the day fishing for the famed Patagonian
salmon and rainbow trout. Despite the region's international reputation
for salmon, the species are not actually native to Chile but are said
to have been given by the Japanese as a gift of friendship. As it
turned out, the fishing conditions were not optimal, as the water
level of the lake was lower than average. In two hours, only five
fish were caught between forty people, so lunch was a combination
of purchased fish and the day's catch. On the way home, participants
dropped into a small brewery where 10,000 bottles of preservative
free, old recipe Corona beer are produced each year. Thinking that
this local lager was something that couldn't easily be found back
in Japan, nearly everyone indulged in a pint or two of Chilean Corona.
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| Newly made Puerto Montt friends, Valentina Latorre
Osses and her grandfather Juan |
One participant reported that her brief stay in
Puerto Montt was so enjoyable thanks to the friendly, local people.
"We met a man called Francisco with a big heart and a great sense
of humour who showed us around his part of the world in his taxi.
We didn't really have a detailed plan of where we wanted to go so
the outing turned into a bit of an adventure, and each destination
was a new surprise. For instance, we first made a pit stop at Francisco's
house in the satellite suburb of Alerce to meet his cherub-like three
year old daughter, wife and father-in-law! Following on, we drove
to the nearby town of Puerto Varas and heard stories about a typical
Chilean family holiday camping near the lake. We then ate some 'papas
fritas' (fried potato) 'empanada' (vegetable turnover with egg, cheese,
meat) and 'humitas' (corn tamales) wrapped in corn husks and steamed,
and learnt about the Chilean fixation with meat dishes, especially
beef and offal. Owing to the seemingly carnivorous diet, there is
a saying in Southern Chile along the lines of 'You are no more lost
than a vegetarian in Patagonia!' Communication wasn't such a big obstacle
because we tried our hardest to use our beginner's Espa?l and Francisco's
English was pretty easily understood. Well, we ended up exchanging
addresses with Francisco and he's looking forward to the next time
Peace Boat comes to his town, just as we're hoping that we'll be able
to spend more time in beautiful Chile some time soon." |
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| Peace Boat's
40th Voyage index |
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PEACE BOAT is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. |
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