Saturday, 19 December. During the night, the Veendam had left the channel and passed into the Gulf of Corcovado, then the Gulf of Ancud, both sheltered from the Pacific by Chiloe Island. While still an inner passage, these gulfs are vastly wider than the channels we had been following. When we woke up, though, the ship was already in Reloncavi Sound, on which Puerto Montt is located.

Calbuco volcano from the ship Puerto Montt from the ship

After breakfast in our room, we took the tender ashore for our bus tour of Puerto Montt and the little town of Frutillar, in the Lake District. The bus left at 9:20 and drove us along the curving waterfront to the city center. Along the way, we passed a strange white, tepee-shaped metal observation tower called the Obelisk. Once downtown, we saw the main plaza and, facing it, the Cathedral (1856), built by the German settlers entirely of wood. The bus then climbed a steep hill behind the city center to give us a view of the city and Reloncavi Sound. That was it for the tour of the city.

The Obelisk

Old wooden church

Puerto Montt from the hill

Country church with alerce siding Roadside stand selling alerce

We reached the lake at the town of Puerto Varas at about 11:00. From the shore there was a great view of two volcanos (Orsorno & Calbuco). We were given 45 minutes to look around the shopping area. I took the opportunity to find an ATM and get some Chilean pesos (480 = $1.00). I then found Jane in the Artisans Market, a collection of independent vendors. We also went across the street to check out the local covered market that, in this season, was selling mostly Christmas items. Even the bottles of the local liqueurs (e.g., chocolate schnaps!) had Santa Clause heads on their necks.

 

Volcanos Orsorno & Calbuco

Display in covered market

Tourist shopping street

Back on the bus, we continued on to Frutillar, arriving about noon. The setting was breathtaking. Like Puerto Varas, Frutilar is on the shore of beautiful Lake Llanquihue, but much closer to the two snow-covered volcanos (Calbuco & Orsorno). The bus drove us around the town, then dropped us off near the German Colonial Museum, which most of us elected to visit. It was quite interesting, depicting how the early German settlers lived.

German Colonial Museum & Frutilar

Jane with old covered wagon

Water mill

We still had enough free time to walk along the lakefront and enjoy the view. The sky was now clear and sunny, except for the clouds that hung over the volcanos, and even those were constantly changing.
 

Puppenhaus (Doll House)

Orsono Volcano

Typical houses

"Tourist" llama on the pier Tender back to the Veendam

Dessert extravaganza

Sunday, 20 December. I got up early and went to the gym at 7:00. The weather was partly cloudy and mild, and the sea was almost smooth. After breakfast in the Lido, we went to the debarkation briefing at 10:00 and the Valparaiso port talk at 11:00. In between, I went to the Front Desk to press the issue of compensation for our terrible experience with the flooded stateroom. After lunch I received a note advising me of a small shipboard credit, and later a phone call apologizing for the first time.

Wearing toques at the farewell dinner

 

Just after lunch we passed Concepcion, Chile's second largest urban area (after Santiago).  A short time later we sailed right over the spot that, ten weeks later, on 27 February 2010, was the epicenter of an 8.8 magnitude earthquake that shook the country.

We spent most of the afternoon packing. There was a special farewell dinner at 5:15, concluding with a rather disappointing version of the traditional baked Alaska parade. Afterward, we finished packing and put our suitcases out in the hall.