Cruise to Chile and Argentina proves majestic

Ken and Laura Perry

We recently returned from a two-week trip to Chile and Argentina for

a summer cruise around the southern tip of South America starting at

Santiago, Chile, then down the west coast of Chile through the

Chilean fjords, the Straits of Magellan and the Beagle Channel to the

east coast of Argentina and up the east coast of Argentina to Buenos

Aires.

We recommend this sort of trip for anyone interested in a relaxing

vacation. We like packaged tours because they take much of the

anxiety out of traveling in unfamiliar surroundings. They often

include round-trip air fares and stays in great hotels conveniently

located in the center of cities at reasonable costs. They also

provide representatives to meet you at the airport to take you to and

from the hotels.

Santiago is a lovely city, but widely known for its smog. The

people there are quite proud of the statue of the Virgin atop San

Cristobal Peak. The statue is considered second only to the Christ of

the Andes in Rio de Janeiro. What we recall fondly is the unvarying

friendliness of the local people whom we met and the feeling of

safety as we walked around alone in the cities -- everyone was

willing to help two lost tourists.

Much social and economic activity takes place on the streets and

in the public plazas with friends meeting, talking and sitting around

sidewalk cafes and buying from little kiosks along the wider streets.

Selling newspapers and periodicals is a major business activity in

both Santiago and Buenos Aires, as well as the smaller cities we

visited.

After boarding the ship at Valparaiso, we sailed to Puerto Montt,

a fishing village near the Chilean Lake District. The variety of fish

and crustaceans in the fresh fish market was amazing. Fresh fish are

caught from small, individually-owned fishing boats just as they used

to have in Newport Beach in the early days.

There were little stalls where food was being prepared for

restaurants and hotels. At the end of the day leftovers are given to

charitable organizations.

We then traveled through the Chilean Lake District with its rich

agricultural lands and Bavarian hamlets including Porto Varas, to the

immense blue Lake Llanquihue, the thunderous Petrohue Falls and the

snow-covered Osorno volcano.

Next, we sailed through the Chilean Fjords with their glaciers

rising up out of the sea to Punta Arenas, Chile, and through the

Straits of Magellan to the beautiful city of Ushuaia, Argentina in

the southernmost inhabited region on earth, Tierra del Fuego. Because

of high seas and big winds, the ship sailed to Cape Horn but turned

back without actually rounding the cape.

From Puerto Madryn, Argentina, we took an excursion to a nature

preserve near Punta Tombo in the Patagonian region of Argentina, to

see the rookery of the penguins and the herds of Guanaco. The area is

an arid plain with only a little brackish water. We were surprised

that Guanaco live at sea level and not high in the Andes, as llamas

do.

Because there were so many penguins (about 250,000) living in the

rookery, many are forced to nest up to half a mile from the ocean,

and at the speed that they waddle, it takes them all day to go to the

ocean and back. They are charming little birds, not at all timid, but

protective of their territories. They are noted for their braying,

like small donkeys. There is much squabbling and chatter in the area.

They are quite approachable, but will just march off if disturbed.

Anyone visiting Buenos Aires should be sure to visit a tango club.

The dance, and its equally important music, is exciting and the

locals are great supporters. In the La Boca artist area, dancers can

be seen daily much like the Zydeco dancers in New Orleans.

We had not planned on taking this trip, but the mailer from the

travel agency was too good to pass up. It offered spectacular

scenery, good food and an opportunity to experience an important part

of the world we had never seen before.