[Hyacinth Bucket]

January 12th was our first port stop—Puerto Montt (named after a nineteenth-century naval hero), - Author's Note - this is area the volcano in Chile is presently erupting and people are being evacuated.) where we hired a guide, Martin, and Irwin, the driver of the van. We informed Martin what we would like to see and do. We toured Puerto Montt and visited the main cathedral, built of wood, as are most houses, since wood construction holds up better during earthquakes. One of our colleagues wanted to go for a hike in the mountains, which was easily arranged while the rest of us toured Puerto Varas, a tourist town.

A craft area I visited here was disappointing in that all the seemingly individual stalls contained identical merchandise at identical prices. From here we traveled to Frutillar, a small, charming tourist town founded by German settlers (as was this entire region) in the nineteenth century, where we sampled empanadas, a local specialty. They were quite good, but when I saw them heated up in a microwave oven, it lost some of the traditional flair I thought we would be getting. The town is situated on a lake, where we were told the water is quite cold. We only saw two men go in for a swim. The houses, mountains, and landscape reminded us of Germany.

One of our colleagues noticed a craft fair at one of the local churches. Here I bought some homemade craft items directly from their makers. An area close by is known for their delicious chocolates. I bought some to sample, and they were good.

We were running late, as there was so much to see and do, and we just made it back to port to board in time. I must tell you Irwin was flying. I do not know how many kilometers per hour he was going—nor do I think I want to know. . . . Fortunately there were no police cars on the road.

January 13, we arrived in Chacabuco. This was a small port town with one hotel used primarily by tourists using Chacabuco as a jumping-off point into Patagonia. One of our colleagues went on a guided trek that was at a slower pace than what he expected. He said the scenery was beautiful. I stayed onboard the ship as it was raining. My two other colleagues went in to town and walked around the town. Most of the stores were closed, as it was Sunday. I think the minute they set foot off the ship, the weather cleared up.

We had previously planned to rent a car and/or taxi with guide. The area is known for its numerous lakes and beautiful scenery. I guess we will have to return to Chacabuco to see what we had missed. It was foggy and we would not have been able to appreciate the beauty of the area, much less see it clearly.

The next three days we will be onboard as we sail to our next stop. There is one excursion that we go on, and that is to the UNESCO World Bioshere Reserve Heritage Site: Parque Nacional Laguna San Rafael. Fortunate for us, space opened up so that the four of us could go on the catamaran to the Reserve. The catamaran ride through the reserve reminded me of both the coast of Maine where we have seen numerous islands and Sitka, Alaska.

On our way to the glacier we saw numerous icebergs. The tide was going out as we headed toward the glacier, and the captain of the catamaran had to wind his way through and/or around the icebergs. Many of the icebergs were a brilliant true cobalt blue color, and you could see their reflection in the calm waters. As I looked at the icebergs, I realized that I was looking at ice that had formed thousands of years ago. This was truly amazing. Than I realized where I was: We were quite close to the hole in the ozone layer, and I was also witnessing the impact of global warming. The iceberg was melting and diminishing in size. The last time we were in Alaska, the impact of global warming was also quite noticeable.

When we arrived at the glacier we could hear the crackling noise it made as it moved; a glacier is, after all, a slowly moving river of ice. The sound was similar to shot gun volleys but wss much louder. At one time it reminded me of rumbling thunder echoing through a valley. Here we saw the glacier calving, but only minor calving. None of the pieces that broke off were as big as the icebergs we saw floating down the river. We were there for thirty minutes, but it felt more like five minutes. We were not ready to return to the ship. For me, it is a mesmerizing experience. Listening to the noise, hoping it would calve, seeing the cracks in the glaciers, noticing the various shades of blue, and seeing where there was calving leaving what appeared to be caves at the base of the glacier. Here and there I could see glacier silt on the bottom of the icebergs. Here was the base of the iceberg – or rather the base of the glacier that once was.

As we approached the glacier we saw numbers written on the side of the mountain. There are only two numerals, but those numerals tell a story. They show where the front of the iceberg was in 1974, in the 80’s, 2000 and now here we are in 2008 and the iceberg has receded even more. We are talking about what appears to be thirty or more feet between each date. As we looked at the glacier, it was melting. I Found this a very hard concept to believe. Here in front of us were miles of glacier ice, ice that was ten thousand years old; it was slowly melting in front of our eyes and will eventually disappear. History in the making. . . .

As you know, we have been to glaciers in Alaska over the years, and there too we have seen for ourselves receding of the glacier. At Exit Glacier, near Homer, it was a short walk to the glacier, the first time we were there; the second time we had to walk about twice the distance to get to the face. As we walked to the glacier, we were walking on glacier silt that had not had sun on it for thousands of years, nor were we able to see this silt the last time we were here because it had been covered by ice.

The fish in Parque Nacional Laguna San Rafael are numerous and big. Many of the passengers would have liked to have had a fishing excursion, including one of our colleagues, after learning about the type of fish that inhabit these waters and the fight they put up before they are reeled in.

Here is global warming, warming a surface of the glacier and melting it. I am near the hole in the ozone layer and the rays of the sun are quite strong. I need to be careful of getting a sunburn very quickly.

That evening we had a lengthy discussion on global warming and its effects on what we have seen over the years. Glaciers receding, changes in temperature, e.g., we were in Puerto Montt and the spring flowers were still blooming even though it was their summer. Our guide Martin explained to us the changes he notices in his own community. At the same time he discussed global warming and the hole in the ozone layer. He states that at all times children are told to wear hats to protect their heads or not to go out at all because of the intensity of the sun’s rays.

Martin had an excellent command of the English language including using and understanding colloquialisms. He had lived in Puerto Montt all his life and learned English here. Very impressive; he also had no Spanish accent when he spoke English. He now teaches English to second graders and finds that if he uses games to teach them how to speak the language, they enjoy it more.

One of our colleagues is into alternative energy. Martin told him about aparcel of land he and his cousins bought and how they hope to generate their own electricity. Our colleague will send him information on generating one’s own electricity.

Marine also spoke about the extended family he is part of, how they all help each other, and some of their buying habits. One example: If he needs five pounds of nails to complete a job he will buy six pounds so that he will have extra. This way, if a family member needs nails, he will have some to share with him. In this area Martin’s extended family structure is not unique. They are always looking out for each others’ welfare.

When a child is born, the father plants one acre of trees for the child; this constitutes the child’s inheritance. When the trees are large enough to be logged, this will be approximately the same time as the child will want to build a house, go to college, or whatever. Some other families will start a small herd of cattle for their child and tend to it as it grows into a larger herd. Once again the herd of cattle becomes the child’s inheritance.