March 1, 2009
Another Sunday at sea. I tried to talk the Assistant Cruise Director, a sweet young man from South Africa named Handre, into moving our worship service to the evening. The one evening service we had because it was a port day attendance was the best ever: more than 25. He said there was too much going on this evening with a whole new group of segment cruisers coming on board and the Captain’s reception. So I went from my highest attendance to my lowest: 8 people and that included Ronnie, the pianist and me! We now have some 440 people on board, more than the first segment, but a 100 less than the last one. I was saying to Ronnie that I put just as much work into a sermon for 8 people as I do for 800 (which we often had at St. Paul’s on a Sunday). Since my topic for today was “Thy Will Be Done,” that’s all I can say. I will just continue to pray and preach to the best of my ability, and leave the rest in God’s hands. On the other side of the coin our joint Ash Wednesday service with the Roman Catholics was quite a success with over 40 participants and a lot of positive feedback. And there is some hope that we can move the Sunday service permanently to the evening.
Enough of my work (and whining). Ronnie and I keep saying to each other that we can hardly believe we have this opportunity to see so many beautiful things and visit so many amazing places. The last two port stops again were far beyond our expectations. Puerto Montt in Chile is not an outstanding city in itself, but it has a marvelous large craft and fish market area, and it is the gateway to what is called the Lakes Region of Chile. We took the first tender ashore and spent the whole morning in the craft/fish market. We saw some truly splendid craft items at incredible prices, and probably would have bought a bunch if we did not have to be concerned about space and weight for our return. For example hand carved wooden cups for a couple of dollars, knitted hats for $2.50, hand crafted sail boats and schooners for $5-$10, beautiful wool sweaters and scarves for under $20. We could not resist purchasing a few small items, but had to pass up many that were too large or heavy.
We had lunch in a restaurant recommend by one of the craft merchants and the food was exceptional, starting with a bowl full of what looked like sofa pillas with some salsa and creamy sauce to eat with them. Talk about delicious! We could not resist and before we knew it we had eaten the whole basket of more than a dozen of these delicacies. Ronnie had an equally delicious soup and huge salad, and I had the local fish called Congrio. You would probably think I was exaggerating to say it was the best white fish I ever had, but it truly was. Neither one of us could finish our meals, but we certainly enjoyed them!
After lunch we decided to try walking to the downtown until we met some ship people returning from there. God must have been watching over us, because they basically said “Don’t bother,” so we decided to turn around and see about a taxi to see the nearby lake. However, it was a cloudy day and we were not sure we would be able to see much. Ronnie was at first reluctant, but because it was late in the day, I found a taxi driver who was willing to drive us to two of the quaint towns on the lake for $50 round trip. Earlier in the day we had been offered the same trip for $80-$150. Ronnie asked the port authority person if the taxi driver was ok, and when he nodded yes, she told him she would hold him responsible if we didn’t get back in one piece and on time before the ship departed. Later when we returned he seemed quite happy to see us, and we told him that our driver was indeed quite good.
After stopping by our driver’s house to pick up his cell phone (where we met his wife and granddaughter), we drove about 25 minutes on a good four lane toll road to Fruitillar, a town which grew out of a German settlement and still has a Germanic character. Ronnie really wanted to stop only at a town closer to the ship, but I somewhat (yes not somehow, but somewhat – I kept getting these looks which said if we don’t back to the ship in time you will be in deep you-know-what) convinced her that we had plenty of time. In the end we were both so glad we (I) decided to go there. By the time we arrived the clouds had cleared and it was bright and sunny. We were overwhelmed by the beauty of four snow capped volcanoes rising above this picturesque lake and sandy beach filled with Chilean tourists (it was the last weekend of summer before school resumed). With the addition of the Germanic looking architecture, the whole scene was truly breathtaking.
We stopped at a couple of spots for photos and a drink, then drove back to Puerto Varas, the larger town closer to the ship. Here one volcano was visible, but shrouded in clouds. The views were therefore not as dramatic, and the town showed all the signs of a larger tourist destination, including some large condominium complexes on the hills overlooking the lake. The driver treated us like royalty, stopping traffic so we could cross the street, waiting for us in no parking zones, and of course opening the car doors to escort us in and out of the taxi (it was a rather small Nissan, like a Stanza but with a different name). He drove back into Puerto Montt by a different road, which gave us an idea of the lush countryside and the thousands of tract houses in the suburbs. Aside from mobile homes, the houses are smaller than anything I have seen in the states, probably no more than 20 feet wide and just a few feet between them. Apparently they were built in an effort to get people out the squatter shacks, and the price is low (about $25,000 US) and the payments quite low as well.
The best part of the return trip was the view coming back into town, over a hill with a dramatic view of the harbor and our ship. We drove through the downtown and although it was not terribly exciting, it seemed better than we had been led to believe. We had no regrets in any case, and we got back to the ship a couple of hours before the departure time.
March 2, 2009
Yesterday I didn’t get to our visit to Valparaiso, which was a real highlight of Chile. We had debated taking an excursion to Santiago, but several people, including the ship’s lecturer (Terry Breen, a cultural anthropologist, who is an excellent speaker and has become a friend of ours) told us to spend the time in Valparaiso rather than driving the 3+ hour round trip to Santiago. The ship actually had a free shuttle to the nicer part of Valparaiso metro area, called Vena del Mar. So we took an early shuttle there, and were lucky to have a guide on our shuttle who took us on a mini-tour of the city on the way to the drop off point. Again, we were surprised by the beauty of this area, with wide tree-lined streets and exquisitely manicured gardens.
Believe it or not, the first thing we did was go to a shopping area (recommended by one of our shipmates) with hair salons (there were a bunch of them in this one enclosed atrium kind of area with a gradually rising ramp around the perimeter), and I got an excellent hair cut for 3,000 pesos, which is $5. Compare that to the $45 they charge on the ship! Then we found an eyeglass place where Ronnie was tempted to buy a pair of trendy white frames, but decided she really didn’t love them.
From there we walked down the main street (called Ave. de Libertad, or Freedom Avenue) across a bridge and right into, believe it or not, a huge market of local crafts. Yes, we should stay away from these things, but you never know what you might find! We have seen perhaps hundreds of sweaters in all the cities we have visited. Neither of us showed any interest, since, after all, we live in Florida and the occasions for sweaters are few and far between. But this time Ronnie decided to try one on. It looked good on her, but then the vendor (who knitted them) suggested another one. This one didn’t look good, it looked smashing on her (she wore it that night and received tones of compliments). The woman was more than sweet, and I think Ronnie would have bought almost anything from her, but the $17 hand knitted sweater was a real bargain.
We walked a little further and took a tour through a couple of museums, including one which had a special exhibit on the history of Easter Island. Since we are going there, we decided to pay the big $3 a person admission, and it was well worth it. Then we headed to the beach, with a stop on the way for lunch at a local deli (we decided to go for the one packed with locals, and it was the right choice). We had a delicious vegetable dish inside a thin breaded crust, which we split. Afterwards, we walked the boardwalk along the beach, lined with (can you guess it?) more craft (and beach item) merchants. Yes, I was the one who gave into temptation by buying an appealing $5 hat. I know, where are we going to put all this stuff? We then headed back to the main square where we picked up the shuttle back to the ship. On the shuttle we found that one of our English shipmates had been pickpocketed coming out of a shop. It was upsetting, of course, and they even chased after the guy, but he didn’t get much since our friend’s cash was in another pocket and the one credit card he did get he cancelled immediately. One of the locals helped him and they spent an hour or so in the police station . Honestly, we have never felt unsafe anywhere in South America, but we have been careful and avoided sketchy areas as well as dressing too touristy. This was just a reminder to be vigilant.
March 3, 2009
Just a quick note on today’s stop at Robinson Crusoe island. It rained most of the day and the sea was rough enough that they couldn’t tender us ashore. Not really a big loss, since there are only 700+ residents on the island, and there is not much to the town, although the terrain is quite striking. Yes, there really was a Scotsman named Alexander Selkirk who lived on the island alone for four years and four months until he was rescued. Daniel Defoe based his novel Robinson Crusoe on this man’s experience. Some of the residents did come on the ship to entertain us with music and even brought souvenirs. Thankfully nothing interested us except a couple of postcards, but the people dressed either as Alexander Selkirk or as pirates put on a cute show. And the lobster they served for lunch, caught by the fisherman on the island was about the best I have ever tasted.
We are now on rough seas for three days headed for Easter Island. Some people are on this segment just to see the island, so we are all holding positive thoughts about being able to get ashore when we arrive there. Our thoughts and prayers are with each of you who read this. We appreciate your love, prayers and support as well!
Another Sunday at sea. I tried to talk the Assistant Cruise Director, a sweet young man from South Africa named Handre, into moving our worship service to the evening. The one evening service we had because it was a port day attendance was the best ever: more than 25. He said there was too much going on this evening with a whole new group of segment cruisers coming on board and the Captain’s reception. So I went from my highest attendance to my lowest: 8 people and that included Ronnie, the pianist and me! We now have some 440 people on board, more than the first segment, but a 100 less than the last one. I was saying to Ronnie that I put just as much work into a sermon for 8 people as I do for 800 (which we often had at St. Paul’s on a Sunday). Since my topic for today was “Thy Will Be Done,” that’s all I can say. I will just continue to pray and preach to the best of my ability, and leave the rest in God’s hands. On the other side of the coin our joint Ash Wednesday service with the Roman Catholics was quite a success with over 40 participants and a lot of positive feedback. And there is some hope that we can move the Sunday service permanently to the evening.
Enough of my work (and whining). Ronnie and I keep saying to each other that we can hardly believe we have this opportunity to see so many beautiful things and visit so many amazing places. The last two port stops again were far beyond our expectations. Puerto Montt in Chile is not an outstanding city in itself, but it has a marvelous large craft and fish market area, and it is the gateway to what is called the Lakes Region of Chile. We took the first tender ashore and spent the whole morning in the craft/fish market. We saw some truly splendid craft items at incredible prices, and probably would have bought a bunch if we did not have to be concerned about space and weight for our return. For example hand carved wooden cups for a couple of dollars, knitted hats for $2.50, hand crafted sail boats and schooners for $5-$10, beautiful wool sweaters and scarves for under $20. We could not resist purchasing a few small items, but had to pass up many that were too large or heavy.
We had lunch in a restaurant recommend by one of the craft merchants and the food was exceptional, starting with a bowl full of what looked like sofa pillas with some salsa and creamy sauce to eat with them. Talk about delicious! We could not resist and before we knew it we had eaten the whole basket of more than a dozen of these delicacies. Ronnie had an equally delicious soup and huge salad, and I had the local fish called Congrio. You would probably think I was exaggerating to say it was the best white fish I ever had, but it truly was. Neither one of us could finish our meals, but we certainly enjoyed them!
After lunch we decided to try walking to the downtown until we met some ship people returning from there. God must have been watching over us, because they basically said “Don’t bother,” so we decided to turn around and see about a taxi to see the nearby lake. However, it was a cloudy day and we were not sure we would be able to see much. Ronnie was at first reluctant, but because it was late in the day, I found a taxi driver who was willing to drive us to two of the quaint towns on the lake for $50 round trip. Earlier in the day we had been offered the same trip for $80-$150. Ronnie asked the port authority person if the taxi driver was ok, and when he nodded yes, she told him she would hold him responsible if we didn’t get back in one piece and on time before the ship departed. Later when we returned he seemed quite happy to see us, and we told him that our driver was indeed quite good.
After stopping by our driver’s house to pick up his cell phone (where we met his wife and granddaughter), we drove about 25 minutes on a good four lane toll road to Fruitillar, a town which grew out of a German settlement and still has a Germanic character. Ronnie really wanted to stop only at a town closer to the ship, but I somewhat (yes not somehow, but somewhat – I kept getting these looks which said if we don’t back to the ship in time you will be in deep you-know-what) convinced her that we had plenty of time. In the end we were both so glad we (I) decided to go there. By the time we arrived the clouds had cleared and it was bright and sunny. We were overwhelmed by the beauty of four snow capped volcanoes rising above this picturesque lake and sandy beach filled with Chilean tourists (it was the last weekend of summer before school resumed). With the addition of the Germanic looking architecture, the whole scene was truly breathtaking.
We stopped at a couple of spots for photos and a drink, then drove back to Puerto Varas, the larger town closer to the ship. Here one volcano was visible, but shrouded in clouds. The views were therefore not as dramatic, and the town showed all the signs of a larger tourist destination, including some large condominium complexes on the hills overlooking the lake. The driver treated us like royalty, stopping traffic so we could cross the street, waiting for us in no parking zones, and of course opening the car doors to escort us in and out of the taxi (it was a rather small Nissan, like a Stanza but with a different name). He drove back into Puerto Montt by a different road, which gave us an idea of the lush countryside and the thousands of tract houses in the suburbs. Aside from mobile homes, the houses are smaller than anything I have seen in the states, probably no more than 20 feet wide and just a few feet between them. Apparently they were built in an effort to get people out the squatter shacks, and the price is low (about $25,000 US) and the payments quite low as well.
The best part of the return trip was the view coming back into town, over a hill with a dramatic view of the harbor and our ship. We drove through the downtown and although it was not terribly exciting, it seemed better than we had been led to believe. We had no regrets in any case, and we got back to the ship a couple of hours before the departure time.
March 2, 2009
Yesterday I didn’t get to our visit to Valparaiso, which was a real highlight of Chile. We had debated taking an excursion to Santiago, but several people, including the ship’s lecturer (Terry Breen, a cultural anthropologist, who is an excellent speaker and has become a friend of ours) told us to spend the time in Valparaiso rather than driving the 3+ hour round trip to Santiago. The ship actually had a free shuttle to the nicer part of Valparaiso metro area, called Vena del Mar. So we took an early shuttle there, and were lucky to have a guide on our shuttle who took us on a mini-tour of the city on the way to the drop off point. Again, we were surprised by the beauty of this area, with wide tree-lined streets and exquisitely manicured gardens.
Believe it or not, the first thing we did was go to a shopping area (recommended by one of our shipmates) with hair salons (there were a bunch of them in this one enclosed atrium kind of area with a gradually rising ramp around the perimeter), and I got an excellent hair cut for 3,000 pesos, which is $5. Compare that to the $45 they charge on the ship! Then we found an eyeglass place where Ronnie was tempted to buy a pair of trendy white frames, but decided she really didn’t love them.
From there we walked down the main street (called Ave. de Libertad, or Freedom Avenue) across a bridge and right into, believe it or not, a huge market of local crafts. Yes, we should stay away from these things, but you never know what you might find! We have seen perhaps hundreds of sweaters in all the cities we have visited. Neither of us showed any interest, since, after all, we live in Florida and the occasions for sweaters are few and far between. But this time Ronnie decided to try one on. It looked good on her, but then the vendor (who knitted them) suggested another one. This one didn’t look good, it looked smashing on her (she wore it that night and received tones of compliments). The woman was more than sweet, and I think Ronnie would have bought almost anything from her, but the $17 hand knitted sweater was a real bargain.
We walked a little further and took a tour through a couple of museums, including one which had a special exhibit on the history of Easter Island. Since we are going there, we decided to pay the big $3 a person admission, and it was well worth it. Then we headed to the beach, with a stop on the way for lunch at a local deli (we decided to go for the one packed with locals, and it was the right choice). We had a delicious vegetable dish inside a thin breaded crust, which we split. Afterwards, we walked the boardwalk along the beach, lined with (can you guess it?) more craft (and beach item) merchants. Yes, I was the one who gave into temptation by buying an appealing $5 hat. I know, where are we going to put all this stuff? We then headed back to the main square where we picked up the shuttle back to the ship. On the shuttle we found that one of our English shipmates had been pickpocketed coming out of a shop. It was upsetting, of course, and they even chased after the guy, but he didn’t get much since our friend’s cash was in another pocket and the one credit card he did get he cancelled immediately. One of the locals helped him and they spent an hour or so in the police station . Honestly, we have never felt unsafe anywhere in South America, but we have been careful and avoided sketchy areas as well as dressing too touristy. This was just a reminder to be vigilant.
March 3, 2009
Just a quick note on today’s stop at Robinson Crusoe island. It rained most of the day and the sea was rough enough that they couldn’t tender us ashore. Not really a big loss, since there are only 700+ residents on the island, and there is not much to the town, although the terrain is quite striking. Yes, there really was a Scotsman named Alexander Selkirk who lived on the island alone for four years and four months until he was rescued. Daniel Defoe based his novel Robinson Crusoe on this man’s experience. Some of the residents did come on the ship to entertain us with music and even brought souvenirs. Thankfully nothing interested us except a couple of postcards, but the people dressed either as Alexander Selkirk or as pirates put on a cute show. And the lobster they served for lunch, caught by the fisherman on the island was about the best I have ever tasted.
We are now on rough seas for three days headed for Easter Island. Some people are on this segment just to see the island, so we are all holding positive thoughts about being able to get ashore when we arrive there. Our thoughts and prayers are with each of you who read this. We appreciate your love, prayers and support as well!
Wow beautiful photo of the mountain! Really hope you get to Easter Island. It is supposed to be really neat.
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