THE FULL MONTTY

We didn't get off to a good start on arrival in Puerto Montt. It was dark and the rain was hammering down as it had been for hours on the journey down here. Looking forward to a nice warm and cosy welcome from our next B&B we instead were left standing outside on the doorstep getting soaked while the woman pottered around inside playing with the stray dogs she's given a home to rather than helping us humans shivering in the cold outside. Grrrr….Anyway, we made a quick getaway the next morning to Puerto Varas, and headed for another hotel more in the style to which we had quickly become accustomed. It turned out that they had no idea that we were coming thanks to some crossed wires but nonetheless gave us a warm welcome and had soon rustled up a lovely lunch from nowhere, which we ate on the terrace overlooking Lago Llanquihue in the sun (which had finally decided to put in an appearance). This place was more akin to a luxury guest house than a hotel - it had just four luxurious suites and incredible service. There were only four other guests - all charming British retirees - staying there at the time so it was an extremely relaxing place to stay after the 'hardship' our travels so far. We are pleased to report that our studies into how the other half live are coming along nicely. After a delicious dinner cooked by a chef who'd apparently just won Chilean Masterchef or something, the next morning we were taken on a tour with our own guide (Manuel) around the 160km perimeter of the lake via a stunning waterfall with a backdrop of three enormous volcanoes. We drove up one of the volcanoes to see the 'view' but had to use our imaginations to guess what we should have seen as the clouds were so thick. So instead we drove back down to the shore and had a picnic lunch (chilled Chilean Sauvignon Blanc and all) prepared by the hotel on a deserted black volcanic sand beach. Bizarrely, this part of Chile is full of Germans as a result of a huge wave of immigration in the 1870s. The Chilean government encouraged people to move here to this largely uninhabited part of the world as the climate and landscape is similar to southern Germany, to cultivate the land and earn their fortunes (in theory). German-style churches are dotted around and the descendants of the original settlers still run restaurants and cafes selling kuchen and sauerkraut. This, however, didn't detract from our enjoyment of Patagonia and later we returned to our home for a well-deserved dinner. On our last morning Manuel dropped us off in Puerto Montt at the ferry terminal. This is apparently the fastest growing city in the whole of South America, thanks to the rapid development of the salmon farming industry. Great for the economy, not so good for the environment. We had a few hours to kill so went to the fish market for lunch, our last on dry land for four days. Manuel said that the hygienic places were outside the market but that the best, most authentic ones were inside. His boss at the swanky hotel would be horrified to know that he was recommending such street food to guests, but of course he was right. We obviously took the plunge and went for quality over our health, and opted for a dish called 'curancho' which included mussels, scallops and other seafood but also chicken, smoked pork ribs, sausage and potatoes slow cooked in a large pot. Very tasty, and we lived to tell the tale…We went for a walk along the quayside to admire the views of the harbour side and out of the blue, spotted two sea lions playing in the water below us. They were really fun to watch as they swam about and came up for air, all the time on the lookout for fish discarded by the passing boats. In Chile, you quickly realise that they're not very imaginative with their street names - every city has a Avenida Montt, a Calle O'Higgins, a Plaza San Martin or a Parque Prat. Turns out though, according to Manuel, that these heroes of the liberation weren't necessarily all they're now cracked up to be. The aptly named Prat, for one, actually commanded a boat that was ingloriously scuppered. Celebrated national holidays are also a little off-kilter - bizarrely, the Chileans have a day off to mark the day that O'Higgins and San Martin met to discuss liberating the country - the liberation itself isn't honoured.