The next two days at sea we cruised the Strait of Magellan and Chilean fjords.
We cruised the Sarmiemto Channel, Summer Pass and Shoal Pass. Highlights definitely included seeing the Bruhall and Brujo glaciers. At each glacier the Captain slowed the ship down and very slowly turned the ship 360 degrees so that both the starboard and port sides of the ship had great views.
It was hard to stop for three meals during the day for fear of missing something. The beauty is indescribable.
On January 3rd we reached the port of Puerto Chacabuco (population 1,200) Chile. Puerto Aysén (population 23,959) is nine miles away and was originally a large deep-draft vessels port city until erosion had an impact on the riverbead.

Prison
There is not a lot to do in this small towns so we booked an excursion of northern Patagonia and the town of Coyhaique. The main highlight of this excursion was the views.
Coyhaique, pop 54,000, was an unusual city. Our tour guide was from the city and she left to go to vet school. She has two semesters left and supplements her income by giving tours during the high tourist season. When she finishes school, she wants to come back to her hometown. She knows she could move to a larger city and make much more money, but that doesn’t interest her. What I found unusual was the town’s lackadaisical attitude toward tourists. Even though the town is known for many craft markets with handmade items native to the region, many of the stores were closed. Our guide said they show up when they feel like it, take a long lunch break from 12 to 3 and may show up again from 3 to 6. She even went so far as to call the people lazy. In most tourist towns, especially during high season when most of the money is made, people open early and close late to take advantage of the tourists eager to spend money. Not here. This didn’t bother us since we are not souvenir hunters except for the occasional refrigerator magnet. But from the few markets open they did have some beautiful hand made items, including items made from sheepskin.

We Are Getting Closer

Coyhaique Is a Developed City
The Monumento al Ovejero is a commemorative structure that honors the rural traditions and ranching wealth of the Magallanes region.

House Made With a Container
We stopped by The Simpson River, listed as the fourth best river for fly fishing in the world. Their visitor center had a stuff fox.
We also stopped for a quick look at this waterfall and memorial.
By now everyone was starving and we stopped at a restaurant where they served us beef and cheese empanadas, skewers of beef and chicken and fruit. We were offered mango or strawberry juice, wine and their pisco sours. The pisco sour is a strong alcoholic cocktail popular in Peru and Chile. Our guide warned us they were very good and very strong. One was definitely enough.
An enjoyable day in Chile!
Next up: Puerto Montt, Chile