Embarkation at Valparaiso

December 20, 2015

After a farewell to Juan Castro at the hotel, Miriam and Patrick boarded a private van for the 2 hour drive to Valparaiso. Traffic was heavy in the middle of town, with a large Sunday market underway. Arriving at the cruise ship passenger terminal we filled out health forms and boarded busses to the ship. Final check-in took place on board with white gloved porters taking your hand luggage and escorting you to the check-in area on deck 6.  After brief formalities we headed to deck 8 for a light lunch while our suites were readied.  We chose Greek salads and grilled white fish.  Our suite was ready shortly after 2pm and we entered and were greeted by our stewardess, Kirsty, from South Africa, with champagne and appetizers. After settling in we went to the lifeboat drill and then the departure from Valparaiso.  We were followed out of the harbor by two other cruise ships, the Zaandam and the Celebrity Infinity.  We would see both ships several times over the next few days.

As the Seabourn Quest left the dock, the hills reminded us of San Francisco, minus the Coit Tower. The  Seabourn Quest headed out of the harbor and turned south for a day at sea before we arrive at Puerto Montt. With a SW swell of 2-3 meters, the gentle roll was pleasant for us, but not for everyone.

Our Sloan Classmate Juan Castro

The Hills of Valparaiso

After unpacking our bags we headed to the Observation Bar for a cocktail and then dinner in Restaurant 2, by reservation. There we met Dave and Eva Schoonmaker for the second time, having met them at the hotel in Santiago during breakfast. The menu is a fixed tasting menu and very good. After dinner we headed to The Club on Deck 5 for dancing and music before calling it a night.

Sunset our first night at sea

December 21 – At Sea

Exercise in the morning, followed by an introduction to the Expedition Team.  We had the first session with the Photographers, Pat & Rosemarie Keough.  They are from Saltspring Island. We then had to prepare for the first formal night and the Captain’s Reception followed by dinner in the main restaurant. The show started at 2145 and consisted of the vocal team of entertainers on board.

December 22 – Puerto Montt

The ship arrived just before 1000 and we headed ashore by tender in the rain. Boarding busses we headed out of Puerto Montt to Puerto Varas and then followed the Petrohue River to it’s origin in the Emerald Lake (local name is Todo de los Santos). The lake lies at the base of several volcanoes.  Signs of the recent eruptions were still very evident, with ash deposits everywhere,

Cruising in the rain on the Emerald Lake

Part of the Petrohue River

Boarding a tour boat we headed out into the lake in heavy rain with a partial view of the volcanoes.  Stopping partway down the river we viewed the waterfalls and then back to Puerto Varas for lunch and some shopping before finally returning to the ship at nearly 1900. The ship departed Puerto Montt at 2000.

Artisan Market at Puerto Varas

Local boats - Puerto Varas

Ibis watching us at lunch through the window in the rain

We had dinner in the Colonnade, joining another couple from Texas. We were exhausted, so skipped the show.

The crew is beginning to get the ship decorated for Christmas, with trees and gingerbread houses in several locations. We have poinsettias in our cabin, along with the decorations that Miriam had in her luggage.

December 23 – Castro, Isla Chiloe

Castro is an Unesco site with 16 historic churches.  We anchored behind the Celebity Infinity and later the Zaandam also arrived and anchored.  We did not opt for the church tour and ran out of time to explore any of them.  We had a very early departure for the Chiloe National Park on the windward side of the island, a drive of about 90 minutes. Once at the park, the weather alternated between sun and rain as we went on a several kilometer nature walk through the rain forest. Some of the walk was on a boardwalk, but much was a muddy trail due to the rain.  This was the same area in which Charles Darwin landed during the voyage of the Beagle.

Same Area as Darwin explored

Looking across the lake

The boardwalk Trail, some was just mud

The size of the vegetation was incredible

We had a heavy snack before returning to the ship about 1330, just in time for some cleanup and a light lunch on-board at the Patio Grill consisting of local grilled seafood. There was a sailaway party at 1600 with Belgian Waffles, crepes and sweet pancakes, all with local jams and jellies, as we headed back out of the harbor and wound our way through the islands on the east side of Chiloe and then out into the open ocean.

One of the 16 Unesco Churches in Castro

Pole houses along the water like in Ketchikan

Cruising out of Castro to the open sea

There are massive aquaculture operations all over

After the sail-away party there was a “block party” where everyone on your deck gathered to share drinks, appetizers and meet each other and the crew allocated to your deck. We then went to the main restaurant for a delicious dinner which included lamb, scallops and other delectables. The entertainment this evening was a harpist, really good.

Some of the Christmas Decorations

The main spiral staircase all decorated

Tomorrow we begin our cruise through the Chilean Fjords as we celebrate Christmas Eve on the Seabourn Quest. The weather is not cooperating, with windy rainy conditions expected.