Members of the “The Summit Travel Club” got enthusiastic with our presentations about our different trips to Chile and they asked us if we could put together a trip for them.

It was plenty of research, but I managed to contact three different companies that agreed to provide an estimate for a trip to Chile for eleven travelers. It would go from Dallas to Santiago, Chile, and then to the northern part of Patagonia, starting at Puerto Montt, and then going south to the Island of Chiloe to see penguins and seals and hopefully whales.

After carefully studying the three estimates we decided to go with a tour company in Chile: Patagonia Southernland Expeditions owned by a professional Chilean travel consultant and guide who had studied tourism in New Zealand. His name was Andres Oyarzún.

He offered a twelve-day trip staying in a boutique hotel in Santiago, the capital; a motel in Puerto Varas, close to Puerto Montt; another motel in Ancud; and a hotel in Quellón, on the Island of Chiloé. Then back to the capital; a tour to Valparaiso and Vina del Mar from Santiago; ending with a visit to the Los Dominicos Arts and Crafts Village in Las Condes near Santiago. Then the flight back to Dallas.

I also contacted a girl in Quellón, Chiloe, who offered two tours in the Golfo de Reloncavi to try to find whales. The trip would be in February 2015.

Unfortunately, at the last minute one couple could not go because of health reasons, so we ended up being seven ladies and one couple, Patsy and Paul. The ladies were Cheryl, Camilla, Lee Lee, Patty, Kristie, Karelin, and me.

We all got our plane tickets, individually, with Copas, the airline from Panama. The more inexpensive flight turned out to be from Houston. So, we got tickets on Southwest Airlines to go from Dallas to Houston and then to Santiago overnight. The flight is a bit more than 9 hours, so we arrived in the morning at the Arturo Merino Benítez airport in Santiago. During the flight and early in the morning we had the opportunity to see the snow-covered Andes mountains that form the backbone of the country of Chile.

A van was waiting for us at noon to take us to the hotel in Providencia–boutique Hotel Oporto. The hotel was modest but clean. The only traveler with ‘single’ accommodations we had in the group was pleased with her accommodations. That night we took taxis and went to the famous Costanera Center Mall where we separated into small groups and had “onces-comida” (tea and dinner) at different restaurants.

The next day we did a tour in Santiago with a guide who was also a senior. Our first stop was the historical downtown. We saw the Presidential Palace “La Moneda” and Constitution Square. We also saw the Ex-National Congress building and the Justice Tribunal buildings in route to the Plaza de Armas (Main Square). We visited the Municipal Cathedral, and saw the Ex-Governor’s Palace, the Main Post Office, and the National Historic Museum. During the tour, we enjoyed a nice lunch in the local market of Santiago and visited the picturesque Central Market. Then we crossed the “Mapocho River” and went to the bohemian “Bellavista” district around San Cristóbal Hill. We took the funicular to visit the hill, ate the famous “mote con huesillos” and enjoyed the view of the Gran Santiago. Afterwards, we stopped to buy lapis lazuli, a semi-precious blue stone found only in Chile and Afghanistan. To round out the tour, we passed through the modern residential areas of the city enjoying the European and modern architecture. Our tour finished back at the Boutique Hotel Oporto.

Next day we went back to the airport to take the plane to Puerto Montt.

There was Andres waiting for us at the Puerto Montt airport, and we surprised him–all our group was wearing T-shirts with the name of his company. (And we also had one for him!)

Karelin and I have gotten to know him better since our first contact through email in 2014. We looked at his Website, and Karelin and I decided to help him to organize it, make it more attractive and in much better English. We kept doing this for years.

We departed from the airport in Puerto Montt through the Pan-American Highway which starts in Alaska in the U.S. and ends in Puerto Montt in the Lake District of Chile. We continued into Puerto Montt, the capital of the Lake District, stopping for lunch at Angelmo Market, the largest Fish & Art Market in Southern Chile. The market is divided into the food area and crafts area. We had a very typical Chilean meal at a restaurant that Andres had arranged to serve us. Most of us had a typical Curanto en Olla, consisting of sea food, longanizas (special sausages), lamb, chicken, pork, potatoes, rice and savory condiments like garlic, pepper, cilantro, and more.

After lunch we took a stroll through the produce area of the market while our group marveled at the colorful potatoes, luscious green veggies, all kinds of sea food and fish, clean and well displayed. The we continued through the rest of the market before journeying to Frutillar by the Pan-American Highway.

We arrived in Frutillar thinking that we had arrived at a German village. All that area in the south lakes region of Chile was colonized by Germans. Traveling here it was hard not to feel that we had been somehow transported to Germany. In this town we walked a little along the Llanquihue Lake which is the third largest natural lake in South America and second largest in Chile (886.000 Km. Sq. and 350 meters deep).

Then we continued to visit Puerto Varas, which is a beautiful town in the Lake District known as “city of the roses”. From this city we saw the Osorno Volcano (8730-foot high) and Calbuco Volcano (6610 feet high), and other volcanoes located in the Andino Mountain Range. There we enjoyed the local cuisine and a pastry for our once-comida (tea and dinner) at a posh restaurant overlooking the lake. Then we were taken to our accommodation at our B&B called “Canales Del Sur”. A busy day awaited us.

Next morning we departed from the hotel in Puerto Varas and after one hour we arrived at Pargua, a small port on the Chacao Channel. There we took the ferry. This full day excursion allowed us to visit the northern part of Chiloe Island and the Gulf of Ancud. After traveling across the Chacao Channel for 30 minutes, watching a variety of birds and sea lions, we arrived at Chiloé, the island where my mother was born.

Chiloé’s Isla Grande (Main Island) is the second-largest island in Latin America, after Tierra del Fuego. Like a great ship moored off the Chilean coast it seems to float, surrounded by several smaller constellations of islands called the “Chauques,” “Quenac,” “Quehui,” “Chaulinec,” and “Desertores.” Some of these islands are so close to each other they are joined at low tide. The low mountains along the west coast of the main island are nevertheless high enough to stop the damp winds blowing off the Pacific, creating a slightly drier microclimate along the interior sea, where virtually all the settlements are located.

We passed through Ancud, a city that we were to visit later, and we traveled to the southwest coast of the island of Chiloé to reach the islands in the Pacific Ocean where a colony of Magellanic and Humboldt penguins can be seen in the summer season from November to March. The “Islotes de Puñihuil”, (small island) is the only place in the Pacific, where these species are found together as they migrate in the summer season. Puñihuil is a secluded fishing village that has maintained a perfectly balanced relationship with three islets that make up this unique ecosystem where these two types of penguins, Magellanic and Humboldt interact with each other and nest. We embarked from the beach on carts with wheels, pushed by several local men, that took us out into the surf to our boats. During our sailing trip we observed and admired not only the penguins but other marine species such as birds like Carancas adn cormorants, and sea lions. After our penguin adventure, we came back for lunch at Puñihuil where we found a delicious fish and seafood menu.

Then we went back to the city of Ancud to walk around the “Costanera” before arriving at our B&B. Our accommodation’s name was “Lluhay’. It was extremely picturesque and not the best we had been in. The owner was an old lady who had built more and more rooms with a small budget and old fashion style. The most amazing part was the bathrooms that have been tiled with tiles that the owner found on sale. Each bathroom had walls and floors with the same incredible colorful tiles.

On our next day, we traveled through Chiloe Island to go to the city of Quellón. Our first visit was the former Convent of the Immaculate Conception, now a museum, where we appreciated the restoration work of the “Friends of the Churches of Chiloé.” Our goal was to see at least some of the famous 70 Churches of Chiloe which are a unique example in Latin America of wooden architecture. They represent a tradition initiated by the Jesuit Peripatetic Mission in the 17th and 18th centuries, continued and enriched by the Franciscans during the 19th century. The churches represent the quite different Chilote architecture, an Indigenous tradition of building in wood, influenced by boat-building techniques. The construction does not include nails at all. The local wood is cut into special locking joints that resist wind and earthquakes. At the Museum, we saw a small church model with its high tower, that shows how no matter how much it is pushed by the visitors it remains intact. The orientation and location of the churches is deliberate. They were built on high ground to be easily seen by seafaring navigators, and to prevent flooding. The churches have been declared World Heritage sites by UNESCO. After we left the Museum and its wonderful young and enthusiastic guide, we continued by van to see the churches of “San Juan” in Dalcahue village, “San Francisco” in Castro, the capital of Chiloé, “Nuestra Señora de Gracias” in Nercón village, “San Antonio” de Vilupulli and “Nuestra Señora del Rosario” in Chonchi. In Castro we also enjoyed visiting the palafitos (stilt houses) along the river. We also visited with female police officers, boy scouts, a “tuna” band that played Spanish Medieval music, and artisans at the local handcrafts market fairs. Then we arrived at Quellón. There we were going to stay for three nights to embark on our search for whales.

At Quellón we stayed in the best Hotel of the trip, the “Patagonia Insular” with beautiful gardens and excellent food. The hotel had sent us the following warning: “Even in summer, cold and rainy days predominate, but their proximity to the south pole and the decrease in sun protection of the ozone layer in these latitudes, make these areas places with a high risk of sunstroke on sunny days.”

So, the next day, well equipped with appropriate clothes, the hotel van took us to the wharf where fishermen were collecting their catches of the night: fishes, clams, mussels, and other sea food. We embarked in our ship “Don Olega 1” to spend 5 to 6 hours of navigation in the Gulf of Corcovado for whale watching! We started navigating near the monument of Point Zero which is the original end of the Pan American Highway in Quellón. The probabilities of sightings whales were good in mid-February, but this time whales decided to go to Argentina instead of Chile, and we did not see them at all. However, our excursion was full of views of penguins, seals, tuninas (Chilean dolphins), otters, and all kind of marine birds and impressive sights of islands even small ones never visited by humans. Also, we learned about the salmon and oyster industry in Chile. That area was full of salmon farming and oyster aquaculture.

Our second day in Quellón we did a navigation like the first day, but since it was my birthday, the organizer of the excursions, Ana Maria Jaramillo invited us to her home on the island of Cailin, for a surprise “asado al palo.” This was a “roast to the post” of a whole slow-roasted lamb served with huge Chiloe potatoes and all kind of veggies and good wine. All this looking at a native forest and the beach and views of the Corcovado gulf. One of our ladies in the group played soccer with the kids after lunch. A black and grey kitty spent all the time we were there on my lap. That was the best birthday present!

That night we also celebrated my birthday at the hotel with a special dinner and plenty of excellent “pisco sours,” the typical Chilean cocktail.

Next day we departed from our hotel in Quellón and drove for 93 Miles to San Antonio area, where our “Curanto” waited for us! This beloved Chilote bake, and event, consists of shellfish, potato flatbread, and meat. The food is traditionally cooked in a pit covered with seaweed or very large leaves of nalca, an indigenous plant, related to rhubarb. No Curanto is complete without Chilote music and dancing, copious amounts of red wine, chicha (fermented fruit cider, usually apple), and Pisco sours. Our hosts were Doña Maria Luisa and her husband Don Hardy. She is not only the pioneer of Agrotourism in Chiloé, a kind of tourism where people visit farms and ranches for a taste of rural life, but she was also the inspiration for the main character of an Isabel Allende’s book.

We enjoyed the pisco sours while watching the preparations of a hole in the ground! First, the coals are heated in a large tin cylinder, then poured into the hole. Shellfish, mainly mussels, are poured in first, followed by smoked pork, chicken legs, sausages, and potatoes (with more than 150 types of potato on Chiloé there is no lack of choice). The whole feast is then covered with turf and nalca leaves and left for a few hours to cook. We waited for more than an hour visiting the gardens, pigs, and chickens that the hosts raise at the farm.

The lunch was amazing and everybody in the group enjoyed it. After a little bit of rest, we continued our journey to Ancud, to visit the San Antonio Fortress, the Local Market, and the Museum. From there we returned to Puerto Varas and our accommodation in our B&B, “Canales Del Sur.”

Next morning we had a tour around the Llanquihue Lake. Small towns and “Puertos” (ports) surround it. Puerto Varas, where we stayed, was founded in 1853 by German colonists in their efforts to colonize this forest covered land. The commune was created on December 30, 1925.

We arrived in “Villa Ensenada” on the shore of the Volcano Osorno (8730-feet) and went into the Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park and the Laguna Verde area. These parks are amazingly beautiful. We had the opportunity to visit the beautiful perfect cone volcano “Osorno,” and we marveled at the magnificent views around a ski resort. The resort was closed because it was summer, but we had the opportunity to see the splendid views of the snowed Andes mountains from a distinct perspective and appreciated the scale of the Llanquihue lake in all its splendor.

Then we took the road through the foothills of the Osorno volcano to ”Las Cascadas Village” located at 22 kms. Our route was surrounded by native trees and sandy beaches. Then we arrived at Puerto Octay, located on the north shore of the lake, marked by the huge German influence of “Casonas Germanas” (German huge houses) and agricultural fields.

We had another great German style lunch at the Hotel Haase in Puerto Octay.

After lunch we continued around the lake, and we stopped for tea at The Lavender Tea House. There we went to see the lavender fields and then we had a splendid tea with kuchen and sandwiches and the wonderful company of a big yellow cat.

From there again to “Frutillar.” In this town, every year between 27 January and 5 February, a festival of classical music, known internationally as “The Music Weeks Frutillar” occasion on which the town is decked out to welcome tourists from around the world who come to enjoy the show. We had time to walk and explore its beautiful gardens and even eat more delicious German pastries.

Always bordering Lake Llanquihue, we headed to the town of Llanquihue, famous for its sausages and place of origin of the river Maullín (full of water in the native language), which was part of the old Route of the Settlers. In the town we visited the “Memorial to the German Colonists,” and then we took the Pan-American Highway back to Puerto Varas.

Early on this day we took our next Semi-Private excursion. We took a motor coach in front of the Casino of Puerto Varas and drove along the edge of Lake Llanquihue, near the Calbuco volcano, and then entered the Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park. There we could not only admire the majesty of the Osorno volcano, but we visited the waterfalls of Petrohué River and Lake Todos los Santos.

Then we sailed the beautiful emerald-colored waters of lake Todos Los Santos lake.

We were able to see native forests, mountains, the volcanoes “Puntiagudo,” “Calbuco” and “Tronador,” hills and waterfalls. All the group was enthusiastically taking pictures of these unforgettable views.

We arrived in Peulla which is a little mountain village situated on the eastern shore of Lake Todos los Santos. Peulla is a small ecological town with 120 inhabitants that is part of the famous “Cruce Andino” tourist circuit. We had lunch at the Nature Patagonia Hotel in Peulla where again the food was excellent.

Then back to the pier and return to Puerto Varas. That night we had dinner at a hotel near the B&B that was right at the edge of Lake Llanquihue.

Next morning Andres took us back to Puerto Montt’s airport “El Tepual” to take our flight back to Santiago. We arrived in Santiago’s airport after lunch and our guide took us to the the beautiful San Francisco Church built in 1543 and declared a National Monument in 1951. We saw the main buildings of the University of Chile and Catholic University, the Baquedano square (where we could see the building where my parents lived when I was born), and some of the modern buildings in the Providencia neighborhood. After we were back at the hotel, we ended up going for dinner back to the restaurants at the Costanera Center Mall.

Another adventure waited for us the next day. We were picked up from our hotel in a van and traveled through the picturesque Chilean countryside, including the famous wine-producing valleys of Casablanca, where we enjoyed a nice lunch at “Macerado Restaurant in ViñaMar Wineries.” We also had time to visit the Cellar and took a “Wine Tour.”

Then, we drove to Valparaiso city, another UNESCO World Heritage City, and also sister city of San Francisco, CA. The tour took us for a drive through Valparaiso passing the National Congress building, we walked through Plaza Sotomayor (Valparaiso Main square) and then to the famous Prat Quay where we saw numerous fisherman boats, tourist ships, and some of the major ships of the Chilean Navy. We enjoyed smelling that sea air.

Then we continued to the port business area (Valparaiso’s Wall Street) where we enjoyed seeing “Plaza de La Victoria”, admiring among other things, the sculpture of the four seasons and the quaint nineteenth century buildings, from the port’s golden times. Then we headed towards the “Cerro Artillería.” This is Valparaiso’s most outstanding viewpoint, where we enjoyed the real flavor and magic of “La Perla del Pacifico” (“the pearl of the Pacific”, Valparaiso’s nickname). We were amazed with the beautiful and famous “murals” in all Valparaiso’s hills we visited. After an excellent lunch at Fauna restaurant, we took the Concepcion Funicular down the hill back to the van.

Later, we traveled to Viña del Mar, “la Ciudad Jardin” (The garden city); where we saw the famous “Flower Clock,” Casino (built in the 1930’s) and drove through residential neighborhoods with their varied architecture and well-groomed parks and gardens. Traveling along the coastal road we arrived at the beautiful beaches in the area of Reñaca where we found delicious ice creams.

Going back to Santiago we stopped for “teatime” at Restaurant Millahue in Curacavi, the area famous for the most typical Chilean pastry.

Next day we had time in the morning to pack and have our bags ready for our last tour before taking our plane back to the U.S. At noon we were picked up and taken to explore the quaint handicraft village of Los Dominicos in the heritage zone of Santiago.

Located next to the National Monument of “La Iglesia San Vicente Ferrer”, the village has about fifty shops constructed from mud and straw, selling a variety of crafts made from natural materials, such as leather, wood, straw, silver, and lapis Lazuli. We had the opportunity to watch as the craftspeople transformed baked mud, roots, and metal into artistic pieces, and hear about the cultural events, including theater, music, painting, and traditional dance that occur year-round in the community. Our lunch again was fabulous, trying “pastel de choclos,” empanadas and many other delicacies.

Next, we strolled through the park of “Las Esculturas” on the north side of the Mapocho River”. This open-air museum features about thirty permanent large sculptures by noted Chilean artists. We admired the artwork and also the interesting building of the Municipalidad de Vitacura (Vitacura City Hall). We briefly returned to the hotel to pick up our luggage and drove to Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport of Santiago.

It was an overnight flight again. A few days after we returned to our homes, we created a PowerPoint presentation with pictures from several members of the group and showed it at the Summit Travel Club. Mission accomplished and incredibly happy travelers.