Puerto Montt, Chile (Thursday, March 08)

SIRENA had to anchor, lowering her tenders to take passengers ashore in Puerto Montt.

Sunrise was beautiful but not promising if using the "Red sky by morning..." rule of thumb, especially since multiple online prognosticators predicted a rainy day.

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Today's Tour:  OSORNO VOLCANO, PETROHUE FALLS AND PUERTO VARAS

Your tour begins with a scenic drive to Chile's famous Lake District on route to Petrohue Falls, with panoramic views of Lake Llanquihue and valley of Ensenada. Admire the magnificent view of the snow-capped Osorno Volcano before pausing at the waterfalls of Petrohue.

After visiting these wonderful falls, formed by the descent of the Petrohue River through the volcanic rock deposited there centuries ago, your drive continues on to the majestic Osorno volcano, which reaches 8,700 feet above the sea level. You will reach the area called La Burbuja, or "The Bubble", located at approximately 4,000 feet above sea level. This place is the starting point for those who come to ski on the hillsides of the volcano, and for those who dare climb it. Enjoy free time to walk around looking for the best vistas that will allow you a magnificent view over the whole Petrohue Valley.

Afterwards, travel to the resort community of Puerto Varas, located on the shores of Lake Llanquihue. Here, you'll be treated to lunch and then have time to browse the small handicraft market before returning to the ship.

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Cross overlooking Puerto Montt harbor, amusingly disproportional to the church beside it.

We boarded our bus and departed for Osorno Volcano, our guide Javier explaining (sincerely and multiple times) that bad weather was coming so it was best to go there first.

We rolled along another segment of the Pan-American Highway, then took another road to Puerto Varas, which Javier told us (sincerely and multiple times) was "the city of roses".  We would be returning here later in the tour.

We continued around the southern end of Lake Llanquihue, then started a 4,000' climb up the side of the 8,700' Osorno Volcano.  The bus parked at a ski lodge.  This being summer in Chile, there was no skiing.  It wasn't even cold.  It was very windy.

Fortunately, the weather held, so we got great views up to the top of the ice and snow covered summit and back down into the valley and lake.

Our next stop was Petrohue Falls, a place with less than dramatic falls and a place Pam & I had been to the last time we were in Puerto Montt.  It did provide a nice photo op for a picture of us in front of Osorno Volcano, if only the depth of field had been set correctly.

Our last stop was Puerto Varas where we had a nice lunch, albeit at the Radisson Hotel.  It was followed by a hour of free time to wander around the town.  The sky was cloudy and nothing in the  town caught my eye for a photo.  I did not push the shutter button once.

As we left Puerto Varas, it began to rain.  By the time we got to the pier it was raining hard.  Most of the way to the tender pier was under cover, so we stayed reasonably dry getting aboard our ride back to SIRENA.

We weighed anchor on schedule and headed towards Puerto Charabuco.