Today we made our first landfall of the cruise, Puerto Montt, Chile. We had chosen to go on an all day excursion, so had to get up at 6, eat breakfast in the room, and then go down to the meeting area to get on the tenders. Once we got to the port on the tenders, our bags were checked for food (not allowed into Chile), and we were able to find our bus. Miguel was our guide and he was very good, being a native of this area of Chile. We drove through Puerto Montt, then Puerto Varas, stopping a couple of times for scenic overlooks.

It was a clear and beautiful day and we were able to see the Osorno Volcano the whole way to our first destination which was Petrohue Falls. Since it is summer, the water is low, but the rapids and fall were still amazing. We walked out to several overlooks and got to experience nature at its best.

Next, we drove up the Osorno Volcano. The panoramic view was astounding, and we could see across Patagonia into Argentina. Alan went for a couple of mile hike up the volcano, and I comfortably stayed in the bus.

We journeyed back down the volcano and after about an hour, got to the town of Puerto Varas. Puerto Varas was settled by German immigrants in the mid-19^th century. Farmers in Germany were offered a substantial piece of land if they would emigrate from Germany and settle in this area of Chile and farm their land. The architecture and the food in the area reflects this German heritage. We stopped at the Bella Vista hotel and restaurant and had a multicourse feast. We started with empanadas and salsa, then vegetable soup, amazing Atlantic salmon, cream corn, and then a meringue and cherry dessert. This was accompanied, by pisco sours, choices of wine, and bottled water. After lunch we walked and got some coffee.

We wandered around the town square afterwards, stopping for a coffee, and then reboarded our bus to return to the tenders that would take us to the ship. It felt as though all 3000 passengers were at the Pier, going through security and lining up for the tenders. Princess is VERY organized so it went quickly and we are now back on board the ship, getting ready to leave Puerto Montt. Right now, this is our view from our balcony—stunning!

The next two days will be spent cruising the fiords and glaciers fields of Chile. We land in Punta Arenas on Monday. More from the Glaciers later.