Puerto Montt, chile

Puerto Montt is a relatively young city, founded in 1853 after immigration sponsored by Germany. The German influence is still strong with a significant percentage of the population identifying with a German heritage and it supports a German school.

Puerto Montt has gained renown as the second largest salmon producer in the world (after Norway). The economy is strong and unemployment at 3%. It is the capital of the region (Chile has regions rather than states or provinces). It is also home to 4 universities and 5 technical schools and has a stong public and private education system.

This area is known as the Lakes District and has 2,000 islands, only half of which are inhabited. The houses are typically clad in wooden shakes, in a scalloped pattern which gives the houses a European flavor. The houses built by the early German immigrants are large, 2 stories houses with turrets and lots of windows. They would not look out of place in downtown Toronto.

The houses built by the Chilean people tend to be single-story and much simpler. They are heated by wood, although Chile is making efforts to develop renewable energy. Stores and industries tend to be in steel clad buildings, all of which look very similar so it is difficult to know who is making or selling, what. Neighborhoods are doted with small mini-marts, often built into the ground floor of the family home.

The main employers in this area are the salmon fishery, farming (dairy, pork and potatoes) and tourism; fly fishing is a big draw to this area.

From Puerto Montt, we drove to Frutillar, a charming Bavarian-style village on the edge of Lago Llanquihue.. It was a beautiful drive along a winding road and we kept catching glimpses of Volcan Osorno which gradually emerged as morning mist burned off. (It bears a strong resemblance to Mount Fuji.) Frutillar is reminiscent of the tourist areas like Niagara on the Lake or Lake Louise. Fortunately it is the start of the summer so the crowds were minimal. There is clearly a pride of property here and the gardens were gorgeous with rhododendrons, roses, lilies, lilacs, wisteria and others in full bloom.

We finished our day with lunch and craft shopping in Puerto Vares before hitting one more craft market just outside the pier gates. The weather improved steadily all day and by the time we returned to the ship, our jackets were off!

Thank you to the Hadleys for arranging this tour with ViaTours.

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