A Tale of Two Puertos: Parte 1, Puerto Chacabuco

Puerto Chacabuco, just before sunrise

February 7, 2019, Puerto Chacabuco, Chile — Yes, I’m still here. Four of the past six have been ‘sea days’ with lots of activities but not much travel news. Among the activities, after sea-daily 8 a.m. Pilates or yoga, was one lecture on Antarctica expeditionists Scott, Amundsen and Shackleton and how their leadership styles differed. Followed by one on Shackleton’s ill-fated voyage and his incredible rescue of his team. Unlike Scott’s final expedition to reach the South Pole, where all perished, all Shackleton’s 28 men survived their attempt to cross Antarctica. I’ll let you read about it on Wikipedia.

Another interesting lecture was ‘The Return of the Dragon: European Sunset / Pacific Dawn,’ about the fairly recent resurgence of China as a world economic power. According to our speaker, China was the dominant power for 12 of the past 15 centuries, and by 2030, it will displace the U.S. and become the dominant world economic power. By 2054, China will still be on top, and the silver medal will go to India. The U.S. will be reduced to the bronze.

Now back to Travel News. I’m still in Patagonia, which is half in Argentina, half in Chile. Patagonia’s population density is less than the Sahara’s!

Chile boasts many places called ‘Puerto....’ Since the country is 2,600 miles long but only 217 miles across at its widest point, there are bound to be numerous ports.

Puerto Chacabuco, located at the tip of the Aisen (aka Aysén) Fjord and at the foot of the Andes, was named for an 1817 battle between independence-minded Chileans and Spanish forces. Chacabuco boasts 1500 people, so when the Sun docked, we doubled the population for the day. It wasn’t until the mid- to late 1800’s that Chile advertised in Europe to encourage immigrants to come here: they needed workers, and the government gave them land as an inducement. There were no roads, only trails, until the 20th century.

We had been warned that our guides in this small town would be volunteers (not professional guides) and we should be satisfied with what we got. I got a young German, Nils, who moved here to be with his Chilean girlfriend. I asked what he does when he’s not tour guiding. ‘Wood.’ ‘So you’re a woodworker?’ ‘No, I’m a lumberjack.’ There are lots of trees and lumbering, along with agriculture and aquaculture (think salmon and shellfish farming). I saw horses, cattle, milk cows, sheep, chickens. Wildlife includes vultures, condors and puma — our guide had heard one meowing (loudly) near his tent when he was camping. They are a menace to sheep farmers but can be somewhat controlled by guard dogs: (https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/12/chile-policy-pumas-patagonia-fuels-conflict-ranchers/). From the bus, Nils spotted an ibis and said (remember, he’s German) ‘Ibis are tasting better than goose.’ I saw foxglove, daisies, clover, lots of lupine, a flower I suspect is in the pea family, thistle, fuchsia, maple trees and willow-y bushes, but no willow trees per se.

The Patagonian ice fields are the third largest in the world, after the Antarctic and the Arctic. ‘Patagonia’ gets its name from one of two sources, depending on your guide / lecturer and which country you are in. One said that Magellan had read about a place in Turkey called ‘Paflagonia.’ I like the version where Magellan came upon the native people and exclaimed, ‘My, what big feet you have,’ since they had wrapped their feet in animal skins, like booties. ‘Pata’ is Spanish for an animal’s leg or paw. He also referred to these areas he ‘discovered’ as the Land of Giants: The average Spaniard was well under 5 feet tall, and the South American natives were much larger. Darwin had written that the locals were from six to nine (!!!) feet tall.

We boarded the bus for an hour-long trip from Chacabuco into the surrounding countryside. This is the Aysén Fjord.

Houses outside of town are made of wood or metal. Many are what I would call bungalows. Shipping containers are sometimes repurposed into sheds.

Our destination was the Río Simpson National Reserve.

La Cascada de la Virgen double waterfall...

After the nature reserve, we drove back through the town of Puerto Aysén...

Last lecture report, since some of you out there might want to learn ‘How to Stage

a Military Coup.’ We’re in South America, after all — where every country has experienced at least one coup. (French Guyana has not, but it is a French territory.) These 10 steps are required:

1. Plan

2. Intelligence and counter-intelligence

3. Plan your targets

4. Recruit carefully

5. Enlist useful idiots

6. Choose the moment

7. Decapitate the existing government

8. Be prepared to be ruthless

9. Control the capital

10. Post-coup management

Now you know what to do. #

p.s.