Farewell to Chile

Sometime after I had been rocked to sleep, snug in my wonderfully comfortable bed, The Insignia left Chilean waters. I have even received a "Certificado de Navegacion del Estrecho de Magallanes - Chile" for successfully passing thru the Chilean portion of the Magellan Straits. Or at least that is my interpretation. This passageway twists and turns with magnificent snowcapped peaks right up to the water's edge. Spectacular is an inadequate description of this land. Unlike in 2020, we took a small detour on our way to Argentina. Whether it was to avoid huge swells in the open waters or allow us to venture into a small channel to appreciate the glaciers therein, I care not. The result was a win/win/win. No one, to my knowledge was seasick, we were able to maintain a satellite feed throughout the Super Bowl with only one brief interruption (unfortunately that was not during halftime!) and we had this glorious view of the largest remaining glaciers in this area. Who could ask for more? Well maybe the Eagles fans? The ship put on a huge Super Bowl Watch Party with three fairly large screens and food and drink galore. Much to our Cruise Director's delight over 50 people were still in the Lounge at game's end - something after midnight our time. The glaciers were coming into view a mere eight and one-half hours later. Speaking of Super Bowls, does anyone remember which team lost the very first Super Bowl, although Rey says that is not what that very first one was called. That was one of the few Trivia questions my team successfully answered. It and other Super Bowl questions won us One Big O point which at the end of this segment can be redeemed for all kinds of Insignia stuff. Hot dog!!

I must admit, I left a small piece of my heart in Chile. Prior to the 2020 trip, I had given little if any thought to South America as a whole nor Chile in particular. The terrain ranges from miles and miles and miles of solid rock absent one living creature (largest most arid dessert in the world) but dotted with some awesome statues and/or etchings from a previous culture - God only knows who, when or why they ceased to exist - to the world's largest sand dune, to a beautiful oasis, to forested mountains, to lush valleys perfect for growing grapes, olives, vegetables, flowers, to sparkling rivers and majestic waterfalls, to the National Forest protecting the oh so stately Alerce trees, to volcanos, to glaciers. How can you not fall in love with all these gifts from God?

I failed to mention something I did not totally leave behind in Chile. Three bottles of Capel Pisc0 Sour from Chile's largest Pisco distillery. Due to the unrest in Peru my scheduled tour of their largest Pisco Distillery did not happen. Without any prior knowledge, an excursion I had signed up for to tour the beautiful Elqui Valley turned out to actually be among a few other things a tour of Capel Pisco Distillery. After a thorough tour of the facility starting with the vineyard where some of the grapes are grown, to the crushing process, to the copper vats in which the juice ferments, to the bottling process, to the patio where we were given a sample of their product which was conveniently located adjacent to their retail store. For those of you who do not know Pisco, it is made from white grapes allowed to ferment to an alcohol content of approximately 35%. To this liquid, lemon juice and sugar is added and that my friends is one awfully good cocktail - in moderation, of course. Now in Peru, egg whites are added to the formula. Raw egg whites. No thank you. No egg whites are needed to satisfy my taste buds. The Capel Distillery is actually owned and operated by a commune and as such, they are very conscientious about the environment. Nothing is wasted. Even the vines, leaves and pulp are used as compost and that liquid not suitable for the Pisco is used in hand sanitizers and sold in their store along side the bottled Pisco and Pisco Sour. Beautiful valley with an unexpected plus for me. Unfortunately for the commune, Peru lies north of this lush valley, therefore their grapes ripen well in advance of the Chilean grapes, so Peru sets the price each season. Yet another example of the rivalry amongst South American countries.

Our final port in Chile was Punta Arenas, the southernmost city in Chile, originally established in 1848 as a penal colony. The prisoners were forced to chop the trees used in the building of their own prison. It was so remote, security fences were deemed unnecessary. No where to go and no way to get there.

Alas, it is approaching the dinner hour so I shall adjourn. Haven't eaten since afternoon tea.

Today IS Someday! Enjoy!