This morning we slept until about 8:30. It was a little foggy this morning and the ocean was mirror-like, as it was so smooth. It is a cool day off the coast of Chile with 3pm temperature outside in mid 60's. As you can see on the map we are sailing to our next port at Valparaiso. It is a major seaport for Chile and 50 cruise ships will call on this port each summer (summer down here is winter in US). The capital of Chile, Santiago, is only 75 miles southeast and that is where the international airport is that I use to fly into. The port of Valparaiso is an important hub for shipping of container freight and exports such as copper, wine, and fresh fruit. Chile also ships at lot of fresh fish to many countries via air freight. Sea bass, my favorite of all fish, comes from the ocean waters off the Chilean coast. I'm hoping our chef will purchase some in the fish markets while in Valparaiso.
Tomorrow we will be taking an 8 hour tour of Santiago which includes the nearly 2 hours each way on a bus. Santiago lies in a large bowl-shaped, fertile valley surrounded by mountains and is 1700 feet above sea level. It is probably the most modern city in all of Latin America and is Chile's major industrial and agricultural region. Agriculture consists of dairy and beef production with the main crops being grains, grapes, potatoes, and beans. Copper, gypsum, and limestone are also mined in the region. Of course the Chilean wines are world class and exported to many countries now. The vineyards are on the mountain side slopes of the valley which I could see every time I flew into the airport. It was not unusual to have dense fog at the airport for my early morning arrivals. I remember the subway system here is extensive, very clean, and safe. It must have been built by a French company because some crew members (not me) would buy the relatively inexpensive Chilean tokens and they could use them in the Paris, France, subways. Santiago is a very large city with a population of over 5 1/2 million. I am looking forward to returning there after over 4 years now. Rebecca has never been there so will be a wonderful day especially for her.
Ok, that's tomorrow. After our steak dinner last night we went to see Juan & Eileen's, Los Gauchos, show again. It is fantastic no matter how many times you see it. We had a wonderful time at lunch today with them. They will be leaving the Mariner tomorrow and flying back up to Lima to join another cruise ship. I am organizing a cocktail get-together for the 16 people who were in our Cusco 3 day tour last week. We will all meet Saturday evening in the Observation Lounge for a pre-dinner cocktail. This morning we went to another one of Terry Breen's incredible lectures on South America then to a cooking demonstration by one of our chefs who is Chilean. We will have some special Chilean dishes on the menu tonight. Yummy!
