March 11: Castro to Puerto Montt

Check out by 9am had the group assembled for breakfast by 8am with conversations of "were they serious when they said "just leave your luggage outside your room?" Some felt that they needed to guard the suitcase, others figured it was filled with dirty wash anyway, so who cares!!! But promptly at 9am the bell boy picked up all the packs and carefully loaded them into the van.

Now it was off to the World Heritage Site -- one of the many old wooden cathedrals on this island. The churches served two purposes throughout the centuries. The first and most logical was the place of worship. But the second and equally as important is that the steeples were the lighthouses of the areas. The main industry of the island was and is fishing, so the lighthouse becomes the light of hope to find home again.

A tour of the small town also included a quick check of the local market. Can't pass up a "buy" if there is one.

Next stop was the Cascados. The only waterfall on the island with the water being supplied by a rain fed lagoon high in the hills. Lunch was provided by the owners of this beautiful sight. The entire countryside has been privately owned for several generations. Lunch was a typical island feast of mussels, sausages, chicken, pork, clams, potatoes -- all in a "one pot" meal. Wonderful!!!! And of course accompanied with some local wine.

The rest of the day was spent driving back to the ferry and over to the mainland to the city of Puerto Montt. Puerto Montt is a major port for Chile. This is also the last stop before leaving the country. The group is scattered in several different hotels with several different departure schedules, so after unloading luggage at the front entrances it was a quick "goodbye -- hope to see you again, if not in the airport" as each person exited into the hotel proper.

A fantastic trip comes to an end. Many new friends, wonderful memories, and great experiences!!!