In the early morning, the M.S. Caledonian Star anchored in Bahia de Corral near the mouth of the Valdivia River in central Chile. After breakfast, we boarded a local catamaran and enjoyed a 2-hour scenic cruise for 10 miles up the river, arriving at the Hotel Villa del Rio, where we went ashore for a wonderful tour of the city of Valdivia. Along the way we watched as Peruvian pelicans, red-legged cormorants, Olivaceous cormorants, brown-hooded gulls, Andean gulls, silvery grebes, great grebes, Chimango caracaras, turkey vultures and a few black-necked swans all graced the waters as we meandered up river.
The city of Valdivia was founded nearly 450 years ago by the Spanish, and was named for the Conquistador Pedro de Valdivia, making it one of the first settlements in Chile. Valdivia quickly became one of the country's most important sites of colonial expansion and rule. The city had a turbulent history, owing to insurrections, pirates, Mapuche invasions and the fight for independence. It became a walled city in the middle of the 17th century, and numerous coastal fortifications and castles were built in the area over the next 100 years. German colonists settled the region en masse in the late 19th century, and have left a considerable influence in the city's architectural styles.
Our tour of this historic city included a stop at the local chocolate factory, a stroll through the botanical gardens adjacent to the Universidad Austral de Chile, and was highlighted by a visit to the local Fluvia Market where handicrafts, fruits and vegetables, as well as seafood were sold by the banks of the river. It was not long before we heard the roaring and snorting of the resident male sea lion just below the fish market. This very old bull was nearly blind, but was able to fend off the younger males for pieces of scrap fish, which were discarded whenever a local sale was made. Several smaller males lurked in the water sufficing on leftovers, but this huge bull male, obviously retired from a life of actually diving for fish, was a sight to behold.
Zodiacs met our tour up river closer to the Caledonian Star near the town of Puerto Corral on the opposite side of the Valdivia, where we enjoyed a leisurely lunch and time out on deck in the sunshine, followed by free time in the late afternoon to wander about the picturesque community of Puerto Corral and to visit one of the old fortresses. The sunset was absolutely stunning during our evening recap where we saw video footage of the underwater world supplied by Dennis Cornejo and David Cothran, our Undersea Specialists.
The city of Valdivia was founded nearly 450 years ago by the Spanish, and was named for the Conquistador Pedro de Valdivia, making it one of the first settlements in Chile. Valdivia quickly became one of the country's most important sites of colonial expansion and rule. The city had a turbulent history, owing to insurrections, pirates, Mapuche invasions and the fight for independence. It became a walled city in the middle of the 17th century, and numerous coastal fortifications and castles were built in the area over the next 100 years. German colonists settled the region en masse in the late 19th century, and have left a considerable influence in the city's architectural styles.
Our tour of this historic city included a stop at the local chocolate factory, a stroll through the botanical gardens adjacent to the Universidad Austral de Chile, and was highlighted by a visit to the local Fluvia Market where handicrafts, fruits and vegetables, as well as seafood were sold by the banks of the river. It was not long before we heard the roaring and snorting of the resident male sea lion just below the fish market. This very old bull was nearly blind, but was able to fend off the younger males for pieces of scrap fish, which were discarded whenever a local sale was made. Several smaller males lurked in the water sufficing on leftovers, but this huge bull male, obviously retired from a life of actually diving for fish, was a sight to behold.
Zodiacs met our tour up river closer to the Caledonian Star near the town of Puerto Corral on the opposite side of the Valdivia, where we enjoyed a leisurely lunch and time out on deck in the sunshine, followed by free time in the late afternoon to wander about the picturesque community of Puerto Corral and to visit one of the old fortresses. The sunset was absolutely stunning during our evening recap where we saw video footage of the underwater world supplied by Dennis Cornejo and David Cothran, our Undersea Specialists.
