January 30, 2025
Cruising the Chiliean Fjords
From January 18th to the 23rd we were cruising the
Chiliean Fjords. We had to skip tender port of
Puerto Chacabuco on the 20th due to rough seas, which would make the port tender operations unsafe. The scenery was amazing and in seemed like we were the only ones cruising these narrow straights getting to see the most beautiful landscapes. I thoroughly enjoyed the pace and comradery shared with fellow passengers every time the captain announced another wildlife or glacier sighting and we all would run outside. We love Captain Val - his announcements are so informative, and he always has a great big smile and heart felt laugh and he ends every day with a profound quote!
I have shared a couple post of my fellow residents who did a better job of catching everything in photos on Facebook. I was too busy enjoying the moments, to capture many of them. Below is a variety of glaciers and a pair of playful dolphins that were having some fun and giving us a show as we drifted along one of the glaciers.
Today we went to see the coastal Naidiri Village that has recently won the Top Prize in global restoration, for their ocean reef project. The reef restoration was borne out of necessity to solve their dwindling food/ main protein source for the village, of fish. It was started by 2 of the villages rugby players and today is run by the local teenagers (mostly boys) in the village. It was great seeing how empowered and proud they were of their amazing efforts.
The port agent offered several trips to areas around Lautoka . We chose the trip to Serenity Island Resort which included van and boat transfers and lunch. It was a really nice day enjoying the sun, reef, pool, turtles and amenities!
I organized a group tour for a fun day experience. We had a great day despite the rain that decided to join in. We started with a 45 minute van ride out through the city, into the countryside. Then we got in long boats and went up river to a waterfall, some swam or cheered on the guides to cliff dive. Then back in the boats to visit Sabata Village where 50 family members live as a community existing totally off the land, along the river. Next was a quick boat ride to our BBQ lunch spot. After lunch we got to tube down the river, through light rapids, for just about an hour. We ganged our tubes together with the guide - we had a chain of 14 in my group and the guides totally blew us away singing hymns for a good chunk of the journey. It was truly moving in that place with the rain drizzling and all of us linked together. Loved it!