Chiloe Archipelago and White water rafting on Petrohue River

After a day and a half at sea in fog and rain we cruised through the beautiful Chiloe Archipelago and to its main town Castro.  Separated from the rest of Chile it has remained quaint and with its own customs.  Extensive fish, mussel and oyster farming is the main industry of the islands.  Tourism is increasing though and the “houses on stilts” which were originally for the fishing families are now being sold for hotels and restaurants.  The countryside is lovely in the summer.

The next day we moved on to Puerto Montt and immediately traveled to the Petrohue river for white water rafting.  The skies were bright under a 12,000-foot volcano, which had glacial fields atop.  Even us old guys had a blast and I voluntarily went overboard at the end.