PETROHUE, CHILE, watercolor

Petrohue, Chile, watercolor, 4x6 in.
South America Cruise series # 31

In the language of the original natives of South America, called: Mapudungun, "hue" means place, and "Petro" flies. So "Petrohue" means "the place of flies, according to our guide, Roberto. From Puerto Montt we took a taxi to this area, Petrohue, to see these beautiful waterfalls rumbling down. It was raining, so I painted this watercolor from the pictures I took at the moment. Roberto was  very knowledgeable and explained very well the geography, language, and culture of the area.

CARNIVAL SPLENDOR, FROM PUERTO MONTT, watercolor

Carnival Splendor, from Puerto Montt, Chile, watercolor, 4x6 in.
South America Cruise series # 30

Puerto Montt, the city of roses, it was beautiful to see our cruise ship from shore. Carnival "Splendor" is a new ship, born in 2008, in Italy. We were about 3,000 passengers. Some of us made some friendships aboard, I certainly did with other painters. So much so, that we created our "painters deck", and "painters' corner" on deck 10. People would come over to see our new paints. I painted daily, sometimes for an hour, sometimes for several hours, depending on the day's activity. This watercolor I sketched and painted from shore, sitting at a park bench.

PUERTO VARAS, CHILE, watercolor

Puerto Varas, Chile, watercolor, 9x12 inches
South America Cruise aboard Carnival Splendor series # 29

Puerto Varas is only 16 km. from Puerto Montt, where the cruise ship stopped. Puerto Varas is inside, overlooking Lake Llanquihue, the largest lake in Chile, and one of the largest lakes in South America. It has waves like a sea or ocean, and on the shore there, you cannot see the other side. This town is also called "City of Roses, due to the large variety and quantity of roses planted everywhere. Between 1850 and 1880 the Chilean government asked Germany to send people, families, here, and gave them land, and a few animals to start working the land and establish farms. Today, Puerto Varas and the surrounding area looks like Bavaria, with signs in Spanish. Well cared gardens, beautiful homes, snow capped mountains, rivers and the beautiful lake Llanquihue. What a blessing to have been able to visit this place!

PUERTO MONTT, GERMAN HOUSE, Chile, watercolor

Puerto Montt, German House, Chile, watercolor, 9x12 in.
South America Cruise series # 28

Puerto Montt is set among lakes, fiords, and rivers, and nestled at the foot of snow-capped mountains. Beautiful homes surrounded by parks in an ideal setting were all along the drive to Puerto Varas and Petrohue. We visited the Feria Artesanal Angelmo, an artisan market with Chilean products: woven items of wool and alpaca from Chiloé, the big island off the coast nearby.  Such a beautiful day in that area, I highly recommend visiting Puerto Montt and its surroundings!

PUERTO MONTT, CHILE, watercolor map

Puerto Montt, Chile, watercolor map, 4x6
South America Cruise series #27

Puerto Montt was founded in 1853 during the German colonization of Southern Chile. Gateway to the Archipielago de Chiloé, LLanguihue Lake and Nahuel Huapí on the Argentinian side. Puerto Montt is the second largest salmon producer in the world, considered Salmon Capital of Chile, as it is the hub of the largest salmon aquaculture industry in the world, closely followed by Norway. Fresh salmon is flown daily to world markets. Puerto Montt looks like Bavaria with signs in Spanish. Amazing and beautiful!