2012-12-24 Christmas Eve

【Aiden in English】

        As I learned along the way, Chile is nicknamed "the Shoestring Country" for good reason; 24 times longer than its average width and in no place wider than 150 miles/241 kilometers, it stretches nearly 2,700 miles/4,345 kilometers, a span of latitude that encompasses parched deserts, fertile coastal plains, dense rainforests, and, finally, continental ice caps, fiords, and glaciers.

        German colonists settled Puerto Montt in the mid-19^th century, a city of the gateway to the Lake District in the central southwest, where Chile's narrow coastal plain sinks into the Pacific and the ice-carved wet slopes of the Andes form the islands and fiords and Archipelagic Chile, a remote region of appalling weather that stretches southward 1,000 miles/1,609 kilometers to Cape Horn.  

        Our morning was a mess in Puerto Montt! We woke up and wolfed down snacks to catch the tenders or shuttle boats that took us from our cruise to the shore. The seaport was too small to have a prominent cruise line like Princess docked. Star Princess floated amid the Pacific Ocean close to the bay. Here, we ran into Infinity Celebrity again.

        Once we landed at the port authority, we tried to find a tour guide who spoke English, rather than Spanish, a local and national language. After interviewing one another for quite some time, we decided to select a suitable young gentleman who had visited Florida, USA, twice in the past decade and did not have a break on Christmas Eve.

        We headed for Vincente Perez Rosales National Park and stopped to see a fantastic sight over Lake Llanquihue, the second-largest lake in Chile! I thought that the sea would be a more suitable name. It resembled pretty much mountainous Switzerland. No wonder "Chilean Switzerland" was given to this part of Chile.  

        Unlike last year, there was excessive rain during the Christmas and holiday season. When we were trotting to Petrohue Waterfalls in Vincente Perez Rosales National Park, to my disappointment, it started to drizzle. As we approached the falls, the rain intensified significantly. We soon realized the water spray was crushing against the hard, black rocks and basaltic lava boulders, splashing back to every place it could reach. The falls seemed like chutes and rapids running through the Petrohue River. Every once in a while, the water would surge up to the banks and retreat. The roads were the worst. They were so muddy and slippery that I could have thought I had been walking in bubble gum without paying attention. By the time we returned, we were undoubtedly dripping water from head to toe.

        Next, we climbed up to the Osorno Volcano, standing 8,700 feet/2,652 meters tall over Temperate Rainforests in the Austral Andes. Due to its iconic snow-capped landmarks, it is often referred to as the "Mount Fuji of South America." In 2007, UNESCO declared this area a Biosphere Reserve. I had never been so high up before, except for the airplane! My ears popped from the pressure of the elevation. At La Burbuja Ski Resort, the wind was blowing so hard, even for the Osorno Volcano, that it made our blizzards at home feel like a breeze. If I let go of my mom, I probably would end up in a tree elsewhere.  

        At the foot of the Osorno Volcano, we visited Fundo Olguita, a traditional Chilean ranch with sheep-like Llamas (Ya•ma•s) by the lakeside. These animals sometimes really annoyed me because they had spat grass.  

        Iglesia Sagrado Corazón de Jesús (Sacred Heart of Jesus Church) is an abandoned Teutonic church in Puerto Varas, the largest town on Lake Llanquihue. After reading the sign, I gaped open my mouth at the wooden structure to the maximum height possible without metal supports. The Catholic priest used the church as a to-scale replica of a church in the Black Forest in Germany about 130 years ago. However, a fire burned it down, and it was rebuilt in 1912. It was one of the oldest churches in Chile!  

        At last, we drove back to the cruise ship and said farewell to the guide, who always had time for a smile, like the other friendliest Chileans.

【紅霞譯】

        我臨時抱佛腳，行途上惡補旅遊常識，智利“土地的盡頭”長得像“鞋帶”一樣，堪稱世界上地形最狹長的國家，其長度是寬度的24倍，最寬處不過150英里／241公里；整個國家幅員遼闊，南北縱跨2,700英里／4,345公里，沙漠荒地乾涸少雨，海岸平原肥沃濕潤，熱帶雨林濃密繁茂，高山苔原寒冷蕭疏，峽灣冰川終年積雪。

        19世紀由德國人創建的蒙特“山”(智利第五任總統)港位於智利中部西南，是一座通往著名旅遊度假勝地“湖大區”的前哨城市，狹窄富饒的沿海平原由此深入太平洋，冰雪覆蓋的安第斯“銅色”山脈從背後穿過，東連內陸南接島嶼，跟1,000英里／1,609公里天涯以外的合恩“海岬”角遙相呼應，這裡德國文化根深蒂固，德國後裔、德國村落、德國飲食、德國建築、德國風情……“日爾曼”無處不在。

        初到蒙特港，我們手忙腳亂！一大早，我們隨便吃些零食墊一下肚子，匆匆趕去乘坐區間快艇，準備上岸遊覽當地風光。蒙特港碼頭很小，像“公主·星辰” 號這樣大型遊輪根本無法自由停泊，因此我們只能定位在海灣附近，改乘遊輪自備的交通船輾轉登陸。不獨有偶，“名人·無極”號遊輪也在不遠處水域與我們再度相逢。

        對我們來說登陸後當務之急便是雇用導遊，智利的官方語言是西班牙語，英語並不普及，想在蒙特港隨意找到會說英語的朋友堪比大海撈針，好在我們運氣不錯，幾經詢問終於巧遇一位過去10年裡曾經兩度來訪美國佛羅里達“花”州的年輕小伙，他寧願放棄聖誕前夜休息時間跑出來掙點外快，我們很快一拍即合。

        在去維森特·佩雷斯·羅薩萊斯“勝利·磐石·玫瑰園”國家公園的路上，我們順道遊覽了蘭奇胡亞“淹沒”湖，這是智利第二大湖！我覺得稱它為“海”更恰如其分，蘭奇胡亞湖被安第斯山脈環繞，猶如阿爾卑斯“白”山擁抱瑞士，所以該地區常被視作“智利的瑞士”。

        與以往不同，今夏聖誕節期間蒙特港地區經常陰雨連綿，我們出發的時候天已經開始下起毛毛雨，等抵達國家公園內的佩特羅韋“熏肉房所在地”瀑布雨下得越來越大，豆大的雨點劈里啪啦打在岩石上濺起了無數水珠，水珠再混同瀑布下落時產生的霧氣向四面八方彌散，實際上佩特羅韋河與蘭奇胡亞湖之間由奧索爾諾“水獺出沒之地”火山切割後形成的佩特羅韋瀑布落差很小，水道兩旁山勢陡峻河床狹窄，因此水流湍急如同萬馬奔騰，過往瀑布的人行通道泥濘，步履其上好比不小心踩到了又黏又滑的泡泡糖。總之，我們觀賞歸來，個個被淋成落湯雞。

        奧索爾諾火山高約8,700英尺／2,652米，巍然挺拔於安第斯山以南大片溫熱帶雨林之上，整個山頂被冰川覆蓋，外形極似日本富士山，因此又享有美洲富士山的美譽，早在2007年這裡就被聯合國教科文組織列為世界生物保護區。我以前從來沒有登過這樣的高度(當然乘飛機除外)，耳膜承受不住氣壓變化老是外翻，站在氣泡滑雪度假勝地，風力大的足以叫奧索爾諾火山發抖，在賓州我們住的地方絕對算得上風暴級別，可在這裡好似陣陣微風不足掛齒，要不是當時緊緊抓住媽媽，我現在不定會倒掛在哪棵大樹上。

        繞回奧索爾諾火山腳下，我們專門拜訪了蘭奇胡亞湖邊智利傳統農場──奧爾吉塔“神聖”鄉村莊園，並見到長得像綿羊模樣的美洲駝，這些動物有時令我不爽，草地上滿處都是它們拉的糞便。

        位於蘭奇胡亞湖邊另外一座名叫巴拉斯“棍棒”港的城市，其耶穌聖心教會為德國式天主教堂，目前雖已失修，但內部結構別有特色，令我讚嘆不已。整個建築沒用任何金屬材料作支撐，全部因地制宜就地取材，按比例模仿130年前德國黑森林一座教堂建築而成，不幸的是該教堂因失火而被燒毀，眼前這所則是1912年在原址的基礎上重新複製的。

        到此為止我們結束了全部行程，終於告別這位面帶微笑熱情好客的當地導遊。

Christmas Eve in History(歷史上的平安夜):

2009: 新西蘭首都惠靈頓(Capital Wellington, NZ)

Star Princess, Berthed in Puerto Montt w/ German Influence

(“公主•星辰”號遊輪停泊在曾為德國殖民地的蒙特港 12-24-2012)

Rejoin Infinity Celebrity in Puerto Montt

(蒙特港再遇“名人·無限”號遊輪)

Celebrity Infinity Viewed from Star Princess @ Valparaíso Bay

(瓦爾帕萊索灣——從“公主·星辰”號遊輪近觀“名人·無限”號遊輪 12-22-2012)

Lake Llanquihue, the 2^nd-Largest Lake in Chile

(蘭奇胡亞河·智利第二大湖泊)

Salmon Routes, the Global Capital of the Farmed Salmon Industry

(鮭魚之路·全球養殖鮭魚產業之都)

Andes, the Longest Continental Mountain Range in the World 

(安第斯山脈·世上最長的大陸山脈)

Volcán Osorno, Fujiyama of South America

(奧索爾諾火山·南美洲的富士山)

Hardened Lava, Tephra, Pumice, & Ash @ Austral Andes

(南安第斯山脈·硬化的熔岩、火山噴發碎屑、浮岩和火山灰 12-24-2012)

Petrohue River in Green Flowing under the Snow-Capped Osorno Volcano

(佩特羅韋河綠水流淌在白雪覆蓋的奧索爾諾火山下)

Petrohue Falls, a Chute-Type Waterfall 

(佩特羅韋瀑布·滑道式瀑布 12-24-2012)

Vicente Perez Rosales NP, the Oldest Conservation Unit in Chile

(維森特·佩雷斯·羅薩萊斯國家公園——智利歷史最悠久的自然保護區 12-24-2012)

Hiking Trail @ Vicente Perez Rosales National Park

(維森特·佩雷斯·羅薩萊斯國家公園——登山步道)

Strong Wind Blown out of Lake Llanquihue Overlooked from La Burbuja Ski Resort

(氣泡滑雪度假村·鳥瞰強風吹襲的蘭奇胡亞河 12-24-2012)

Clapboard & Shingle Houses under Austral Andes

(南安第斯山脈下板房與瓦房)

Fundo Olguita, a Traditional Chilean Farm

(奧爾吉塔鄉村莊園·智利傳統農場 12-24-2012)

BBQ Grill @ Fundo Olguita

(奧爾吉塔鄉村莊園·燒烤爐 12-24-2012)

Local Tour Guide & Llamas (地陪與大羊駝 12-24-2012)

Llamas, a Pack Animal, Particularly in the Mountainous Regions of South America, & for the Unique Cultural Significance in Andean Civilizations

(美洲駝·尤其南美洲山區的馱畜在安第斯文明中擁有獨特的文化意義 12-24-2012)

Puerto Varas in Bavaria of Chile by Lake Llanquihue

(蘭奇胡亞河邊巴拉斯港市·智利的巴伐利亞“牛主家園” 12-24-2012)

Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in the Early 20^th-Century Neo-Romanesque Elements w/ Baroque Influences, Puerto Varas 

(巴拉斯港耶穌聖心教會·20世紀早期新羅馬式元素和巴洛克風格)

Teutonic Memorial @ Sacred Heart of Jesus Church

(耶穌聖心教會·條頓“日耳曼人”紀念碑 12-24-2012)

Christmas Carols @ Star Princess

(“公主·星辰”號遊輪——聖誕禮讚)

Christmas Eve @ Star Princess

(“公主•星辰”號遊輪——歡度平安夜 12-24-2012)

Performance of the Chilean Folk Music @ Star Princess

(“公主•星辰”號遊輪——智利民間音樂表演 12-24-2012)

Push (搓球 12-24-2013)

晚餐：陳皮雞、醬羊排

Crosslinks(相關博文):

Chile(出遊智利)

South America(漂流南美洲)

小學四年級(4th Grade)