On one of the trips I made to southern Chile a couple of years ago, I was able to visit several of the most famous cities in the area. Osorno, Temuco, Puerto Varas, Frutillar, Valdivia—I spent a few hours in all of them, which I made the most of. I also visited other smaller towns like Lenca, Caleta La Arena, and Metri, but one of the places I visited, and which I haven't talked about until now—I don't know why—is the very important city of Puerto Montt. >En uno de los viajes que hice al Sur de Chile hace un par de años pude conocer varias de las ciudades más nombradas del sector. Osorno, Temuco, Puerto Varas, Frutillar, Valdivia, en todas ellas pasé algunas horas que aproveché al máximo. También vi otras localidades más pequeñas como Lenca, Caleta La Arena o Metri, pero uno de los lugares que conocí y de los cuales no he hablado hasta ahora - no sé por qué - es la importantísima ciudad de Puerto Montt. I've said it before, talking about southern Chile is strange. First, because the country is at the southernmost tip of the continent, so the entire country would technically be southern; and second, because its elongated geography makes it difficult to determine where the south begins. Some call Pucón the "center of southern Chile," but from Puerto Montt, which is more than 900 kilometers from Santiago—that is, lower than Pucón—there are still more than 1,000 kilometers of Chilean territory. As the city is located at the end of what is known as continental Chile and at the beginning of the insular, Patagonian, and Antarctic territories, Puerto Montt is the commercial center of southern Chile. Despite having fewer than 300,000 inhabitants and not being a very large city, it is of vital importance to the country's economy and history. As soon as you arrive at the bus terminal—a cylindrical glass structure overlooking a promenade along the waterfront and the Tenglo Canal—the first thing you notice is an island in front of you, on which stands a cross that lights up the city at night. If you've read other posts on my profile, you already know that I love to admire the landscape from above, so as soon as I saw that cross, I knew I had to get there. I paid a boat to take me across the channel to the island—locals travel all day from one side to the other—and then I had to trek for about twenty minutes to reach the top of the island and observe the city from above. The sequence of that part of my journey can be best appreciated in these photos: >Lo he dicho antes, hablar de el sur de Chile es extraño. Primero porque el país está al extremo sur del continente con lo que todo el país sería sur técnicamente; y luego porque teniendo una geografía alargada es difícil determinar en donde comienza el sur. Algunos llaman a Pucón _el centro del sur_ de Chile, pero desde Puerto Montt, que está a más de 900 kilómetros de Santiago - es decir, más abajo que Pucón - aún quedan más de mil kilómetros de territorio chileno. Como la ciudad se encuentra al final de lo que se conoce como el Chile continental y al inicio del territorio insular, patagónico y antártico, Puerto Montt es el centro comercial del Sur de Chile. A pesar de contar con menos de 300.000 habitantes y no ser una ciudad tan grande, tiene vital importancia en la economía y la historia del país. Apenas se llega al terminal de buses - una estructura cilíndrica de vidrio con vista a un paseo en la costanera y al canal de Tenglo - lo primero que se nota es una isla que está en frente y sobre la cual se erige una cruz que ilumina las noches en la ciudad. Si han leído otras entradas de mi perfil ya saben que me gusta mucho observar los paisajes desde lo alto, así que en cuanto vi aquella cruz supe que tenía que subir hasta allí. Pagué a un bote para que me cruzara por el canal hasta la isla - los locales viajan todo el día de un lado a otro - y luego tuve que hacer un treking de unos veinte minutos más o menos hasta coronar la isla y observar la ciudad desde lo alto. La secuencia de esa parte de mi recorrido se puede apreciar mejor en estas fotos:      From the shape of the building next to the cross, I deduced it was a church, but it was closed, and there was no living thing around except for a few cows grazing and this server, who leaned out over the canal to contemplate the city. Surrounding the church, I had an almost 360° view of Puerto Montt, the canal, and the surrounding area. I hadn't yet begun exploring Puerto Montt, which awaited me on the other side of the canal, but from here I was already impressed by the view, the number of boats, and the houses. After a while up there, I decided to go back and walk around the city for a bit. >Por la forma de la edificación que acompañaba a la cruz deduje que se trataba de una iglesia, pero estaba cerrada y no había por allí ningún otro ser vivo que no fueran unas vacas pastando y este servidor que se asomó al canal para contemplar la ciudad. Rodeando la iglesia podía obtenerse una vista de casi 360° de Puerto Montt, el canal y los alrededores. Aún no había comenzado a recorrer Puerto Montt, que me esperaba al otro lado del canal, pero desde aquí ya me había impresionado por la vista, la cantidad de embarcaciones y las casas. Después de un rato allá arriba, decidí volver y caminar un rato por la ciudad. Walking along the waterfront, one comes across sculptures of famous people, billboards, restaurants, and cafes, but one of the most striking and representative sights of the city is the enormous statue of a seated couple. The figures are about six meters tall and represent a scene from a famous 1960s song. "Puerto Montt" is the name of the song performed by the Uruguayan musical group Los Iracundos, whose first verses are _"Sitting in front of the sea / A thousand kisses I gave her."_ While the story tells of a love that separates and dreams of returning, the statue depicts the previous scene, before the farewell. Since its inauguration just over twenty years ago, the statue has generated controversy. There are those who like it, others who don't, the artist Robinson Barría himself has expressed dissatisfaction with the result and just by the time I went, March 2023, it had been repainted, changing the appearance of the clothing worn by port lovers, which generated a new wave of criticism for and against. Personally, I think it's beautiful that there's a statue that pays homage to a song that pays homage to both the city and love. I don't recall hearing another similar story, and I find that makes it special. Sitting under the protection of this couple and listening to the song by Los Iracundos while looking at the horizon—hopefully at sunset—must be a very special experience. |