My Visit to Laguna San Rafael in Chile

After I came to Chile， I traveled extensively to get myself acquainted with the South American nation. I traveled by plane， automobile and train and had acquired some essential knowledge of the country’s geography. Then I began to yearn to take a ship journey along its shore， for the life in the southern part of the country was said to be legendary. To my surprise， I received an invitation to embark on a ship journey by Skorpios II to tour the south and visit Laguna San Rafael. I was happy about the invitation， feeling as if someone had known my burning desire.

The trip was a promotion organized by the tourism authorities of Chile. Altogether more than 100 journalists from various media， showbiz stars and celebrities were invited to take the voyage. With some foreign journalists I first flew southward for more than 1，000 km from the capital to Puerto Montt， a city in middle of the country. There we boarded Skorpios II， which was a luxury passenger liner operated by a private tourism business. The voyage was a week long.

Puerto Montt is a convenient departure point for journeys to explore Chilean’s marine wonders， for you can travel in several directions from Puerto Montt. If you take a voyage northward from Puerto Montt to Temuco， you can feast your eyes on a string of lakes and peaks of the Andes Mountains. Some of these peaks are snow-capped and you can even see a live volcano. It is along this voyage that you can see some Indian villages. Those who fancy the Indian culture and those who take some interest in anthropology would certainly be thrilled.

Scattered across the vast South Pacific Ocean are numerous islands. Easter Island， which belongs to Chile， is probably the most famous island in this part of the ocean. Mas a Tierra is the largest island of the Chilean Juan Fernández archipelago， situated 674 kilometers west of South America in the South Pacific Ocean. It is now commonly known as Robinson Crusoe Island. A Scottish sailor got stranded on this island in 1704. He lived there for five years before he was finally rescued. The sailor was the prototype of Robinson Crusoe， a novel by Daniel Defoe published in 1719.

We did not go to all these destinations. Skorpios II set out southward. If you travel southward from Puerto Montt， then you will sail past Chiloe， the largest island of Chiloe Province. Castro is the capital of the province and there you can find a lot of aboriginal Indians. Some of them look like Chinese and some of their words are pronounced like their equivalents in the Chinese language. It is believed that their ancestors might have come from China in untraceable ancient times. Chiloe is known as home of timbers. A lot of buildings are of wood. The architectural style is a marvel. The roof， for example， is covered by wooden tiles that look like fish scales. The two churches in Castro are cultural and historical heritage under the national protection of Chile. The San Francis Temple displays its extraordinary architectural beauty and rich interior ornamentation whereas the 270-year-old Saint Mary Cathedral does not have a nail in its all-wood structure.

Before long we reached Punta Arenas， the Chilean gateway to the Antarctic. The city now serves as a transfer station for those who will visit the Antarctic. Scientists， journalists， settlers first come to Punta Arenas and then they fly out or take an ocean voyage to the Antarctic.

The destination of our voyage was San Rafael Lagoon. We were overjoyed at the first sight of the lagoon. Some of us were so excited that they jumped and ran into this national park. The air was so crisp that many did deep breathing to enjoy oxygen. The outstanding feature of San Rafael Lagoon is its vastness and emptiness. There were towering trees covered by snow. There were towering peaks that looked like swords pointing to the sky. Rafael Glacier was so huge that I felt I was dwarfed. Adults became children here. We laughed. Some glided down the slope， arm in arm. We all wore cloths in bright colors. Rescue people could spot bright colors from far in case the need arises. And bright-colored cloths look good in photos. Of course， sun glasses are a must.

The national park is like a crystal palace. We needed to take boats to travel deep into the park to view icebergs. Skorpios II had six boats， providing adequate spaces for the 100 people to adventure into the world of icebergs.

Putting on the life jackets in bright colors， we set out. The icebergs are the natural offspring of the Antarctic， the ice treasure house of the world. They floated on the ocean， taking various shapes and forms. They looked awesome and poetic under the vast dome of the azure firmament. Most of them were light green or light blue， but they turned white in sunshine. We learned that there were black icebergs somewhere near the Antarctic. Icebergs from the Antarctic are a breathtaking spectacle on the ocean near the icy continent. The floating icebergs follow the ocean currents， reaching the northernmost point from October to December and reaching the southernmost point in May and June. Some icebergs come in large groups and some are just lonely travelers. It is said that a research vessel can pass 5，000 icebergs a week after sailing into the Antarctic Ocean.

Though these icebergs look dangerous， some of them can provide shelters in a storm. Some of us were daring enough to get off the boat and explore an iceberg. Afterwards， they boasted ceaselessly about their spunky exploration. □