Travel with Indigo

Little did I know upon checking in at the nondescript Villa del Rio hotel, that my stay in Valdivia would be one of the most enjoyable times of the entire voyage. As luck would have it, one of Indigo’s new crew members, Tomas Miranda, not only is from Chile but has extended family living in Valdivia. Through Tomas, I am introduced to Marcia and Hugo Lara and their two children, Hugo Junior and Ignacia. Marcia is the long time best friend of Tomas’ mother and is a professor of bioengineering at the University of Southern Chile in Valpariso. Hugo is now a corporate consultant in human resources but also importantly the long time president of the El Vira Golf Club. He is Mr. Valdivia.

Over the next month, while Indigo’s refit work is being wound up, I spend many nights and days with Tomas and Hugo meeting new friends, attending barbecues, dinners and parties and playing golf. Over this time I meet Vicente Urra, the owner of a large and successful distributor of Chilean seafood, and Hugo Henriquez, owner of a lumber mill, and Pato, the talented golf professional at El Vira and one of the most gifted teachers I have ever encountered.

To distinguish between the two Hugos, I name Henriques Senor Loco for his wild boisterous manner coupled with unfailingly good humor. He is a twin of the actor Michael Douglas and is married to the very attractive Fabiola with whom he has two sons and a strikingly beautiful daughter. Vicente is married to the lovely Paula, a lawyer and now judge in a criminal court. They live in a fine new modern home sited on a high bluff overlooking the lower reaches of the Valdivia River.

Over the next month, I am invited to many dinners, outdoor barbecues and lunches too numerous to mention. One day we travel an hour and a half by car down an unpaved road that follows the meanders of the gin clear Valdivia River (called the Calle Calle and San Pedro in its upper reaches). Here the countryside closely resembles that of Austria with hardwood forests, verdant pastures and rustic houses. The river, about a hundred yards wide and ten feet deep, cascades out of the glacial lakes in the high Andes. At the end of our drive, we come to the vacation home of Senor Loco perched on the river bank and sited in a fine forest of aspen-like trees. There his manager has been roasting on a spit over an open grill a new spring lamb acquired that morning for the occassion. He has been sitting by the fire turning the spit by hand so as to get just the right amount of heat on the tender meat. It is a glorious sunny day in early spring, the air fresh and crisp. Vicente, Senor Loco, Hugo and I, accompanied by Tomas as interpreter, greatly enjoy fine red wines and each other’s company as we wander about the property and watch the river boiling past on its way to the Pacific.

When the lamb is ready we all sit down to a wonderful lunch with veggies and salads prepared by Loco’s housekeeper, and of course still more wine. It is a memorable day in which strong bonds of friendship are formed. Senor Loco says what is in the heart of us all, that we are now compadres, special friends. To mark the occasion, he presents me with a fine sombrero and beautifully woven wool poncho, called a manta, typical of the Chilean wasso or cowboy.

On another day, we compadres and Tomas as interpreter and friend of all, play golf at El Vira joined by Pato, another compadre. Following nine holes on a strikingly attractive course alongside the Valdivia River, we drive west along the river almost to the Pacific where we meet up at La Terasa Restaurant. Perched precariously on the face of a steep cliff overlooking a wide part of the river with the Pacific just beyond, the restaurant is a popular spot and crowded on this day. We are joined by the wives and children of Hugo, Loco, and Vicente, making a crowd of about 15 around a single table. Like many Latin meals, it lasts several hours and is marked by joyous laughter and a cacophony of loud conversation. It also is great fun!! After the meal, we drive to Vicente’s home nearby for more wine around a table in his backyard and enjoy the vista across the wide river. It was a nearly perfect day enjoying the company of my new friends, and I will always cherish its memory.

After many months of refit work at the Asenav shipyard in Valdivia, Indigo is at last ready to move on. On the appointed day, my compadres join me on board for the 20 or so mile trip down the Valdivia River to the Pacific, where they will transfer to shore on the river pilot boat. The day is gloriously sunny and the temperature about 70 degrees as we wind our way slowly down the river enjoying fine wines and great food prepared by the chef. Thanks to the extended family of Tomas Miranda, I have been warmly welcomed into the families and lives of my new friends in Valdivia. Nobody could possibly hope for a friendlier and warmer hearted stay anywhere in the world.

When we reach the Pacific, we sadly say goodbye. Indigo then heads out to sea on the way to our next stop, Vina del Mar.