Valdivia

The hours of driving each day has started to take its toll, and while there are some places further north we talked about going to early on, we’re going to head for the coast instead and see if we can find some sights closer together. Not far away (relatively speaking) is the town of Valdivia and, according to our books, there are some old Spanish forts, river tours, and a vibrant fish market to see. The list seems long enough to keep us entertained for a couple of days, so off we go.

By the time we arrive three hours later, the rain is just rolling in to meet us. A few small museums provides a bit of a respite while we wait to see if the worst will pass, but things only gets worse. With the wind, water is coming in sideways and regular people seem to have all hunkered down indoors. That’s just not how I roll though, so out come the waterproof, windproof jackets we brought for our time in Patagonia, and we head down to the fish market.

It’s pretty small compared to other places we have been, but still fun to look at everything there is for sale and to watch the sea lions fight over the scraps.

We finish the day at a craft market overlooking the river where restaurants full of locals line the top floor. There are a few new things on the menu to try, but as we watch the food go by, it’s obvious that the fish and chips are the specialty (across the street from the stands selling fresh fish – go figure). Mental note for tomorrow.