Puerto Montt ~ Chile travel pictures

Puerto Montt south Chile Highway around the bay to Angelmo

Puerto Montt is sited on an inlet of the Pacific, not one of this area's many lakes, so harbour views change with the tides.

This day, the winds were very chilly, and though it was an early spring day, it was cold enough that bare ears and hands cried for cover.

When the wind blows from the south, it will be cold; from the north, fine and warmer weather is forecast.

Here, the highway is leading to Angelmo, a fishing port west of town.

Plaza De Armas Puerto Montt

Teens and young parents with toddlers, seniors and children riding bikes all gathered much of the daylight hours -- roughly 6:30 a.m - 9 p.m. in early November.

Puerto Montt is the capital of Region X Los Lagos.

From here, you can take a day trip to Chiloe, but it's better to allow several days.

There's an extensive promenade along the downtown waterfront, and at this square is the Romanesque-style Iglesia Catedral, built from a native wood called alerce -- like sequoia, I was told.

City Street, Banks in Puerto Montt Chile

A few blocks inland from Plaza De Armas, shops line busy streets, and there's a good sized shopping mall.

There are a number of banks in the area as well, including Redbank, with its cash machines accessible even after banking hours.

Street vendors were selling roasted peanuts in the shell.

Island in the bay near Angelmo Outside Puerto Montt Chile

The island is just west of PUerto Montt, and you can hire one of the small boats with driver to take you across.

This day, though, it was much too chilly for the beach.

Early spring wildflowers bloomed in the fields, and as we stopped to have a closer look, a small goat came scampering up to us.

I knelt down and held him till his owner retrieved him a few minutes later.

Hilltop Chalets located between Angelmo and Puerto Montt Chile

The rooftops peeking over the crest of the hill look like chalets, but they are typical of the newer housing being bult in the area.

The city's population, I was told, was about 160,000; and there's a cab for every one of them.

This may not be much of an exaggeration, for the city is notorious for its heavy traffic.

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