Melinka, Chile
March 16, 2018
Temp. Range: 42F-57F
Cloudy with sunny periods
MELINKA - according to local legend the
word melinka comes from Russian and
means 'lovely.'
word melinka comes from Russian and
means 'lovely.'
Yes, the sun did shine and it became pleasantly warm for our visit to this small,
Interesting town on Ascención Island. Not originally part of our itinerary, we stopped
here as the storm had put us too far behind to make our scheduled landing on
Chiloé Island further north.
Melinka, pop. 1,411, is a very isolated fishing town with access to the rest
of Chile by ferry boats plus a small airport.
An additional population of around 200 transient workers make it the largest town
in the Southern Chilean Archipelago. It is nestled in a setting of endless verdant,
pristine islands ideal for fishing, sailing, boating and sea kayaking.
of Chile by ferry boats plus a small airport.
An additional population of around 200 transient workers make it the largest town
in the Southern Chilean Archipelago. It is nestled in a setting of endless verdant,
pristine islands ideal for fishing, sailing, boating and sea kayaking.
The town sits on a small peninsula off the main island of Isla Acensión and
shelters a small harbor.
shelters a small harbor.
Heading from the Hebridean Sky to Melinka via Zodiac boat.
Salmon and seafood is the main industry here as in all small Chilean coastal
towns and villages, both by fishing boats with nets, and diving for shellfish.
Arriving ashore, easy dry landing onto a jetty.
A big part of this area's mythology revolves around Melinka's beautiful
mermaid statue in the town square. It's said that if she faces the sea it
means good luck for the fishermen. . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . of course being an unmovable statue she always faces the sea!
Wooden Church.
Colorful murals painted along the streets.
Do you know that daily earthquakes occur in Chile?
Thankfully they are mostly small causing little damage.
There was one in the past 24 hours, 13 in the past 7 days,
49 in the past 30 days, and 560 in the past 365 days!!!
On December 25, 2016 a huge earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter Scale
was centered in this area. Melinka suffered heavy damage to many buildings and
boats in the harbor area.
Hazardous tsunami waves up to 3 meters were forecast as possible, however
thankfully that did not happen. Along every small street we noticed the the
Tsunami warning signs. Many homes and boats were still being restored from
the severe 2016 quake.
The tiny harbor.
Re-building damaged fishing boats.
Earthquake damaged house still in need of repairs - but this big guy doesn't seem to mind.
Below: Lovely flowers along Melinka streets.
Weather was close to perfect for sightseeing and we enjoyed a smooth
ride back to the ship.
The following day was to be the final day sailing the magnificent fjords of Chile
as we headed to Puerto Montt.
"HAPPY MAY DAY"
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What an exciting and interesting trip Mary. It's all so colourful. I know I always say it but your photographs are wonderful ... you have really captured the atmosphere. Although here in the UK, our weather leaves a lot to be desired to say the least, I am so pleased that we don't have to worry about earthquakes and tsunami's !!! I suppose they are so used to it, it is just part of their lives. Having said that, today we have clear blue skies and warm sunshine ! XXXX
ReplyDeleteHappy May Day, Mary.
ReplyDeleteThese are such beautiful photos of your wonderful trip. I think that when we go to SA again we look at something similar, as our first trip down to the bottom of the world was on a bigger ship. I love the idea of a smaller one, after taking a small ship cruise up the Amazon. I think we share an eye for the same things when we travel. While the big and important monuments are always interesting, it's the everyday humanity - what is in the garden, on the window sill and in the shops and the local stories that interest me.
What a charming and colorful village! The mermaid statue is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteVery picturesque! Sad about the damage from the earthquakes, but the harbor is still bustling and colorful.
ReplyDeleteI've been laid up and had no idea you were off again on an adventure. Off to catch up!
Jane
Your pictures are just stunning. What a quaint, unexpected stop. The harbor is so picturesque. That is a lot of earthquakes. Yikes!
ReplyDelete