Navimag 2006

Arriving in Puerto Natales at 11pm is not a good start for the quest of finding a nice hostel. This is demonstrated by the following events... No time for hanging around the bus stop in minus degrees so the four of us get coaxed by a crazy little lady to Nikos hostel, with the promise of a warm bed and shower. At 3000 Chillian Pesos (3 quid to you and me) we couldnt really complain. The lady helps us organise a trip to Parque Nacional Torres Del Paine the next day, our impending ferry journey to Puerto Mont looming the next evening. Aparently Nikos dont believe in heating upstairs rooms, as we find out when we get shown to the attic room. I resort to sleeping in my clothes, with the discovery of a draft on my face from the window, sob sob. I think it was warmer outside come to think of it... Ready for a ruck in the morning, i get up for our early start to find a bottomless coffee and scrambled eggs for breakfast. Ahh, how can i be cross with service like that! She was actually really helpful too, made 4 new friends, Gill included, and had a minibus for 8 booked to take us for our tour. Ill let her off (just this once mind).

So we all head off to the national park. To the female populations delight on the minibus, we pick up a few hitch-hiking Army men and drop then at the entrance. Its a wonder how much that can warm you up on a frosty morning. We see the main mountain peaks of Torres Del Paine with turquoise lakes beneath and an amazing reflection. On our next stop, we visit a waterfall with roaring rivers and i get all Ray Mears and get up close to a fox. Our finale of the day came after lunch, heading over to Lago Grey where there are small glaciers and a small island to trek around to see them from all angles.

I also managed to squeeze in some serious chat with Gill about THE BIG PICTURE, life and the plan when i get home. It was deep.

Head back to our Igloo, sorry i mean hostel with just enough time to grab dinner before boarding our floating home for the next 3 nights and days at 12pm. Foolishly had ideas from what Sean had said of something not too far from a luxury cruise liner, how wrong i was. It doesnt get off to a good start, being guided aboard via the cattle loading bay. What they failed to mention in the brochure in El Califate, was that on the trip north to Puerto Montt cows and horses get transported along with us in the cargo bay. Ive now got the smell of shit and sound of cattle to look forward to on this trip. Yippee! Our cabin isnt that bad, and the toilets are clean, the only other problem (they seem to be mounting) is that we have to go outside to get to the living quarters and galley in the above deck, and besides that, there is no heating in minus degrees in the pacific ocean for 4 days. To pass time over the next few days, ive come up with a cunning routine as follows: Snooze until lunchtime, get up have lunch in the galley, then retire to the top deck to watch the breathtaking scenery for a few hours or as long as my fingers stay pink. Read my book in the early afternoon before squeezing a shower in (providing i have enough time) before dinner. Sample the first and last good entertainment in the evening with a Chillian political film Machuca, eventful day in all so bed early ends the day nicely. The next two days have a similar trend. We hit rough waters the following day so most passengers, excluding me are hit with sea-sickness (dad, your sea-legs have been passed on to me, aren´t you proud!). As our new friends had been drinking heavily the night before, it makes for a messy day. Keeping out of the way on the top deck seemed to do the trick for me, and i had the best day on our trip!

Having had 13hrs sleep the night before, i was revitalised the next day for a fun pack time. The rocking of the boat must have sent me to sleep like a little baby. As no TV signal could be reached on the boat, that days England world cup game had to be listened to up in the captains cabin by radio. Commentry was in Spanish, and i still only know a handful of phrases, so translation from 'Cappy' provided us with the knowledge of a win. Later on that day, we are taught the rules of poker, and play and drink until 2am, when we are evicted from our living quarters. Reeling with fury (and drunk from Pisco, the national tipple), we go to bed, too tired to cause trouble.

The next morning, or should i say, 5hrs later, we have a knock at the door. Our delightful wake up call at 8am, the boat has been in the harbour for an hour and we have 2minutes to get off! Brilliant. Still wankered from the night before, w drag ourselves out of bed, and head down to the bus station to purchase our bus ticket to our next destination that day, Pucon.

written by  Vegtibbles on June 22, 2006 from Puerto Montt, Chile
from the travel blog: The Crazy Adventures of the Tibbler
tagged IsThereAColderBoatOnEarth
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