The Navimag ferry
Hola!
Here we are in Puerto Natales after 4 fantastic days on the Navimag ferry. We had been led to believe by our guide book (never believe Lonely Planet or the Rough Guide) that we would be sharing our bunks with cattle and various assorted cargo but in fact the accommodation was great. We were in a C class cabin, the posh people being in AA or A (don´t know what happened to B) and it was rather like the Trans-Siberian – 4 bunks in a little compartment. Each bunk had curtains and a light so you could shut yourself off if you wanted to. There were hot showers, flush toilets, all mod. cons. We had 3 meals a day – it was a bit like school dinners queuing up with your tray and sitting at formica topped tables but the food was very edible indeed. There was entertainment in the form of films and talks about various aspects of Patagonia so between the meals, entertainment, watching the scenery float by, trips to the bar, playing cards and reading our books we were never bored. On the last night we even played Bingo! We met up with our friend Eleanor again and also teamed up with an Australian girl. Intially the voyage took us down between Chiloe and the mainland and was quite calm and sheltered but on the second evening we headed out into the Pacific where there was a bit of a swell. We took our sea sickness tablets and were fine. Most of that part of the voyage occured at night and by the next morning we were back in calm waters again. The scenery on this section of the trip was out of this world. Little islands covered with trees, calm blue water, dolphins, whales, seals, lots of birds, snow-topped mountains, glaciers, beautiful clouds, a huge moon, stars. I could go on and on. We had such a wonderful time. If you ever get the chance to do this trip don´t hesitate. We chatted with the captain (Carlos) who said that the weather was never as good as this – 4 days of sun so hot we had to keep going inside! Usually it rains apparently and you see very little. We arrived in Puerto Natales yesterday evening and we are in a great hostel called Erratic Rock. The breakfast is huge and there is real coffee. The one disappointment about Chile is that the only coffee you can get usually is Nescafe. We are heading out to the Torres del Paine National Park after lunch for about 4 days to do the W circuit. We are taking the tent although there are refugios so we have stocked up with noodles! So I will be back on line on Wednesday I think.
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