Aboard the Navimag
Day 81 – 84 Navimag
I get on the Navimag ferry from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales. 3 nights on a ferry was a new experience for me. One got to see fjords, a seal, a glacier, lots of rain and water and experience a 12 hour turbulent period in the open sea, Golfo de Penas, as it is appropriately named.
3 nights on the ferry, meals included cost USD 430 for a 4 person cabin. I was looking forward to the ferry and more so, Puerto Natales and Parque Torres del Paine.
The difficult things was that I had no internet access for 3 days.
Day 1 : Breakfast in Puerto Varas; rain all day in P Montt; sighting a seal
The day began with a drunk Chilean making his presence known to the rest of us staying in a 4 person dorm, as he fell from the bunk bed onto the floor and across the bed of a girl sleeping in the dorm. The 3 of us sat up on our beds with a look of utter surprise on our faces. It was funny and would have made quite the photo. He then apologised to the girl, and tried to crawl into bed with me, forgetting his bed was the bed above mine. Had to politely, but firmly, push him out of bed. I do not mind company in bed, but a man has some standards! He left the room saying that he would sleep on the sofa in the common area; a minute later, we hear a thud from the common area as he announced his arrival at the sofa.
At breakfast, as we sat discussing our plans for the day, we realised that there were about 10 of us heading to Puerto Montt to get on the Navimag. I wasnt to know then, but the folks from the Puerto Varas hostel formed the nucleus of a group about 10 people with whom I would spend most of my time over the next two weeks! I bond over the experience of the night, with the two girls in my room, who are also headed to P Natales.
Pouring rain as I got on the micro to head to P Montt, about 30 minutes away. There is no change in the weather as I get to the office of the Navimag to check in. After check in, I head out to town with my two new found friends from P Varas to get some lunch. Walk around town in the pouring rain, have a pleasant lunch and head back to Navimag only to be told we will be two hours late! Got talking to another person sitting next to us to find out that he was sharing the cabin with me.
The weather cleared up just enough for us to all congregate on the deck of the ship and take photos of the ship and Puerto Montt, as we left P Montt at about 17:30.
The only eventful thing to happen was that I managed to see a seal. Decent dinner, more walking on the deck, card games and it is bed time. First night on the boat passes by uneventfully.
Day 2 : Patches of decent weather; Lecture on Fauna in Patagonia; Open sea
Rain greeted me in the morning as I ventured out after a shower. I am glad I spent the money I did on the rain jacket I bought from REI.
We had some patches of decent weather amidst the sea, as the bad weather prompts most of us to stay in the common area, reading, playing games, talking, while popping out on to the deck for some fresh air and to battle the rain and wind.
We were all invited to a lecture on “Fauna in Patagonia” by a Chilean who spoke about 4 languages. He gave lectures in Spanish and English. German is his first language since his parents immigrated to Chile from Germany, but after listening to the lecture in Spanish and English, I decided to head out to the deck. He was charming, funny and extremely knowledgeable and held the group enthralled as he discussed the birds and animals one might come across in Patagonia.
We hit the open sea about 15:00. A group of us gathered at the helm of the deck to watch the boat break the 3 to 5 m waves. I am glad I took a sea sickness pill as the wind, waves and rain make it extremely unpleasant for some. The pill made me extremely drowsy and I struggled through dinner. The common area is mostly deserted as most people skipped dinner and made their way to bed and/ or frequent trips to the bathroom.
Day 3 : Great weather with patches of rain; Puerto Eden, Glacier Pio XI
Wake up to a calm sea, fjords and gorgeous weather. I spend a good hour in the open deck, enjoying the view. Rain hit us again after breakfast, but we had the best day of the trip.
We stopped in Puerto Eden, an island of about 160 people and it was a relief to be on terra firma, even if only for about an hour and a half.
Glacier Pio XI (Pio Once) was the highlight of the day. It was jaw droppingly stunning. We got quite close. The blue colours, the height of the glacier as it towered over the ship held us all captive as we were all huddled together on the deck in the cold snapping away. Some of the more adventurous folks in our group decided they would strip down to their bathing suits in front of the glacier.
Since it was the last night on the boat, most people had a party, with alcohol flowing, music playing and some dancing. I tried to stay awake, but couldnt keep up with the young ones and was in bed by 11:00.
Day 4 : Lecture on Torres del Paine; arrive P Natales
The weather was really bad and there wasnt much visibility either. Which meant that the only thing of note that day was the lecture on Torres del Paine, the national park. Most people on the boat were headed there, for day trips, and multi day treks. The lecturer talked about the National Park and the various options available to trekkers: what hikes, camping sites, refugios, transportation were available and how much each option would cost. He also told us what to expect in terms of flora and fauna.
Arrived in Puerto Natales a good 3 hours after we were due. The sky had cleared up and we were met by a pretty town in a beautiful setting, surrounded by fjords on 2 sides and water on one. Settle in and the 10 of us head out to dinner. We decide to meet the next day to to plan for the trek.
Tags: Travel
Damu