The fine ship Navimag is basically a cargo ship that backpackers and the like used to stow away on for the trip through the Chilean fjords from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt. Nowadays you don't have to stow away and it's a popular way to get north, but you do have to pay a fair amount for your passage. Primarily though it is still a cargo ship and the cargo is mostly living... So it's slightly like travelling on a floating farm. Quite an odd situation being miles from anywhere in the complete wilderness but smelling farmyard from the cargo of cows and horses all destined for someone's dinner plate soon. Not ideal for a veggie, but people do need to earn money and there aren't many other ways to earn it in Patagonia. Additionally, it was the English that brought cows and sheep to Patagonia in the first place so maybe it's all our fault...?
It was a pretty interesting 3 days. On boarding on Tuesday night after boarding via an elevator platform on the deck (very Starwars-esqe) we were shown to our bunks. Mine was a lower bunk in a 22 bed corridor. Thankfully there weren't 22 people in the room and the beds themselves were pretty cozy with curtains to give you some privacy. I had met a few people from the ship in Puerto Natales which was nice and everyone else I spoke with were great. So many different nationalities - Chilean, Argentinian, Brazilian, American, Canadian, South African, Australian, English, Irish, French, German, Dutch, Swiss, Luxembourg, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Korean... and that was just those that I spoke to!
On waking the next morning to the calls of our guide, Marcelo (whose constant commentary would be driving us all slightly nuts by the end of the trip), we were underway. The weather wasn't exactly pleasant, about 60 knots and raining. I tried to take a picture to show quite how windy it was, but it's rather impossible to tell without standing out on deck! A nice touch was that we could go to the bridge and chat with the crew whenever we felt like it. The only time that they shut us out was when they were navigating some of the incredibly narrow channels. They were so narrow it was almost as if you could reach out and touch the shore and the captain's assurances that he was not only a Chilean fjord pilot, but also an Antarctic pilot did make me feel a bit safer! It was interesting to watch/listen to the navigation through the narrow parts though, with the captain looking out of the window and calling bearings to the helm. As standing out on deck wasn't really an option we all spent a long time reading, eating, playing cards and watching movies. Still, at least it was good company!
Thursday's weather was a lot better. The wind had died down by the time we docked at Puerto Montt a tiny village of 140 people on the edge of the Bernard O'Higgins national park. Those of us taking a walkabout were picked up off Navimag and then we walked in crocodile fashion around the small village. It's incredible to think that these people survive in such a remote part of the world. If it wasn't for the weekly supplies from the Navimag I doubt they would. Remote to the extreme, although I did notice that they now have landline phones. Think internet will be a while away though! Thursday evening we sailed into the Golfe de Penas (Gulf of Pain) and out into the Pacific Ocean. We had been warned that the swell and the motion was likely to be pretty bad and so quite a lot of people were sick. I don't think that the increasing smell of the cows helped matters either, maybe cows get seasick too?
Our final day was back into the calm waters of the Chilean fjords and it was stunning. Everyone made the most of the sunshine and spent the day on deck looking at the volcanoes dotting the horizon and being treated to a sunset show by whales on the port side and later dolphins on the starboard side! During the day we had also been visited by seals and penguins and the funny Patagonian flightless ducks so a full wildlife complement! The trip ended with quite a few celebratory drinks and Chilean bingo, followed by a fiesta. Again, a pretty random experience to end a pretty random, but excellent few days!
I am now spending the night in Puerto Montt in a lovely boutique hotel called Tren del Sur. Making the most of the wifi, double bed and ensuite complete with a bath!!! Such luxury. Up early tomorrow for the bus to Bariloche, Argentina!