Hey!

so its been awhile, and so much has happened since our last post...

since i've written, we departed bariloche, argentina and headed back west into chile. it weas an easy border crossing and brought us once again into what seems to be the transport hub of the region, puerto montt. not the most delightful city, as crime is on the rise and it held little redeeming qualities. however it provided us with exactly what we needed for our day layover there: the viewing of harry potter in english, as well as a new camera as once again one was broken due to a lens error.

we spent all day in the shopping mall, which is of course a first for us here, and exhausted ourselves running errands and such and preparing for our voyage the next day on a ship down south.

the 3rd of dec saw us board the navimag vessel, a 4 day cargo ship that over the years has taken advantage of travelers wanting to head south by boat, and has added many bunks and amenities. there were around 100 people, and of that number (much to our dismay) only about 4 others were under the age of 40. we made good friends with some younger guys however and it was a fantastic ride.

the first day was pretty clear (we were very lucky with weather on the boat considering patagonia has some of the worst and unpredictable weather in the world) and we got used to our new home and friends and perhaps the comfiest bed i have ever been in in my life. im pretty sure that it would be worth the ship ride for the bed alone. we were super lucky, as we were in a sort of 22 people dorm, but we had the equivalent of a little room to ourselves on the end with a window and a heater. there were these little bunks built into the wall with cozy comforters and little curtains that closed you in. and so long as you didn't get seasick, the rocking of the ship put you to sleep quite nicely.

that evening we were walking around and the captain and crew let us in to the steering room (if thats what you call it). we got to see all how the ship worked. it only sailed at a speed of 20km an hour which seems unbelievably slow, and can only go in straight lines.

day too was bright and sunny and clear all day which was wonderful. we sat outside most of the day looking out over the islands and inlets and water. it was insanely beautiful and wild. all day people were seeing dolphins, and i wanted to so badly and always seemed to miss them. im pretty sure that the whole ship knew that i wanted to and whenever someone would see one people would come running to get me. no luck though.

in the afternoon we left the narrows and headed onto open ocean. it was clear, which was nice, but the boat still swayed so much that it was very difficult to walk. there were a few toddlers and babies on board trying to walk around, which ended in many a face plant and tears. it was a lot of fun, and neither of us were seasick and could enjoy it like an amusement ride. that evening the sun was so beautiful on the water and we sat out awhile with our friends, and it was all pink and sparkly and we saw seals jumping alongside the ship.

the next day it was rainy and snowy as we headed back into the narrows. we brought our breakfast and ipods to the front of the ship and ate in the snow and saw sealions and this shipwreck. apparently 50 years ago a captain and his crew tried to sink the ship to get the insurance money, but failed (i don't know how you could fail at this). it was pretty eerie through the smog. we cozied up in the big common room on the couches with everyone for part of the afternoon until we got up to this glacier. apparently it is the biggest one in all of the world, save for antarctica. it was insane. we stood outside looking at it up close in the rain and snow and it was so beautiful and cold!

the last night we stayed up really late with our friends. the last couple of nights in the common area and bar people would just gab guitars and such and play and sing and it was really fun. as most everyone was old however, the bar and common room would empty by midnight and us and our friends and a few other people would stay up and chill and such. that night em hurt her foot really badly dancing and the doctor had to piggypack her across the ship and give her a but injection! save for the fact that her foot hurt, we both thought it was hilarious.

the next morning i went in search for the doctor for another injection for em, and then we went out really early to grab our breakfast and sit at the front of the ship. we were some of the first people up, and it was absolutely spectacular. the sun was shimmering across the water, and we were standing at the front and these dolphins were jumping through the sunshine real close! I GOT TO SEE DOLPHINS! happiest moment of my life. then, i know that this seems fake, but there was the most beautiful rainbow over the ship and sunshine and islands, and we saw 6 more dolphins jumping. it was amazing because most people only got glimpses of them on the ship, but the ones we saw were jumping for at least 2 minutes and we got to really see them. it was magical. there is no other way to describe it. magical!

we had to pack up and arrived in puerto natales sadly around lunch time. it was true that you do start to get a little restless on a ship, however it was very sad to leave our comfy ship bed and friends and the boat and views and dolphins!

but we met up with my cousin who is living here for the season working for a kayak guiding company, and thus commences a new section of our travels and deserves a whole blog entry unto itself!

love always

S

Hey again!

so we arrived in puerto natales to my cousin kelsey, which was super exciting! its so nice to have family so far away from home! we also realized that this will be the first time that we have ever been together without our parents. crazy. she lives in a house that is half the companies office, so it is always full of people which is awesome. the night we got there they were all making a mexican feast for a surprise birthday party. so we helped make a cake by taste testing the batter and icing and made guacamole and such. dinner was really fun and chaotic and led into a party and even more people.

the next day we went shopping and prepped for all the things that we would need for our trek. puerto natales is a few hours from pretty much the most known and important national park in chile, torres del paine, and there is a popular 4-5 day trek in the park that we were planning to do.

that day, after shopping for the all important food items such as cookies and chocolate and salami, we were taken horseback riding by kelsey and her friend carlos. carlos has friends that have a a horse farm and such, and they let us borrow 4 horses for the afternoon. riding was absolutely spectacular. it was super windy and beautiful with all of the mountains, and we galloped through fields and saw more horses and pink flamingoes (yup!) and condors (which are everywhere!). it was wonderful. when we got back to the farm, we got to eat the leftovers from a lamb assado from a tour group(barbeque outside that consists of slow cooking a huge piece of meat for 4 hours near coals). it was delicious.we ate big chunks of meat with our hands in the kitchen and sipped mate.

the next day we headed out towards the park early in the morning. we had our packs and gear all ready and started out in the park on a boat after our 2 hour bus ride. that brought us to the beginning of the W trek, a 68 km trek that takes you through many of the park highlights.