Patagonia Bound

Our journey began with flights to Dallas and Santiago, arriving about 8:30 a.m. We got maybe a couple hours of sleep on the way down and took refuge in a hotel near the Santiago airport for a day to adjust.

I had spent the last few months improving my Spanish by listening to audio CDs, but soon noted that if I say something in Spanish, the other person thinks I know the language well and will fire off a string of sentences muy rapido, overwhelming my saturated brain cells. La práctica hace la perfección, I suppose.

Next morning, Feb 28, we got up at 4:30 a.m. to fly a local airline to Puerto Montt, a gateway to the Andes and Patagonian fjords, and explored the town. It had been quite hot lately in Santiago, but now we were flying south for the austral summer, i.e. it got colder.

On the plane at zero dark thirty

         The rugged Andes were punctuated with volcanos and snow fields.

The downtown Puerto Montt architecture reminded us of southern New Zealand.

street art

Black-faced ibis in the park

After picking up some edibles at the grocery store (in a mall), we were bussed over to the docks and up the ramp of the looming Evanglista ferry. Though the captain was eager to depart to catch the tides, truckloads of various cargo were still being loaded. 

We chatted for a while with a New Zealander and watched the loading and the goings-on ashore.

Our cabin was a cozy and warm little cubbyhole with bunk beds on both sides and a private bath a few steps down the hall. Fortunately, the ship had a light passenger load and we didn’t have to share the room, a situation I can only imagine as intimately gymnastic.

pre-occupation

post-occupation

Our room was also near the cafeteria, which served three good and ample meals a day. 

Except when it rained, though, we spent much time outside on deck watching the passing wilderness of fjords and channels. Judy was determined and stayed out there through wind, rain, and sun. We saw Chilean dolphins (smallest dolphin in the world), sea lions, and I saw a few small orcas.

The only stop during the three-day journey was Puerto Eden, a small fishing village. The ferry lowered its ramp to the water level and a few small boats gathered around to load and unload goods and a few people.

On the second day, we toured the bridge. Though the ship was built in 1957, it was equipped with modern radar, GPS, and autopilot to find its way.

There were a few old-fashioned touches, such as the ship's log; instead of a "black box" the ship had a black book.

The crew's skill in maneuvering the ship was evident as we passed through some narrow passages, such as the White Narrows. The Narrows is only 80 meters wide; the ship's width is 23 meters.

We passed the wreck of the Capt. Leonides (a ship, not a captain), which was intentionally grounded in an attempt to sink it for insurance money. The actual captain had been smuggling sugar and wanted to dispose of the evidence. As it turned out, he put it right on top of another ship that ran aground and sunk there, so the Leonides refused to sink. The Chilean navy put a few holes in it without effect. It now serves as a marker for shallow water and a giant bird nest. Our captain, as we passed it, blew the ship's horn to make the birds fly, but they seem to have gotten used to that trick.

The crew worked for all of the three days repairing a winch at the bow. Like good sailors, they swabbed the decks afterward.

We arrived early in the evening on the third day at our destination, Puerto Natales, and had dinner while some of the cargo was unloaded. We finally got to our hospedaje for the night around 11 pm.

Tomorrow: the glaciers and mountains of Torres del Paine National Park.