T'was on the good ship venus....

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Capatins log dated Wed 7th March

Weather same as yesterday . Cloudy and overcast .
Rain. Wind 4 occasional 3 falling.
It' s amazing to think that 24hrs after leaving Puerto Natales and navigating through the fjords no human habitation at all in this desolate yet beautiful land. The journey is 1460km (900 miles) and I am wondering if we will see any other human life at all between here and our destinstion Puerto Montt. I have never been to a fjord and it is quite eerie. Land to port and starboard occasionally only 130 metres wide for navigation and yet no human lif or recognisable building. Looking out the window it is if you are stuck in a film loop and I joked with Megan from NZ that actually we were stationary and that there was a man outside rotating the scenery out of the window on a large canvass. At night you can just make out the shape of the islands there being no light at all except the shipping lights from the boat , the Evangelista. Went to an interesting lecture on glaciers and how it is believed volcanoes erupting affect temperatures and our increasing changing weather patterns. The lecturer was so passionate about his subject. A few hours well spent. Then the boat stopped breifly by a glacier for us all to see. A wall of ice 300 meters high and 2kms below the sea. Pretty amazing stuff. It incredible to think that millions of years ago the fjords we glaciers that have carved out this landscape and then as they receded the waters from the oceans filled the valleys.
Everyone starting to mingle and relax in the boat. Alcohol is definitely helping in this regard. . The price at the bar is not too bad, certainly better than the extortionate prices on Torres del Paine but almost all passengers have bought there own. I have 3 x 1.5 litre cartons of Chilean vino tinto for a very reasonable $5 each. (£3.30). A Cheeky Cabernet Sauvignon, a fruity Merlot and a sort of house/ supermercado affair. I have also bought a bottle of pisco sour for $5. It's the drink of chile. Made from the grape but it is 40% and then flavoured with lemons. Anyways it will keep till the party on thursday, our last night on the boat and coincidentally the date I hang up my spurs officially. Would never have thought that the years would go by so quickly and that precisely 30yrs on, march 8th 2012 I would be partying on a merchant shipping vessel on the south pacific ocean.
So, a good mix on the boat, wanderers all. Chatted to my roommates last night over glass of vino tinto, Geig and Rose. The have graduated from university in the Netherlands and then came to SA for a break. 4 weeks Spanish lessons and some tango tuition in Beunos Aires they have now hit the road for 5 months all the way to Columbia. Even though everyone is doing there own thing we are all on the 'Gringo trail'. At least there does not seem to be the dependence on the lonely planet here, unlike SE Asia where to some it was almost a bible. That said the lady next to me has three LP books on her lap and then asked me what the fire damage was like in somewhere called Bellerochie. Lady, how the # should I know. Go there and find out for yourself!
Everyone is talking about the cattle on the boat. Like I explained this is a shipping freighter with the add on decks for us wanderers. Below there are trucks with cattle on who were loaded in PN. They have now been kept in cramped conditions with no way to lie down for at least 2 days with another 2 days to port. This to me and other passengers seems quite a cruel practice. I do not know if they are being fed and watered. If they are being taken to slaughter, and I think they are, then why they need to be put though this suffering I do not know. I love a good steak but my attitude might change the next time I decide to order one in the UK or Europe marked prime south American beef. Surely they could slaughter the animals locally and thus prevent the unnecessary cruelty that I see below decks. "This is south America". Still it is not right and I maybe i will try and do my part by not purchasing any.
So after 30hrs first sign of life. Puerto Eden. A tiny fishing hamlet. Looks like a very harsh place to live and guessing by the number if house home to about 500 souls, mainly fishermen. The landscape around gives clues the the brutal way of life here. No trees, black granite mountains. Not sure why this is called Eden but ehoever named it had a warped sense of humour. The ship weighs anchor and a small boat is despatched from the village to collect supplies, collect and drop off passengers. Why anyone would want to get off here is beyond me. Reminded me of the first time I flew to Jamaica. 350 people on board the jumbo jet and only Dave Hill (customs drugs team), a lady in a wheelchair and I get off at Kingston. I remember looking at the faces of the other passengers and crew all bound for Montego Bay. Their faces were the same. A look of " poor bastards" towards us and inner smugness they sere not getting off themselves.
Then three blasts if the horn ansd away, back to the emptiness if the Chilean fjords.
Following lunch I made some enquiries about the cattle on board. Good news. They are being moved north as its too cold and no grass for them down south. Sure they will be slaughtered eventually but they are being moved for there own welfare and the 4 day ship ride is better than 10 day lorry ride on the unmaintained Chilean roads though the mountains of the Carretera austral and northern Patagonia. This also means I can eat SA steak again. Phew. Close call

8th March

This is the BBC. In a moment the shipping forecast but first some music. ' Sailing by'. Altogether now..... "La, la la la la laaah. " if you don't know it just sing sailing by Rod Stewart. South pacific sunny, wind 2 occasional 3, 10% possibility of rain later.
Book: finished operation mincemeat and starting 'Between Extremes' again. A great read and will refresh my memory for the trip up north.
So yesterday we left the protection of the fiords and out into the open sea. Into the Golfo de Pena. (Gulf of Pain) Started to get a bit of a swell on but nothing too rough. (phnah phnah). Most had taken sea sick tablets that make you drowsy and do the bar at night was a quiet affair. 24hrs on the open sea and around the Peninsula Tres Montes before returning to the calm of the fiords.
The film last night was Master and Commander. Seen it and so taught those in the bar the card game 'Newmarket'. NZ, USA, Holland, Israel and Uraguary. They soon got the hang of it and good fun had by all. The guy Nathan was interesting lad. From Uruguay he is a Jew and he has recently returned from 3 years in the Israeli army. He volunteered and for him it was a natural thing to do. Ended up a commando. Now he is seeing a little if his own country before continuing his masters in Brazil. Speaks four languages fluently. A good hand.
So, hoy,(Today 8th March) beuno tiempo, hace sol y hace calor. Hope to get some good pictures. Might even see another whale. Oh, and the whale I saw on my first day was a Minky whale, according to the ships marine scientist on board.
Bizarrely for a transport freighter there is a giant chess board painted on the rear upper deck. It is like something from a lewis Carroll book. With the sun shining folks are outside playing chess with the pieces , which look like they were designed by Heath Robinson. A surreal day in Patagonia but an amazing day aboard the good ship venus yesterday and my knee is definatley on the mend. In the South Pacific under glorious sunshine, there was nothing for it but to slap on the factor 30, break out the beers/wine/pisco sour and party all day and all night. With the sun shining there were smiles all round. My last day as cop turned out to be one I shall never forget. We rounded the Peninsula Tres Montes and then back in the calm waters of the fiords. 36 hrs till landfall at Puerto Montt. A traveller qualified as a hairdresser on board set up shop on the deck and she had a queue within minutes. Quite a backdrop for her salon, the Andes of Patagonia. Beer after beer flowed, the sun shone all day and the laughter and joking that followed.
After supper and bingo (which did wonders for my spanish numbers) it was into the bar to dance the night away to spanish tunes and get some samba lessons from people who had been to lessons in Beunos Aires.
Nightfall and you could see a volcano erupting in the distance. Every 3 minutes or so the sky around it lighting red like fire as it spewed out its molten herart. Not a cloud in the sky and could clearly make out the Southern Cross and Orions belt.



9th March.

Woke at 7am after about 4 hours sleep to disembark. Now the ship is stationary the smell coming up from the cattle and sheep below is quite overpowering. 4 days of cattle urine and shit does tend to hum a bit. No wonder the captain kept the ship at a steady 10 knots all the way. To keep the windaft. Quickly off the boat and away from the Ammonia smell and a short walk to the bus station.
I had been warned that Puerto Montt was a bit of a dump, and so it turned out to be. A working port with little to offer so headed with some others from the town to Puerto Varas, a quaint town about 25kms north on a lake.
So it's so long Patagonia and hello Lake district.

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Photos

my transport of delight
navimag cattle ferry

sun shining at last
sun burns off last of the mist

beer o'clock
celebrating my last day as a cop. could no think of anywhere better than right here as far away from the madding crowd as possible

motley crew
the world united by alcohol and sunshine. UK,Dutch,New Zealand,Australia,Israel, Uruguay,Denmark,Switzerland

Freedom
nuff said.