The Last Hope

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Puerto Natales was founded in 1911 and has a population of about 19,000. Although where they all were is beyond me. It is located near Ultima Esperanza (the Last Hope) fjord. The fjord was discovered in 1557 by a desperate Juan de Ladrillero who was trying to find the western exit of the Strait of Magellan. It was colonized by German and English immigrants who turned this area of Patagonia into the main stockbreeding producers and exporters until the end of the 1970's. It's main claim to fame is that it is the home to the Southernmost casino in the world.

It was from here that my group boarded the Skoprios111, which is referred to in Chile as a CFH, a Chilean Floating Hotel. It is, and this is not an oxymoron, a luxury icebreaker. It lived up to its name. We had luxury ( fluffy towels, huge bathroom with lots of storage, large room with TV, refrigerator, 2 easy chairs and a huge closet, food to die for, all the booze you could drink( free), two picture window to watch the ice chunks float by, and, well, you get the picture. It was pretty comfy.
But hey, it wasn't just about the room or the food ( more on that later), it was about the fjords, the glaciers and the Southern polar cap ice fields. And the ice.

Now we all know where there is ice it has to be cold. Where there is floating ice and huge glaciers it is REALLY cold. So when going on an excursion to inspect a glacial upclose and personal be prepared to dress like a toddler going out for their first sled ride. First, came the long underwear ( top adn bottoms), then sock liners and heavy wool socks, then very warm insulated polartec pants, then 2 long sleeve tops, a wool sweater, a balacava ( double weight Polartec), a doublined lined windbreaker jacket with hood and lastly two pairs of gloves. On top of all this we were belted into a life perserver. We looked like a bunch of 'rollie pollies' trying to negotiate up and down the steps into the smaller boat. Of course, the joke was the life preserver. One could survive for about 2 minutes in that water. We figured they were only to spot us if they had to scoop us out.

The largest glacier I saw was the Pius X1, why a glacier was named after a Pope I could never find out. It is over a million years old and pretty honkin' huge with a surface of about 480 miles. The front alone is 3 3/4 miles wide and its ice towers reach about 300 feet. Every day some of the crew would collect million year old ice and serve it in our ( free) drinks. Because the glacier is so dense and strong it compresses the ice so that it is truly crystal clear and yet sparkly inside the 'cubes' making it look like diamond webs. Well, like anything else too much of a good thing become a bit boring. Each day we would travel through another fjord and anchor at ( oh ho hum) yet another glacier. But I have to admit taht the Amalai glacier impressed me with its 1.5 mile front width adn ice towers reaching about 250 feet. It was more than eerie and a bit scary to be in our little boat and hear the tremendoous BOOM! and CRACK! of ice separating (lord knows how near or far) and whether it would all of a sudden make a shift and come barreling down at you.

To get close to these behemoths we had to plow through ice chunks that often were as thick as, well, a field made of ice chunks. Some of the chunks were the size of a refrigerator box, others as big as a bus. Some were snow covered and some were smooth and rippled and differently colored depending on the way the wind had hit it. All were beautiful. One, as long and wide as an 18 wheeler separated in the middle when we were only about 10 feet away from it. The pieces sunk down and them popped up again quite near the boat giving us all a start.

We were on the boat for 4 days and 5 nights. Each day was a different glacier and different fjord. We only came to one 'village' called Puerto Eden. It has no street just wooden walkways going to the left and right of the boat dock. The men fish while the women make crafts to sell to the tourists. There is a small school there for about 30 students. Our group presented them with about 150 blank CD's to use in the computers that the Bill Gates Foundation had donated. Val and I brought them some art supplies. All I can say is that if any of you think you live in the 'boonies', well, come to Puerto Eden. It gives a new definition to ' the boonies'!

We ended out trip with a visit to Punta Arenas, the southernmost town in Chile. It was 'discovered 'by Magellan in 1520 and is almost 2,000 miles from Santiago. It only began to 'flourish' after some 300 pure bred sheep arrived from the Falkland Islands in the late 1800's. The town looks like it is going to be swept into Straight of Magellan. The winds howl all the time which hasn't stopped fishing fleets, tourists or those who like to purchase items without having to pay a duty as the entire town is a 'duty free' zone.

What a privilege it has been to see this fantastic land. I knew the trip promised some spectacular sites but I never expected to be so ' blown away' both literally and figuratively by the landscapes, wind, and animals. When I was only feet away from guanacos, and rheas,and condors it gave me chills. When beautiful flamingos ate unperturbed only yards away, it was a privilege. When a fox sat almost outside our hotel door one day it was, well, a bit unnerving. Animals are everywhere. They own Patagonia and just let us visit. If you have only one trip to make in your lifetime I urge you to come here. You won't regret it.
Abrazos, till the next trip. Carolyn ( Gunga)

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