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Published: February 13th 2008
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The United Nations
Of Colorado, Germany, and Wisconsin After 88 long-distance buses, we decided to enjoy Chile's coastal cordillera by boat. The Navimag is an industrial ferry carting cars and livestock beneath the deck, so it´s more a freight ferry than a cruise ship. But it´s also equipped with beds and a bar for a beautiful ride through the channel from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt full of sights unseen from the roads. We decided it would be a great way to continue our Patagonia exploration and also recover after hiking 90 miles in 7 days through Torres del Paine. We boarded the boat with 200 other people from around the world and met fantastic new friends from Tasmania, Spain, Germany and other exotic places like... Wisconsin.
Instead of the 22-room hostel we had pictured, our on-board sleeping quarters were divided into four-bunk cubbies complete with curtains for privacy and personal lockers. We had wonderful roomies who formed our group that got the party started. We checked in to discover that our bunkmates were none other than our German friends, Nicola and Thomas, from our last B&B! They are a brilliant and adventurous couple about to move from Munich to Vienna. Nicola is working on her PhD in
Argentine social movements so she educated us about the country, and Thomas builds lasers which means he´s one smart guy.
Across the mini hall were our friends, Vinnie and Gina, a wonderfully crunchy couple from Wisconsin who are hitch-hiking their way through Chile to Bolivia. Gina is a sweet writer and former dancer who knows all about all-natural health and beauty products. Her hilarious boyfriend, Vinnie, insists he isn´t a hippie, but is a percussionist who learned his trade in drum circles and an expert builder who specializes in sustainable living using all-natural materials (like wood). He couldn´t believe we brought our snorkeling gear to Central America, but then admitted he had to send his didgeridoo back to the States too. What a hoot!
The Navimag crew was sure to notify us of any and every sight along the way, so our trip was full of annoying announcements at all hours, starting as early as 4 or 6 a.m. and always ending with ¨For your attention, sank you very much¨. Trev and I did our best to sleep through any and all early-morning interruptions, but did manage to peer through the fog to see beautiful green fjords and
First mate Liz on the first day
looking like her see legs are setting in. snow-capped peaks, a vessel ship-wrecked since ´63, and a few dolphins and sea lions who jumped out of the water to say Hola. We even stopped at a glacier on the second day to pick up ice for the bar. Pisco sours with glacier ice are just a delight. The only rough patch was when we cruised out into the open, rocky sea on the second day. Luckily the crew announced this too, including when to load up on dramamine, and we hid in our bunks until we could return to the calmer waters of the channel.
When we weren´t on deck in awe of the sights or reading in the lounge, Trev and I were bothering the crew in the captain´s quarters. They had the very best view with binoculars we could borrow too. We could leaf through maps, examine our GPS position, and even ask the crew questions. Unfortunately for them, Trev and I had just read Jack London´s sailing classic, The Sea Wolf, so the crew also had to hear a lot of ¨Ahoy, scurvy maties!¨ and ¨Land ho!¨ We spent plenty of time in the cafeteria too. It was a blast from the past since
Fighting wind on the deck
We saw a dolphin right after this. No lie, I just couldnt get it on film. it looked like a school lunch room with trays and mystery meats. At meal times there were two self-serve lines for two different dishes. Trev wanted to get his cruising money´s worth, so he waited in both lines to taste all that the boat had to offer.
On our third and final day on the old Navimag, the clouds and fog disappeared and our international group moved outside to enjoy pisco, vino, and snacks in the sunshine. Trev kept asking when they would open the pool, but for some reason we never saw one so it must´ve stayed closed. We had our own deck party with ""wale-watching" (only dolphins showed), fjord viewing, and sun bathing. It continued into the evening with serious star gazing. With only one tiny town called Puerto Eden along the way, there was no competing light and we could see the entire southern starry sky. The next day, we said Adios to our new friends and wished each other luck on the rest of our adventures before we disembarked (let's hear yet another hearty ¨Land Ho!¨). It wasn´t quite a cruise, but our ferry was even better than the relaxing party barge we´d hoped for.
A glacier we stopped to check out
We had a pisco sour with the ice from this glacier. A good way to show nature who is in charge. Thanks for making our trip up the Chilean coast a wonderful time, amigos!
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February 16th @ 4PM
Looks like a lot of fun, but how many more minutes until February 16th at 4PM in Manitou Springs???