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Published: January 26th 2009
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Wow!
Many houses in Valporaiso were painted in what can only be called ùnabashed'colour schemes. I guess you could get used to it............. Yes, the sun has largely disappeared from our travels, at least to the extent that it offers enough warmth to combat the wind that that is our new companion. The 4 day, 3 night journey on the ferry saw us mostly confined indoors as outside it was perishing, even with five layers of clothes on! The cabins were petite as you´d expect on a ship, enough that I cracked my forehead on the headboard before learning the confines of this nautical space......
We were pleasantly surprised with the ferry as it is a trip regarded as having high potential to go pear shaped, especially if the weather is unkind. We splurged on a private cabin with our own bathroom, the alternative being 21-bed dorms sharing three bathrooms: somewhat unappealing...... We thought that all we got for the extra cash was privacy, but it turns out the company considers such guests to be so worthy (read ´cashcows´) that we also gained dining priveleges in the officers mess (often with the captain himself present) where we not only had 2 choices for each of the four course meals served for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but also free and seemingly unlimited
We are sailing
through untroubled waters. The fjords were pristine, with no sign of human effect for 1500km (4 days, 3 nights). wine. We conferred with others who had made the same cabin choice, and reassured ourselves that the consumption of the wine at shipboard prices more than exceeded the price differential !!
Arriving at the Puerto Natales we were understandably keen to disembark. However, the wind had different ideas, remaining too strong for the ship to berth for five more hours, forcing us to sail around and around the bay in the interim. On the upside, we were fed a lunch (steak etc and MORE wine) we weren´t expecting, saving a few more dollars from our budget.
Once ashore it was the usual dash to a laundry to replenish the clothing choices before the big trek started the next day. It was also farewell to our new friends from the other AAA cabins, though in some cases only a surprisingly temporary one. That night we met the other six people wo were to join us on the trek, which turned out to be the world famous ´W´ trail in the Torres Del Paine national park (no, I´d never heard of it either). Some 77kms long, we were told it would take four days of carrying
Our first glacier
The captain made a four hour diversion so we could see this given the weather was so good (it was not raining and blowing a gale!). We couldn't walk on it, but a zodiac was dispatched to hack a bit off for whiskey drinkers...... everything to complete, and although not altitude trekking, it would be rough going in places and require wet weather kit, thermals (v.sexy!) and walking poles. The Agent had anticipated this less than cheery news and cleverly arranged a porter, so while the others carried 50-65 litre rucksacks, we only had daypacks to lump around - brilliant.
Day one saw us arrive at the park, check in to the refuge and immediately head off on an eight hour hike to the base of the three towers. Day two was a short six hours to the next refuge, day three the longest at nine hours in and out of the French Valley and on the fourth day a leaisurely four hours to the Grey Glacier. Without going into too much detail, we had to build a weir in a flooded river to cross, discovering later that the following day the same rivers were impassable, we walked in wind strong enough to literally blow you off your feet and rain that penetrated to all the bits that feel the cold, and it was STILL probably our best walk yet. Look out Tasmania! (Although where we´ll find porters there is a
I like ice!
The Agent, well pleased with the ferry trip. bit of a mystery!)
On the way around the trail we bumped into some of the peopl we met on the ferry, making it appear to our hiking colleagues that we knew people in the ofçddest corners of the globe, as we stopped to share experiences and a joke or two. IN reality it was just the Gringo Trail effect, with a large proportion of the ferry passengers decamping to the park, it was almost inevitable we´d see some of them again. (the rest of our hiking group had flown in, so missed that factor.) However, we did bump into Kim from the truck who we last saw in Santiago, showing her parents some of the sights before flying to Easter Island, and that city is 1500kms away! Small world.......
We returned to Puerto Natales for one night (laundry again!) and left the next day for our 2 day kayakking. Day one was spent learning the basics on a glacial lake - very cold, potentially life threatening if you fell in but generally good fun. We learnt that wind is a big issue when every metre of progress comes from paddling, and that sudden
Our ferry
All business, no frills. Our cabin window was the one immediately below the yellow stripe at the front - comfortable enough, our own bathroom and (surprise) private dining with the Captain and access to unlimited wine.... movements were a bad idea in a boat little wider than your hips (yes, that narrow!). Day 2 we left the campsite we shared with noone else and paddled to another bigger glacier in one of the fijords, a magic experience as we were blessed with blue skies and only a wee breeze.
Paddling back was harder, as we had to catch the ferry to return us to town and it would wait for noone, and there was a new dimension to contend with - the current, which was unhelpfully going in the opposite direction. By not stopping at all for over an hour, we made it in enough time to strip off the wetsuits etc, dismantle the tents and drag all our kit and six kayaks onto the ferry - with less than five minutes to spare. The fiord was beautiful in this weather, with snow capped mountains, the odd glacier and blue/green water reflecting the clouds. We stopped on the way at a ranch where we ate a seemingly endless BBQ of beef, lamb and chicken served on platters at your table - a sort of king size mixed grill. When the platters were emptied,
No pool......
but the views were adequate compensation. Notice that despite the sunny weather, everyone is staying rugged up..... they were refilled until you could eat no more..... just wat we needed after the trekking and kayakking.
We left Puerto Natales for Punta Arenas the following day, a four drive through wide open spaces that remind me off the Australian bush. Nothing to see bar the odd windmill or a few Hereford cattle grazing in the distance. A sort stop to view the Magellan penguin colony on the way was the only interuption to this landscape that is at once familiar and yet so dufferent to the rugged peaks we have become used to.
Tomorrow we fly to Uishuia to rejoin Carmen, and commence our last 3 week leg to Rio and Carnival. Hard to beleive we are now halfway through our trip and still heading south. It´s been fun having time out from the overlanding in a group´part of the journey, but it will also be good to see some familiar faces with whom we have shared experiences of a lifetime.
Take care all
DnR xxxx
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