Pucon to the great south...
Trip Start
Nov 24, 2005
1
13
25
Trip End
Nov 24, 2006
Puerto Natales,
Chile
Monday, March 20, 2006
We left Pucon with the owner of our hostel (Hector) who offered to take us to his home in Loncoche
06. Us on the Navimag departing Puerto Montt
. We spent the night, went out and played the longest game of pool in history and then I left Ryan and Hector to have a night cap as I was feeling feeble and feverish. The next morning I was back to my usual self and we drove on to Valdivia. Through Hectorīs connections we found ourselves spending the night in a cozy little apartment. Valdivia consisted of a quick boat trip out to an old Spanish Fort built in the 1600s to watch a re-enactment of sorts which wasnīt on anyway due to school holidays being finished. Then we went to a beach and sat on it for five minutes before leaving due to the arctic temperatures and heading to the Kuntsman Brewery. Typically, we ate large German style hot dogs and drank a beer tower of Kuntsmanīs finest. We farewelled Hector the following day. Heīd been really kind to drive us around and it was quite sad to say good bye. We took a bus to Puerto Montt to wait for the departure of the Navimag. Not much to report from this town. We boarded the Navimag (Navigaciones Magallanes) early on the 7th of March and prepared ourselves for three nights onboard. Navimag has several ships and they are all cargo ships which still function in this manner to deliver stuff to hard to reach spots in Patagonia but also double as passenger ferries. I was told that the trip that we were taking was the longest of its kind for such a ship. Not entirely sure if itīs true but it sounded impressive anyway. Our first day was spent checking out the ship
07. On the bridge
. It was possible to check out the bridge where the captain took the reigns and there were several viewing platforms to see the scenery from, a lounge area where movies and documentaries were shown, the dining area and a bar. Our first evening was spent playing cards and drinking beer with some German gentleman. Quite amusing! The next day was spent checking out more scenery and attempting to spot wildlife. That afternoon we were heading out into the pacific and the seas started to get pretty rough with 4 metre plus swell lines rocking the ship back and fourth. The captain probably would have gone on however once out of the gulf the waves reportedly were around 9 metres so he decided to turn us back to wait it out. Many were sick that night and I must admit I wasnīt feeling my best. An early night was had. About eight hours behind schedule we made the pacific crossing and headed back in to calmer waters to everyones relief. The night had been spent rocking end to end with my feet hitting the wall and then my head hitting the other(tight little bunks). More scenery in the following days. The highlight of this entire experience for me were all the wonderful fellow travelers we met. Without them the trip just wouldnīt have been the same. Our last night was spent having dinner followed by a bingo night which turned into a disco night. When that was all over we took matters into our own hands and had singalongs and dancing. We were quite loud and so were kicked up on to the upper deck where we continued with the festivities outside
08. Super scenery
. It was an absolutely classic night!! Unforgetable! Anyway the next day we arrived in Puerto Natales and a large group of us bunked down at a hostel called Casa Lili. Our first night was spent devouring as much meat as possible at Don Chichoīs. Don Chicho was a classic character who clearly loved his meat and was a real guys guy. He had several card tricks and dirty jokes to keep us occupied throughout the evening.Most travelers who get to Puerto Natales are here simply to Hike the Torres del Paine national park. I didnīt even know it existed until the boat trip and so was thoroughly under prepared. You have a choice between a ten day hike a four or five day hike or a one day hike. Ryan and I settled for the latter and we were glad we did. As beautiful and amazing as this park is we werenīt ready for ten days out in the cold. I didnīt have any of the required gear for hiking so I would have had to hire the lot. Anyway Ryan, Fi,Vic and myself set off to check it out. As youīll see from the photos the scenery was amazing but the weather sure put a dampener on the experience, literally. My legs ached for two days after but I am a bit of a wuss! Good fun nonetheless.
Next we crossed the boarder into Argentina to a town called El Calafate. 90kms from here is a large glacier park with one of the most amazing things Iīve ever seen
09. Shipwreck on a shipwreck...
. The Perito Moreno Glacier. Ryan, Vic, Fi, myself and a new addition Anna (all Aussies) hired a car a drove out there as a cost saving measure. We were told that if we got past the Guard station at the entrance of the park before 7am the guards wouldnīt be there and weīd avoid the entrance fee. So we set off in the dark with me at the wheel of a little Renault. With numerous dramas trying to find first gear ( give me a break...itīs been a while since Iīve driven a manual) we putted along attempting to avoid large Patagonian hares bounding across the road...but at least I was used to that!! The glacier is hard to describe. Itīs just enormous and the sound that it makes is incredible. The glacier advances by two metres a day from the middle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Itīs around 14kms long and extends to 55 metres out of the icy water!! The photos donīt do it justice and nor should they. Youīll just have to see it for yourselves! As itīs constantly advancing large chunks of ice are regularly cracking and falling off. The sound of the ice hitting the water is like an echoing gunshot...just incredible!Anyway, I left Ryan to continue south to embark on his Antarctica boat journey. Heīll have an amazing time. See you in April bro. Thanks for all the fun! I headed back to Puetro Natales and celebrated St Patricks day with all the crew from the Navimag. Tīwas yet another classic night! With one hours sleep I hopped on the bus bound for Santiago and two days later I arrived. It was easily the longest bus ride of my life. The next entry will cover my time back home for my big sisters wedding!!
ps- to the Navimag crew: Annie, Lynn, Matt, Tyler, Dan, Dan, Vic, Fi, Dougie, Alex, Greg (in shorts) and Anna. You all made my experience here in South America a richer one. Thanks so much for that. Keep in touch!
