Puerto Natales back to Punta Arenas

 

Monday, February 13, 2023

 

We packed our bags and left our cute little apartment in El Calafate just before 10 am. As we travelled down the main street someone honked at us. Soon after, someone else honked at us. So I pulled over to check if there was something wrong with the car. The driver of the second car that honked also pulled over, got out of her car and ran back along the street to see us. What was going on? Well, it turned into an incredibly embarrassing situation. Jim had assumed that we would pay for our accommodation with a credit card. In a previous conversation, Jim had understood that the landlord wanted us to vacate before 10 am which we did. In fact, what she had intended was for us to meet her there at 10 am to pay our bill in cash. Fortunately, she saw us drive away … without paying … and followed us down the street. We were duly embarrassed and happy to make our payment in cash. She does not handle credit cards at all. I cannot recall any other similar instance where we left a place without paying. Henceforth, we will make sure that we better understand what is expected so we pay our bill before driving away.

 

The weather was perfect for travelling – sunny, a bit cool with very clear air. On our way to El Calafate, we stopped many, many times along the way to take photos and watch the wildlife. This time, following the same road in reverse, we did not need to stop as often. That shortened our drive substantially. High mountains and wide valleys surrounded us. Mostly barren landscape left us wondering what the sheep and the wildlife could find to eat. But there were many of both kinds of animals. Very large sheep ranches dotted the highway at distant intervals. Guanacos, in particular, had no inhibitions about munching on the same plants as the sheep. We actually saw hundreds of guanacos as we traversed the miles. Some were dangerously close to the highway. Keeping an eye on these animals was a necessary feature of the driving.

 

The miles (kilometers) quickly passed and before long we were at Highway 40, the gravel road that we had abandoned on our way to El Calafate. We decided to drive a short distance along that road again in order to get a photograph of how rugged and ridged the gravel was. It did not take long to get to the section of the road where we decided to turn around. 

Once again, it was clear that grading this road was not a high priority, even though it is called Highway 40 and described as an important route to El Calafate.

 

One of our personal mandates en route to the border crossing was to eat all the fresh food in the car because no fresh food is allowed to cross the border. We started with breakfast – a choice of ham or peanut butter and jam sandwiches. We moved on from there to fresh vegetables – delicious carrots, cleaned and chopped, and/or tasty, crunchy celery in a quantity far too large to finish. The final course for this endless meal was a choice of nectarines, donut nectarines, bananas (very long and delicious) and red and green apples. It was a marathon of healthy eating … and we managed to demolish most of the food. The remainder, sadly, had to be placed in a trash bin at the border.

 

Continuing along, we eventually turned onto a new road which took us to a very different border crossing between Argentina and Chile. This was a remote border crossing on a gravel road. Rather than being a part of a long line of traffic, there was only one car ahead of us. Jim took all three passports and the vehicle paperwork into the building and soon arrived back and we were ready to go. Irene and I had waited in the car and were not required to present ourselves at all.

 

There is about a 5 kilometer strip of no man’s land between the exit from one country to the entrance to the next country. As we left Argentina, we were on a well maintained gravel road. When we reached the middle of no man’s land, the road abruptly changed to a high quality paved road, complete with painted lines in the middle and on the edges. A large ‘Welcome to Chile” sign was hung above the highway. Quite a statement of economic prosperity!

 

It was a short and very pleasant drive back to Puerto Natales where we had spent two days earlier. We had a couple of errands to run; we passed by several places for more photographs; we had a pleasant cup of coffee in a café where, coincidentally, we met Neil (from New York) who had just disembarked from the Navamag, the ship we were waiting to board. We had a great conversation with him and learned the answers to many of the questions we had about the freighter we were now waiting to board.

 

After a quick dinner from a local bakery, we made our way to the Navamag pier. Check-in was straightforward. All our luggage was loaded into a mini-bus and we boarded to be driven to the ship, itself. The crew was friendly and helpful, moving all of our luggage to the level of our cabin.  Our cabin is a 4 bunk cabin that Jim, Irene and I will share for the next 4 days. We are grateful for the fourth bunk as a storage space. The cabin is quite compact with just enough space to turn around. We have our own bathroom/shower and a small window that allows in some natural light as well as a limited view of the water outside.

 

The Navamag is actually a cargo freighter that carries to supplies to a myriad of locations along the Chilean coastline that are inaccessible by road. It is 4 day journey north to Porto Montt, unloading and loading, followed by a 4 day journey south back to Puerto Natales. There is a capacity of 280 passengers in modest cruise quarters with a pleasant dining room where meals are served and other activities occur. Due to an unexpected change in dates due to a mechanical problem on the ship, our passenger load is lighter than usual. It is amazing how many different languages, nationalities and ages are represented in this group.

 

The first activity once on board was a mandatory meeting in the dining room focussed on safety on board and in emergencies, how meals worked, and other activities and equipment on board. We were impressed with how much information was shared in Spanish and in English in a short time.

 

Back to our cabin. It had been a long day. Now, to settle into another new bed (the 4th one this week – we always try to spend two nights in one location) and get some sleep. It has only been one week since we left home … we have covered a lot of ground and air in 7 days.

 

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

 

Happy Valentine’s Day.

 

After a very energizing sleep in the moving ship, we arose to face a new day. Our first day aboard the Esperanza. We started with breakfast with our fellow passengers … only 86 passengers due to the change in schedule. The crew on the ship are extremely attentive and helpful to the passengers, ensuring that we  know when meal times occur, where extra blankets are located, where we will be travelling and points of interest along the waterways. There are many large windows overlooking the water and several comfortable spaces on board to settle in and read a book or play a game (provided by the ship). As an alternative to driving, this is a wonderfully relaxing way to travel.

 

The scenery along the channels is spectacular!! Tall snow-topped mountains, and beautiful seawater surrounding our ship. And so far, very smooth sailing. We are hoping to see some sea life along the way (whales, dolphins, seal lions are all possibilities) but we did not encounter any sightings today. In the afternoon, there was a bilingual presentation about La Routa de los Canales which described the various landforms and highlights along our route. In the evening there was a movie (Spanish with English subtitles) about Patagonian wildlife, especially pumas. Popcorn was served for the movie.

 

The passengers on the ship represent many countries around the world, most commonly Europe and North America. Many speak English and there is lots of time for conversations. All ages, including many very senior people as well as families travelling with very young children.

 

The meals so far have been tasty with many variations. There is always a homemade soup, a main course of meat and carbs, and a unique vegetable salad (no lettuce or cabbage anywhere). Fresh fruit is available and sometimes a sweet dessert as well. Coffee, tea and several juices are available all through the day and evening.

 

In spite of it being a relaxing day, we were all fatigued from the fresh sea air. Our beds are very comfortable and the cabin is large enough for us to move around. Thank you Jim for climbing up to the top bunk.

 

Wednesday, September 15, 2023

 

Today began with a very pleasant breakfast in the dining room. The passengers on the ship are from many different countries and with many different languages. We have not met anyone else from Canada but there are a few travellers from the US and many from Europe. A high percentage of passengers have already done lengthy biking trips and are using the Navamag to reach their next destination, a much deserved break from their efforts on the road. Several have been to El Calafate in Argentina and actually biked along the gravel road where we turned the car around. A few talked about having to walk their bikes several miles because of the condition of the gravel along that road. Yikes!!

 

We are travelling along protected inland channels and enjoying exquisite mountain views along the way. So many peaks are covered in snow, apparently a change from last week. Clearly, summer is waning and autumn/winter are coming. The scenery is beautiful and the gentle ride on the water is extremely relaxing.

 

It was late morning when we arrived at Port Eden, a remote indigenous village with no access to the outside world except by boat. No roads, no planes, only the sea. Once every 4 days the Navamag stops at this village to deliver supplies, purchases, mail. There is no pier at Port Eden so small dinghies must travel out into the deep water to collect the items that are being delivered here. The community seems to have three parts to it, two on one side of the channel and one across the channel. Dinghies arrive from each place. One of the main reasons for this regular stop is to pick up fresh fish which need to go to market. As Jim so aptly observed, there can be no commercial fishing industry unless you can get the fish to market. It was a remarkably short stop, the only stop that is made between Port Natales and Puerto Montt, the final destination of this voyage.

 

Later, an announcement over the ship’s PA system took most passengers out onto the deck of the bow of the ship. Whales had been sighted. Not just one or two … but a large pod about 30 – 40 strong were moving toward the ship. Although none of them breached, we were able to see so many spouts and the backs of several as they swam at the surface of the water. As the ship met the pod, the whales moved slowly along each side of the vessel, very close to be sure. The guide on the ship told Jim they were a mix of minke and fin whales. Jim got one particularly good photo of a minke whale very close to the ship.

 

At a particularly shallow point along the channels, there is a shipwreck that occurred in 1968. The ship ran aground on a point of land that was just below the level of the water. To our knowledge no on was injured or drowned, but the ship itself was abandoned in place. It is eery to pass by the rusted shell of an upright ship that has been sitting idle for more than 50 years.

 

For a portion of this journey, it is necessary for the ship to go out onto the open ocean. The Pacific Ocean welcomes us with large swells that cause this vessel to rock and roll in ways we had not experienced in the sheltered channels. We spent between 6 and 8 hours on the ocean. It was difficult to move from one location to another on the ship in spite of well placed hand rails.

 

Irene and I chose to have dinner in the café one floor above the dining room. Kind crew, in particular Sebastian, carried our trays up the steep staircase and brought them to the café. It was not possible to use the elevator while on the open sea so we were most grateful for the support of the crew.

 

Irene and I returned to our cabin shortly after dinner and took to our bunks to ensure we did not fall as the ship rocked back and forth. We had some fruit in the window well of our porthole and a one point a single grape fell onto the floor and rolled the length of our cabin and back again. It was comical to watch but not nearly as comical as what happened soon after. The ship lurched on a particularly large swell and the entire container of grapes fell from the window well. All of a sudden dozens of grapes, having loosened from the stems were rolling toward the door of our cabin. Then, as the ship shifted in the opposite direction, the grapes all rolled back again. Back and forth, back and forth. It was like a grape race. Irene and I were both on our bunks to remain safe from the movement of the ship. We started to giggle at the chaos of the grapes and were soon laughing so hard that we could not even think about getting out of our bunks. Finally, the ship’s movement diminished and we were able to collect the grapes and straighten our luggage which had also shifted because of the swells. Jim arrived back at our cabin moments after we had cleaned up. We were still laughing and, although, Jim saw the humour in the situation, he could not fully embrace the cartoon comedy that had just occurred.

 

The safest place on the ship was to be on our bunks so the rest of the evening, until lights out, was filled with reading, conversation and a review of plans when we disembark from the Navamag.

 

A new day will dawn tomorrow. Time will tell what adventures it brings.

 

Thursday, February 16, 2023

 

When we woke up this morning, there was a strange calmness on the ship. That was because we had arrived back in the straits and channels and the water was calm. No more rocking and rolling but there was a blue sky and beautiful sunlight. The temperature climbed and by noon, many passengers were sitting out on the decks soaking in the warmth. (It was still jacket weather in spite of it being the summer season.)

 

Our little group found a lovely window in the café that overlooked the bow of the ship. Reading various books filled much of our day along with the occasional stroll outside. An afternoon nap was very refreshing. While Irene and I slept, Jim saw a couple more whales in the distance. Not nearly as dramatic as the pod we saw yesterday.

 

Dinner came and went but the main event of the evening was a sushi making demonstration by the head chef on the Navamag. He was very adept at creating sushi rolls and the passengers who attended the were equally adept at gobbling the rolls as they were produced. Everyone enjoyed the session.

 

Some cabin and luggage organization was necessary as we disembark the ship first thing tomorrow morning. It is hard to believe how quickly these four days have passed and how beautiful the scenery has been as we travelled along. Porto Montt awaits our arrival and a new phase of this incredible adventure will begin.

 

Friday, February 17, 2023

 

This was a busy morning on the Navamag. All luggage needed to be in the dining room by 8 am. All passengers also needed to be in the dining room by 8 am. Breakfast was served, a slightly more continental style than we have previously enjoyed. The Navamag was docked at the pier in Porto Montt and all the cargo on this large ship needed to be off loaded before it was safe for the passengers to leave the ship. There was a period of waiting after breakfast but it was a bright sunny day on a busy harbour. We snagged some great space at the rail of the ship and simply watched the activity on the water. Large and small vessels moving in every direction carrying all manner of materials.

 

Soon enough, it was time for us to board a bus that would take us into the city. Jim, magical Jim, had arranged for Fran, a guesthouse host, to meet us at the bus station where we were dropped off from the bus. We were supposed to be staying with Fran but since our Navamag dates had changed we could no longer stay with her. In spite of this, Fran met us and introduced us to the driver she had arranged for us for the day. He was to take us on a tour of several places around Porto Montt and ultimately drop us at the airport for our early evening flight to Punta Arenas. Sadly, the driver did not speak English so it was difficult for us to understand exactly what we were seeing.

After a look around the city – commercial, government and various housing complexes – we headed out of town on an interesting highway that was soon surrounded by agricultural land. Crops in the fields, harvested hay wrapped in white plastic and herds of sheep and cattle grazing on the grass … with its rolling hills, this area reminded us somewhat of Waterloo County.

 

This soon changed though when the amazing volcano with its permanently snowcapped peak came into view. 

It was truly awesome … so close at hand, gleaming under the sunshine. We could not stopped gasping at its beauty and the cameras certainly captured many, many photos. The road we were on took us along the edge of a beautiful lake. As it is summer, there were people on the beach and in the water. We wondered what the water temperature might be. Colder than we would manage was our speculation. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful sight – lake, forest and mountain.

 

The plan had been to go to a National Park for lunch but as we approached the park it became clear that hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of people had the same idea. Given the crowds, we felt we would not have the time to enjoy a lunch and walk to see the waterfall which is the highlight of the park. This precipitated many phone calls and texts to and from Fran. With my limited Spanish and the driver’s use of google translate, we finally understood one another about a change in plans.

 

By this time, Jim and Irene had exited the car to find a bathroom and inquire more about the national park. (I will let you surmise who was going to each destination!) Our driver found a parking space out of sight of where he had dropped Jim and Irene. He wanted me to go and look for them but I was concerned that he might get frustrated and simply drive away leaving us stranded so I was not willing to get out of the car. With the help of a parking attendant who spoke a bit of English, it was determined that the driver would go and look for my companions in the vast crowd in the area and I would wait in the car. After a surprisingly short time, the driver reappeared with both Jim and Irene in tow. I began to breathe normally once we were all reunited.

 

Fran to the rescue!! She knew of a quiet café in a nearby town that she felt would be a great alternative for lunch. And she was absolutely correct. The café had a wonderful ambience and a delightful menu … and, best of all, there were very few people there. We each enjoyed a seafood lunch – ceviche, tuna tartare and mussels in a sauce. We relaxed and overcame our disappointment about not actually getting into the national park.

 

Our drive along the lakeside road with continued views of the volcano was enough to make this a beautiful and memorable day. If there was any doubt in our minds that this mountain was a volcano, our driver pointed out a lava covered area from a recent eruption. Wow!! That made it very real.

 

We arrived at the airport with plenty of time before our flight. We headed back to Punta Arenas (where this whole adventure began) south of where we were. We arrived just as dark fell. A taxi was waiting for us and, with some difficulty, fit all of our luggage and the three of us into a small vehicle. Who knew that we would all fit in the backseat of a compact car!? when!

 

We had a comfortable little cottage for the night, perfect at the end of an exciting and eventful day.