March 14, 2005
Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales
Navimag Shipping Co.
M.N. Puerto Eden Cabin 302
400p-1230p Travel Time: 3 Days, 2 Hours
I awoke to a rainy day in Puerto Montt. Alas. I might have been disappointed except for the fact that Puerto Montt is generally a rainy place anyway, so today’s clouds were hardly a surprise. I spent the morning in town buying postcards, stamps and seasickness medication. Then I had a tasty Chicken Cordon Bleu lunch and made my way out to the Navimag Ferry Terminal.
Navimag is a Chilean shipping company that serves the southern coastal communities from
Puerto Montt south to Puerto Natales, a distance of about eight hundred and fifty miles. For many years this area was inaccessible to cars and its only link to the outside world was the weekly boat. These days there is a rough highway called the Carretera Austral or Southern Highway but that road doesn’t go all the way to Puerto Natales and itself involves a number of smaller ferry trips to get across the many fiords along the southern coast. If you want to drive from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales and on to the larger city of Punta Arenas, you must cross over the Andes and head south down through Argentina before crossing back over to Chile at El Calafate or Rio Gallegos.
Although the bulk of Navimag’s revenues come from transporting freight, its ferries also serve as a vital transportation link for local Chileans and, increasingly, for the many visitors who head down to Patagonia and on to Tierra del Fuego.
Four different levels of accommodations are offered aboard Navimag’s boats. There are three different types of cabins offering anywhere from two to four beds and varying degrees of space and amenities such as ensuite toilet facilities or a larger window. The least expensive accommodations are in the bunkroom – fourteen bunks per room. There are two of these rooms and this is the class of accommodation a poor Alaskan bus driver such as myself was limited to. The cost was $275.00 USD and included all meals aboard the ship. Thankfully, the Puerto Eden had undergone some renovations to its cabins back in 1998 and perhaps the biggest improvement could be seen in these budget accommodations.
The last time I rode the Puerto Eden was twelve years ago. We paid $124.00 each and stayed way down in the bowels of the boat. I remember descending down dark narrow stairway after stairway and ending up in a cramped triangular shaped hold up in the bow of the boat that sported eight three tiered bunks for a total of twenty-four beds. The chamber was dimly lit and certainly not a place you’d want to do anything other than sleep. Now, there are two bunkrooms sleeping fourteen that are located on the same deck as the 300 series cabins. From the pictures I’d seen on the Navimag website, these rooms were substantially more cheerful and I was perfectly comfortable in booking one. Had it been the old style, I would have paid more for a cabin.
I had made my booking over the Internet and so arrived at the check-in counter with only a printed sheet indicating my reservation, its record locator and that I had paid in full. Interestingly, despite a scheduled 4:00pm departure, passengers are requested to check-in by 12:00n. I had missed this portion of the fine print and so did not present myself to the check-in counter until about 1:30pm. Thankfully, this wasn’t an issue. In fact, the bunkroom was full so I was placed in a four-bunk cabin and handed a set of keys. Oh yeah! I felt like doing one of those dances like Snoopy the dog in the Peanuts cartoons but a pair of crusty old German tourists were standing right behind me with a look that said “Let’s get a move on, Buster”. I gathered my gear together and relocated to an open seat in the boarding lounge.
At 2:30pm, a pre-trip briefing was given, first in Spanish then in English. It basically described the boarding process – 100 and 200 numbered cabins first, then the rest of us in the 300s. At 3:00pm, we boarded. There were no covered gangplanks or boarding bridges. The vessel was docked about 250 yards away from the boarding lounge and unfortunately, what had started out earlier in the day as a light rain had turned into a pretty good downpour. The entrance was through the rear of the ferry, up the ramp and into the lower cargo hold where all the semi-trucks and trailers would be parking. By the time I’d reached the ship, I was indeed a bit damp. Ah well, I had three days to dry out.
After enough passengers had gathered in the hold, we were led onto a big platform elevator and taken slowly up to the deck above. This elevator is used for raising semi-trucks to the upper deck and about fifty of us were able to fit onto it.
The three hundred series cabins were located on the upper cargo deck and upon locating my cabin I discovered that all of my cabin mates had already arrived. Sophie, Laura and Anna would be my cabin mates for the next three days. They were nice girls all, every one spoke English (Sophie was from Uruguay and spoke fluent German and Spanish as well) and none of them were snorers. Me on the other hand, I probably look like a snorer but I’m quiet as a cat. I also speak English.
Sophie was working as a tour guide for a group of twelve young Germans who were accommodated in the next three cabins down the hall. She was cheerful and energetic and beloved amongst her charges. They had arranged for a small bouquet of flowers to be placed in our cabin for her. Anna and Laura were a couple of girls from Colorado who’d grown up together in Grand Junction and were spending three months traveling around Chile and Argentina. We all got acquainted while unpacking (as much as one can be said to unpack from backpacks into a room with no dressers and only two hooks on the wall upon which to hang jackets) and then headed out to investigate our new home for the next three days.
It was fascinating watching the boatmen load and especially park the large semi-trailers. We’re talking about backing big truck trailers into spaces so tightly that the trailers were within 6 to 10 inches of each other on each side. Obviously this involved a coordinated effort amongst a good number of spotters and the driver. Then, each trailer had to be secured with chains. By the time the deck was full, the trailers were parked so closely together that there was no way a man could walk between them.
Our 4:00pm departure time came and went. At 5:00pm an announcement was made inviting all passengers to the lounge / dining room for a welcome aboard briefing about the trip. We were told about meal times, restricted areas, cultural presentations along the way, the daily Happy Hour, etc. and informed that we were welcome to visit the bridge at any time except when the ship was navigating narrow channels or entering/leaving port. Besides scenery, there would also be daily briefings about the areas we’d be traveling through that day as well as documentary films and movies at night. We were also informed that due to some delays in getting the cargo loaded, our departure time would now be at 6:30pm. A small groan arose from some in the crowd. What’s the hurry, I wondered? It’s not like we’re stuck in an airplane seat for an extra two hours.
Ultimately, we didn’t raise anchor and depart Puerto Montt until shortly after 8:00pm. A cheer went up from the assembled masses in the lounge. Many of us had been taking advantage of the happy hour prices on Pisco Sours or drinking delicious Kuntzmann Lagers, a delicious relatively new Chilean beer from Valdivia. Indeed, it was a festive atmosphere and it was certainly good to finally get underway. This ought to be a great trip!
Although we were still in port, the dinner service began at 7:30pm. All meals were served cafeteria style – grab a tray and grab some food. Regardless of cabin accommodations, everybody was served from the same menu. Tonight’s dinner included a corn and tomato salad, dinner rolls, cream of asparagus soup and a nice sized slab of tasty pink salmon topped with a piquant sauce and served with rice. Dessert was fresh fruit. Bon apetite. All meals included a dinner roll, salad and soup. Breakfast was always scrambled eggs, ham and cheese, a roll, cereal, yogurt and fruit. I thought the food was excellent throughout the trip.
Not long after finishing dinner, we felt a slight shudder as the 348 foot boat began to power away from the docks and head out into the Golfo de Ancud. It was neat watching the lights of Puerto Montt slide by as we glided down the channel. I joined Sophie, a couple of her German charges and an American couple out on the deck for beer and cigarettes. I’m not a regular smoker but when a Dunhill was offered, I accepted. Dunhills are quality smokes and mine sure tasted good with a bottle of ice cold Kuntzman Lager. Das Gute Bier.
About 11:30pm, I called it a night. My bunk was just barely long enough for me but was otherwise very comfortable. Each bunk included a reading light, a small shelf for personal belongings and curtains for privacy. I slept quite comfortably each night. Toilet and shower facilities were located at the end of the hall.
With one major exception, the next two days were spent cruising through the endless channels that comprise Chile’s Inside Passage. Most of these channels are anywhere from one to three miles wide, though some were narrower than two hundred yards. The narrowest was only eighty yards wide. Steep mountains rose from the water’s edge and lots of small rocky islands dotted the channels. Seals were a common sight, and one afternoon we even saw a group of tiny penguins gathered on a small island. Unfortunately, the weather for most of the trip was not all that nice - low clouds, a light breeze and the occasional light rain. The clouds obscured many of the mountaintops.
Blustery conditions not withstanding, there were always lots of passengers out on the decks. I met a lot of interesting people – Max, a lifeguard from Santa Monica, Ian, an Outward Bound instructor from Canada, Gary and Amelia from South Africa, now living in Spain, Karl, an urban planner from Germany. There were quite a few Germans (Aren’t there always? Germans love to travel!) a splash of Aussies, a handful of Americans, two Scots and a sprinkling of Brits. The rest were Chilean or Argentinean, though they were outnumbered by about 7-3 by the foreigners. Many of us were backpackers, and more than a few were on their way to hike the circuit through Torres del Paine National Park. I did this hike last time I was down here. It takes about six days to complete the circuit as you travel around the Torres del Paine (Towers of Paine) through lush forest, barren tundra, over a high mountain pass and down along Lago Gris and the massive Gray Glacier that empties into it. It’s a spectacular and easily accessible trek into the heart of the Patagonian wilderness. Highly recommended for those that don’t require five star lodging every night.
The one major exception to our inside passage cruise is called the Golfo de Penas. It is the one portion of the journey where the boat must venture out into the open ocean. Whereas our passage through the channels was calm and tranquil, the journey through the Golfo de Penas can occasionally be quite rough. The last time I did this trip, I swear the waves out in the gulf had to be twenty to thirty feet tall. The winds were howling and you could feel the boat climbing a good three to four seconds before cresting each wave and dropping down into the trough. It was not a pleasant time and almost all of us lost our dinners. This time I was determined to get across the Gulf in a better fashion.
Late on the afternoon of our second day, the wind picked up and the rain began in earnest, as if a harbinger of the rougher conditions yet to come. Off in the distance, we could see the end of the channel and the entrance to the open ocean. I began to feel the first swells long before we’d entered the opening. I hurried downstairs to take my seasickness pill, hoping that it wasn’t too late. Then I hopped into my bunk and spent the next twelve hours in bed. Dinner came and went. Not for me, thanks. Seasickness is no picnic and I wasn’t going to chance it. Thankfully, we had a much better crossing this time than last. I heard later that the waves out in the gulf were generally no higher than about six feet, so we were quite fortunate. Even so, there was enough motion about the boat that had I not taken that Marezine, a landlubber like me would have been sick for sure.
On our final morning, we traveled through the English Narrows, where the passage is only eighty meters wide. About half the passengers were out on the various decks, taking in the view as well as the intermittent sunshine which was a huge improvement on the past three totally cloudy days.
Arrival in Puerto Natales was at noon. Securing a big boat like the Puerto Eden is a team effort and it was interesting to watch the flotilla of small boats and dock workers that came out to meet us and grab ropes. Once the boat was secured, we had to wait a further forty-five minutes for the lower deck to be off-loaded with enough trucks so that we’d be able to safely and easily disembark. The loading job on that ferry would have done a Chinese puzzle designer proud.
I shared a taxi into Puerto Natales with a couple I’d met early in the trip who lived out in Joshua Tree, California. He was an Amtrak Car Attendant who happened to know a couple of the same people who had attended my cars over the years. It’s a small world.
They had booked three nights in town and had all kinds of excursions lined up. Myself on the other hand, I was trying to get down to Ushuaia as soon as possible. Future plans didn’t leave me with much time in South America and I wanted to have as much time in Ushuaia as I could. While they checked in to their hotel and grabbed a shower, I started investigating my options towards an expeditious transit to Ushuaia.
Alas, there were none. At least, there was nothing more I could do today. My two year old Lonely Planet indicated that there was a 9:00am flight with Aerovias DAP from Natales to El Calafate which would time up perfectly with the 12:30pm Austral flight on to Ushuaia. I called DAP and was informed that there hadn’t been any service between Natales and Calafate for almost two years. Hmm… nothing like an up to date guide book! (I still swear by Lonely Planet guides, though. They are the best!) Well, I could take a bus down to Punta Arenas later this afternoon and catch the 9:00am nonstop to Ushuaia from there. Nope, it’s not operating either came the reply. But it’s listed on your current website, I stammered. Well, it’s not operating any longer was essentially the response.
Right. On to plan B. I booked myself a seat for the next morning on the 7:30am bus across to El Calafate, Argentina. This bus was scheduled for a 2:00pm arrival. This would time nicely with the 4:50pm departure on Austral’s flight down to Ushuaia, arriving at 6:00pm. This was the only way that I’d be able to get to Ushuaia the next day. That would leave me all of the following day in Ushuaia before I’d have to start making my way back across to Punta Arenas where I had a 12:40pm appointment on the 21st.
After getting everything arranged and paid for, I headed back to meet my Californian friends and we wandered down the street to a nearby parrilla for steak and beers. Afterwards, we had a good wander about Puerto Natales while Dorothy took about one hundred pictures of various buildings, their colorful doors and some of the many murals we passed. Besides being the southern terminus for the Navimag ferry, Puerto Natales is also the gateway to Torres del Paine National Park. As a result, it’s a pretty busy place during the summer months. Add today’s influx of ferry passengers and the streets were positively teeming with foreign humanity. The town seemed to have really grown since I was last here ten years ago, but then tourism to this part of the world has grown as well.
Later, we stopped for more beers before finally bidding each other farewell and heading our separate ways. We all had early mornings the next day. I collected my gear and headed off to the Hostal Oasis where $18.00 got me a room with a TV, a private bathroom and a continental breakfast. Only two months ago in Australia, that same amount was getting me a dorm bed.