Cruisin' north through Chile....

Going on a cruise is something Gillian and I never though we would ever do.  But after a few weeks trekking in Patagonia we really fancied a few days rest.  Rather than the hasstle of flying up to Bueno Aires, then having to make a mad dash across Argentina to get to Santiago for our flight we thought it would be a great idea to see some more of Chile and get the 3 day ferry trip from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt.

Its not really the posh type of cruise, the ferry company Navimag run a Cargo ship (called the Evangelistas) up through the Fjords and they have a number of cabins for passengers as well as freight.  Its a unique journey through the Fjords, most of the area is uninhabited and there are no roads or people.  It a really wild part of South America and a change to see some more glaciers off the beated path.

We boarded the Ferry the night before the sailing at 9pm as the ferry leaves at 4am the following morning,

Not quite the good ship MV Clansman, but the Evangelistas would be our home for the next 3 days.

Gillian setting into our Cabin.

Settling down for the night.

The first day of the cruise we passed through some beautiful scenery.  We could have quite easily have been on a Calmac ferry on the west coast of Scotland.  We had an interesting lecture on Glaciology , then after we sailed right a Fjord through the ice to the face wall of the Pio XI Glacier

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Lunch.

Gillian on deck.

Approaching the Glacier.

Glacier Pio XI

Through the Ice.

On the second dayof the cruise we woke at 5am as the captain blew the horn to mark our arrival in Puerto Eden.  Puerto Eden is a small community in the Fjords whose only  transport link to the outside world is through the Navimag ferry.  A number of small boats sailed out to the ferry and goods and people were transfered back and forth.

Early arrival in Puerto Eden.

Loading goods onto the ferry.

Puerto Eden.

Ship Wreck !!

The weather was much improved so we could spend more time up on deck, just like sailing out to Islay on a sunny day !!

The life Raft.

Cargo and the back of the ship.

The Canteen.

We eventually cruised out off the Fjords and out into the open Pacific ocean.  It was a beautiful day and there was only gentle rollers on the ocean.  We managed to spot a few whales and some dolphins also.

Dean on deck

The bridge.

We were treated to a beautiful sunset on the evening.

Sunset. 

On the third day we woke up to another lovely warm day.  It was the last day of the trip so everyone was able to hang out on deck and enjoy the great weather.  We were leaving the cold south of Patagonia for hot temperatures.

Enjoying the sun.

Enjoying the sun.

We were also treat to a class in tying knots from the ships crew.

An expert.

Not a chance land lubber !!!!

On our final night on board we had a game of Bingo, unfortunately we never won (probably because we were too drunk on Pisco Sours !!!!).

BINGO !!!!

We disembarked in the town of Puerto Montt.  It is a town with many German influences, from the German people who settled here.  Its also very famous for great seafood and there was al sorts of weird and wonderful things in the local fish market.

Huge Mussels

King Crab.

No Idea what this is, but no way would I eat it !!!

A Curado (lunch).  Contains Mussels, Cockles, Chicken, Pork, Sausage and potatoes.

Our ship the Evangelistas in Puerto Montt.

We spent the whole day in Puerto Montt with out friend JJ and then took a night bus to our final destination in South America, Chile's capital city Santiago.