The day has finally come to get on the Navimag ferry. This was the only definite plan we had for the entire trip and I am looking forward to it. For 20 years I have been fascinated by the maps of this part of Chile, the wild, roadless, temperate rainforest full of inaccessible fjords, glaciers, and marine wildlife. I suppose I have been pining for the fjords... In our usual style of travel, neither one of us had a clue what to expect. We bought the cheapest tickets and figured we would be cooking with our camp stoves on deck. After we went grocery shopping someone at our hostel told us that meals were included.... I suppose we should have looked into that beforehand but food will get eaten eventually! The food was basic but tasty and plentiful. We also enjoyed the lectures on Chilean flora, fauna, and geology which were also unexpected but helped to pass the time. The ride itself was stunningly beautiful. Sitting in the top deck "pub" was like riding a smooth conveyer belt watching the scenery go by at a steady 13 knots. Most of the channels we went through were narrow enough to get a good view of the land on both sides. Some were very narrow, 80m in width for a ship that was 125 m long. The weather was mostly cloudy, occasional sun, occasional rain, and lots of wind. On the second night we spent 12 hours in the pacific with rough water. Suzy took a sea-sick pill and slept through it. I LOVED it and rode the front of the boat through the waves! We saw lots of wildlife. Whales, seals, dolphins, Australians, and lots of birds. We also got to stop for an hour at the isolated fishing village of Puerto Eden and we took a detour to see a glacier. All in all a very pleasant and relaxing experience for me although I believe Suzy was a bit bored...
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