Horns blasted and we left the town of Puerto Montt amidst a cloud of noisy seagulls.
A feeling of nostalgia overcame me as I watched the wake carve a familiar foamy trail behind the ship. The land faded further and further into the distance.
I could see the snow capped volcano of Osorno in the afternoon haziness. We had hiked there a few days ago when we were in Puerto Varas. It was a tough hike through mostly lava fields and finally the welcome shade of a coigue forest towards the end. Horseflies the size of small birds constantly buzzed around us and if they managed to land, delivered a nasty bite. The hike lasted about six hours so there were loads of thirsty trekkers when we pulled into a local brewery on our way back to the hotel.
Puerto Varas is a quaint little town heavily influenced by the German settlers. It's guarded by the volcanoes of Osorno and Calbuco and hugs lake llanquihue. The sweet smell of freshly mowed hay on rolling hills, hansel & gretel-style houses, honey-coloured cows and wild meadow flowers made me feel like I was somewhere in Germany. There was even an exact replica of the "Marienkirche". A beautiful church in Wurzburg, Bavaria.
We spent a few days here enjoying the fresh seafood (including a taste of barnacles, which, sorry to say, was not tasty...) fresh squeezed raspberry juice, cherries and lovely baked goodies.
Back on the ferry, I watched the seabirds dip and dive around us, catching the unsuspecting fish disturbed by this rumbling iron mass invading their habitat.
As the evening wore on, the light faded from milky pink to grey and eventually black allowing a spray of glittering stars to appear in the night sky.
After a bit of star gazing we moved inside to listen to a lecture on the fauna of the area and to the strong negative views of the guide on salmon farms. It seemed ironic to have farm raised salmon for dinner.
Later, after a few glasses of Carmenere red, I crawled into the very familiar cocoon of my bunk and let the ocean rock me to sleep.
The following day consisted of cruising through wide fjords scattered with tree topped islands until we eventually hit the open ocean. It would be twelve hours of long rolly swells against the starboard beam, nothing major for me, but many of the green-faced passengers disappeared into their cabins, not to be seen for hours.
As the last day of 2011 came to an end the crew decorated the pub on the top deck with new years paraphernalia and handed out hats, noisemakers and giant bow ties. It was quite amusing to watch everyone stumble back and forth across the dance floor as the ship rolled with each swell. At midnight we went outside to watch flares get launched into the dark sky and light up the whole ship as if it were daytime. Happy New Year!!! Celebrated in style on the Navimag somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.
A glassy sea greeted us the next morning, the ship slicing silently through the icy waters. The towering mountains around us looked like they'd had chocolate sauce poured over them and then sprinkled with icing sugar. Huge granite cliffs jutted out into the water, their sides shiny with hundreds of tiny waterfalls.
We could see a massive glacier in the distance. An icy ribbon snaking its way down the valley into the navy blue waters of the fjord. As the ship got closer we were blown away by the sheer size of the jagged blue and white ice wall.
With the bow of the ship just meters away from this frozen river, we watched small chunks fall into the water and cause strange waves that looked like a mysterious beast was swimming just below the surface.
After about half an hour the captain turned the ship and headed back up the fjord towards the most narrow part of our trip. With just meters on either side, we glided through two rocky outcrops. No mistakes could be made here.
Later in the afternoon the ship dropped anchor in a small bay and we all got ferried ashore in brightly coloured wooden boats. The town was equally brightly coloured, with tired looking fishing boats laying on their sides, paint peeling off their hulls and worn fish nets hanging from their railings.
The quintessential bearded fishermen complete with pipes, woolen pullovers and gum boots sat around on wooden benches chatting to each other and greeting us with a nod. Lazy dogs lay at the entrance of cute cottages and barely lifted their heads as we passed.
I managed to lose the crowds and found myself following some butterflies down a poppy bordered path.
A shout got my attention. "Wrong way!"
"Oops." I thought, as I turned around and jogged back to the group. That little bit of solitude was great for the soul though.
Back on the ship and one more night of cruising before we pulled into Puerto Natales the following afternoon.
As we disembarked, loaded with our backpacks, we fought the howling wind and trudged into town to find our hostel.
Due to a fire in Torres del Paine National Park, we weren't able to do our scheduled 4 day hike. We could do the hike to the Torres and another couple of hikes. We would miss going to Grey Glacier, and as this was one of the highlights of the trip, I decided with a couple of others to go to Argentina to see the next best thing - Perito Moreno.
This 250 square kilometer glacier is growing unlike most glaciers around the world which are shrinking.
It is one of 48 glaciers fed by the Southern Patagonian ice field. This ice field is the world's third largest reserve of fresh water.
Standing on a wooden platform at the base of this monster, I stared up at it's 70m high face. It spans 5km from side to side and is 30km long.
A cracking sound and a gasp erupted from the crowd as a massive chunk of ice "calved" from the glacier and sent ice and water flying. Cameras clicked all around me as people tried to get the winning shot.
It was great seeing the glacier, but the crowds were starting to get to me. Time to head back to El Calafate for some chill out time and a taste of calafate ice cream made from calafate berries (similar to blueberries).
The following morning was an early rise as we headed to Torres del Paine National Park, two hours away.
During the first part of the hike we climbed 400m, only to come back down 300m before crossing a rickety wooden suspension bridge over a raging glacial river. We carried on along gentle undulating hills that took us through shady beech forests. The sun cast speckled spots through the canopy above as woodpeckers chirped, pecked and hid behind the tree trunks every time I tried to take a photo of them.
Eventually we left the serene beauty of the forests and started our 800m climb straight up into the bleak, rocky landscape nearing the summit. Boulders the size of houses rested next to the path as we ducked under their shadows. I looked up and saw people near the top scurrying like ants across the barren terrain.
As I pulled my out-of-breath self up over the last few boulders, the milky blue glacial lake at the base of the Torres appeared. My eyes travelled along the shore and up the three immense spires of granite, melded together at the bottom, a myriad of waterfalls streaming from the snow at their base into the turquoise water. I sat in complete awe for about an hour, staring at this surreal sight.
This has to be in my top ten for the most incredible places I've seen. I picked my way over more boulders down to the edge of the water, found a flat rock and sat there in silence, away from the other chattering hikers. I could of sat there all day staring at this fantastical wonder of nature, but a yell from the boulders announced it was time for the knee-jarring hike back down.
As I passed other hikers huffing and puffing up the slope, I told them it was so worth the pain seeing that amazing sight. They just smiled weakly in return, not sure whether to believe me or not.
It wasn't all downhill on the way back. We slogged up a couple of hills before arriving back at the refugio 7 hours after we left that morning.
Our tents were set up in a buttercup-dotted field with a spectacular view of the Torres and a distant snowy mountain range. Dinner was interrupted with trips outside to watch the sun set behind the iconic monoliths. Some wine and laughter and I was done for the day. I crawled into my little north face tent and said goodbye to a day that will go down in my book as one of the best.
I decided to celebrate my birthday the following day by getting up at 5am to watch the sunrise. The Torres were bathed in a fiery glow as the sun rose over our campsite. I was not disappointed.
At breakfast everyone sang happy birthday to me and I got given a tiara to wear for the duration of my birthday.
Another lovely 2 hour hike took us over hills scattered with herds of guanacos (family of the llama), rheas (family of the ostrich) and various other wildlife. Of course, the ever present Torres were always in the background.
After reaching the top of the hill we descended into a valley filled with clover fields and babbling brooks. At one point I found myself alone and took a deep sniff of the sweet smell of the clover flowers, looked up at the cloud spattered sky, felt the warm breeze on my face as I ran my hands along the tops of the long wild grass and listened to the meadow larks chirping in the trees. With my senses in full swing, a feeling of contentment swept over me. What a way to spend a birthday!
We arrived at Lago Azul and had our lunch on a grassy bank overlooking the glacial lake complete with a reflection of the Torres - who could ask for more!
This evening the group organized a dinner at a restaurant I mentioned earlier in the trip, another happy birthday song complete with the Chilean waiters joining in and a lovely chocolate birthday cake.
A wonderful ending to a truly memorable birthday.
Punta Arenas was our next stop. It is the largest city south of the 46th parallel south. We visited a penguin colony on Isla Magdalena and saw humpback whales and orcas on the way back. The sun was still up when we arrived on the mainland at 10pm.
Pizza and a swim in the hotel's heated pool were the order of the evening.
An early morning rise and a quick breakfast before I headed out to the cemetery to take some photos of the elaborate tombs.
Our flight back to Santiago went quickly and before we knew it, we were all having our last meal together, exchanging email addresses and inviting each other to our respective countries.
Mountains, fjords and great traveling companions - essentials for an amazing Patagonian experience.
Happy memories!
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