A Patagonian High

I am on the high of a lifetime down here in Patagonia.  Where do I even begin?  Well, let me work backwards for a moment.  I am currently all warm and cozy in my hostel (called The Singing Lamb, cute right?) in Puerto Natales, Chile, drinking a steaming hot cup of tea while listening to some Bon Iver.  Oh, I might also mention that I just had the best shower of a lifetime, awesome water pressure, perfect temperature, and a fresh clean towel provided by the hostel.  Maybe only a backpacker can truly appreciate what I just described but it was simply rejuvenating.  And then before that was one of the best meals I have eaten in a long time.  I went to this adorable little café slash coffee shop that reminded me vaguely of the coffee shops in Chicago.  Anyway, it was a vegetarian place and, well, the veggie burger was calling my name.  However, I was a little more than hungry so afterwards I opted for the hummus, yes, hummus.  Note:  Hummus does NOT exist in Chile.  Well, perhaps I have seen it once in Jumbo, the grocery store, but from the looks of it... ew.  This hummus was the real deal.  Delicious with a hint of tahini.  


All is right in the world.  I am beyond content right now and beyond blessed.


Now that you have a little background of where I am writing from I can begin to tell you about my extraordinary ferry ride down to the Chilean Patagonia.  From the beginning, I knew it was going to be successful, for multiple reasons.  One being that while checking-in at the Navimag offices in Puerto Montt, I met two of the nicest girls from California (who ended up being my bunkmates!) and then ran into four of my friends from one of my previous hostels.  So there was a joyful (and loud) reunion!  The other reason I knew it was going to be an amazing trip was the fact that it was pouring down rain (a common occurrence in this part of the world).  Now you might not think that would make me happy, in fact, it didn´t.  However, the happiness comes from finding cheap but good quality rain boots (or wellies as my Welsh friend informed me that they are called in England).  Score!  And let me tell you, these rain boots or wellies were the lust of every single Navimag traveller.  I had two older English ladies allude to their desire to steal them from me.  Ha!  There was no way I was letting those bad boys out of my sight.


So we board this ferry, which was more like a cruise ship, and it exceeded all of my expectations, especially the food.  The first night we had salmon, which was the best cooked salmon I had eaten on my entire trip.  Very impressive, Navimag, very impressive.  The three days I spent on this ship was essentially a vacation from my vacation.  I barely had to lift a finger and did not make one decision the entire time.  I didn´t even have to set an alarm!  I was practically told when to wake up, when to eat, when to go outside to look at something cool (which I´ll get to in a minute), when to eat again, when to go to yoga class on the second deck... And I had all the free time in the world to chat with my new (and recently new) friends, play cards, and read.


Now, let´s get to the meat and potatoes of this ferry ride:  the scenery.  First of all, we had the best weather.  Yes, there were overcast days but the weather did not stand in the way of any of the sights or pictures.  (Pictures to come!)  The first full day was all about the animals.  We got to see seals, whales, and dolphins!  I mean they were right there!  It was fully-sick (or full-on) as my Australian friend would say.  And the landscape... wow.  Our ferry made its way winding down channel after channel in between island after island of Patagonian terrain.  It was breathtaking.  I can understand why Patagonia is world-renowned.  It is ruggedly beautiful.  Ruggedly beautiful.  And as if the landscape and the animals were not enough on day two we saw the largest glacier in the Southern Hemisphere (other than in Antarctica).  It is also advancing significantly.  Called the Pío XI glaciar it is now 64 kilometres in length.  A GLACIER!  Isn´t that unreal?  I couldn´t believe what was before my eyes.  I still can´t believe I saw half the things I did.  I feel like I just awoke from the craziest dream ever.  Needless to say, going on that little cruise was one of the best decisions I have ever made.  And I am literally praising the Lord for how He has blessed me but also for His amazing creation.  Being on this ferry surrounding by these miraculous mountains and animals brought to the forefront of my mind how amazingly powerful and brilliant our God is.  Incredible.


And there is still more to come... Tomorrow morning I will be up and going early with a bus to catch at 7:15 bound for Punta Arenas, located right on the Straight of Magellan.  Tierra del Fuego.  The End of the World.  First thing on my list?  Penguins.  


Stay tuned!
¡ciao ciao!