Last night we slept in an upstairs bedroom of an 80 year old house owned by a little old lady. The house is up in the hills above the port and has nice views of the water from the window. She has been running her house as a B&B for over 30 years! There weren't any hostel options in town, as this isn't really a popular tourist destination. The place is called Casa Perla. There are fruit trees in the back yard, and Perla uses the fruit to make jams that she serves with toast for breakfast. Today Perla served fresh plum jam, and we were very excited for it because we heard her jams are excellent, however, today they had tiny tooth crunching rocks in them! How plums could possibly get rocks mixed in we don't know! Today was supposed to be the departure day for the ferry, but it is a day behind schedule due to the high winds and rough seas encountered on a previous voyage. We needed to reserve another nights stay, but Perla was all full, so she sent us to her neighbors house, where we have our own room in the home of a very nice older lady and no other tourists. Once situated in our new room, we left to spend the day wandering around Puerto Montt. We first went to the Navimag office to check in and found that we'd been upgraded to cabin with a private instead of shared bathroom. If we had booked that ourselves it would have cost an extra $400 per person. I am guessing few people ever book this and they often upgrade passengers in order to make room for additional people in the lower cost cabins.
After we were checked in we walked along the coastal boardwalk to the giant Costanera Mall that Puerto Montt is known for. On the way there we found a sopaipilla vendor and couldn't resist having one. This is another naturally vegan Chilean delicacy that we rather enjoy. It is a thick disk of fried bread that contains pumpkin in the dough giving it a beautiful bright yellow color. They are served hot and with many condiment options, ketchup, homemade salsa, mayo or mustard. They are very affordable at, 150-200 CH pesos each (about 25¢!!) and it's just so fun to be able to buy street food!
The mall was an overwhelming network of shops, restaurants and food stalls. It contained two 6 story department stores as well as at least 4 floors, possibly 5 of your typical mall stores. We were surprised by the number of stores selling outdoor gear. They had Doite and Lippi, which are Chilean brands, Weinbrenner (one we've never heard of apparently from USA) and they also had a Merrell store, a Columbia store, Nike, Rockford, Lotto (soccer), Caterpiller as well as many surf shops, such as Rip Curl and all of the department stores had huge outdoors sections selling all the same things that the smaller shops sold and often at better prices. Perhaps the Chileans are even more into brand names than Americans! We had noticed many specialty brand name stores in Pucon too, including North Face, Marmot, Patagonia and Columbia and I am sure there are more that we never walked past. I didn't even know some of these companies had stand alone stores! I can't imagine how they all stay in business.
We entered the mall with a purpose, find trekking poles and a belt for Jeff. At the last minute before we left New Jersey we decided we could live without trekking poles, so we left them. We have better trekking poles that we leave in Alaska that fold up small, the ones in New Jersey are quite long and when collapsed to their smallest size they are still taller than our backpacks, which made it difficult to take on the airline and on buses without them getting damaged and caught on things. TSA used to let us carry the poles on the plane, but our last trip they wouldn't, perhaps the policy changes from day to day depending who you deal with. So we had to box them up for that trip. And then for bus rides we had to carry them on the bus and remember to get them from the overhead bin (if there was one!) before getting out. It became annoying to deal with them and we wanted to simplify for this trip. Then we got to thinking about some of the crazy terrain we have covered in hikes down here and thought about how it would feel getting ourselves up and down steep slopes without the poles, and decided we indeed wanted them! So today we were on a mission to find some! We looked in Pucon, but all we could find were really heavy trekking poles that were sold individually as walking sticks. The nice people at our hostel (Chili Kiwi) advised us that we would have a better selection and better prices in Puerto Montt.
This mall was seriously overwhelming and we never did quite learn to find our way around, an no one working in the mall seemed to know much about anything outside of their own store. We eventually found the Doite store. Doite is the top name brand in outdoor gear for Chile and most of the stuff is manufactured here. We were able to find trekking poles with the Doite name on them, again sold individually, but fairly light and of good quality, plus they collapse to smaller than the height of our backpacks. They were a great deal at $55 per set, and now we have souvenir trekking poles!
Now for the difficult part, find a belt! We must have gone into at least 20 stores in which I had to do all of the enquiring, otherwise Jeff would just pull up his shirt and do a shaking motion with the waist band of his pants to convey his messenge! All of the belts we kept finding were heavy duty fancy leather business man belts. None of the people working in the stores seemed knowledgable about what they sold and where we might find it. Jeff just wanted a simple sport type belt made out of the sort of nylon stuff that backpack straps are made from, something thin that would be comfortable under a backpack hip belt for an extended period of time. Halfway through the search we became exhausted. Shopping is exhausting, I don't know how people can keep at it all day long, especially without any real mission, just browsing! We took a rest in the food court, eating brown rice cakes with peanut butter and blueberries that I'd been carrying in my backpack. After we felt refreshed and ready to continue the search. The search ended when we gave in and just bought a pair of shorts that came with exactly the belt Jeff had in mind, it was cheaper than a lot of the belts we had seen and Jeff got an extra pair of shorts out of it!
On our way out of the mall we noticed there was a movie theater, and that they were playing some of the movies in English with Spanish subtitles. We decided we would come back in two hours and watch The Revenant.
During our 2 hour break from the mass consumerism, we went for a late lunch/early dinner at a healthy salad and sandwich place a few blocks away called Sanito. They had lots of vegan and vegetarian options that were both fresh and affordable. I had a giant salad and Jeff had a sandwich. Then we went looking for an ATM machine and after that a money exchange place. We brought along some US dollars in hopes that we could exchange them as a way of avoiding constant ATM fees. We have yet to find an ATM that lets us withdraw more than 200,000 pesos (about $280USD) at a time, and with each with transaction comes a $6 charge from the Chilean bank and a $5 charge from the US bank. Unfortunately it turns out that the money exchangers severely rip you off and we get w better rate from the ATMs, in spite of the fees. Luckily credit cards seem to be pretty widely accepted here in Chile and we are able to use them to pay for bus tickets, hotels, restaurants and all of the stores we visited in the mall.
We bought a jumbo box of popcorn for our movie watching and were surprised as we began to eat it that it was kettle corn! In Argentina when we have been to the movies they have given us a choice between sweet and salty popcorn, but here they did not ask. I love kettle corn, but it was certainly a sugar overdose. It was over a gallon of popcorn, and only cost $4! The movie was good, but a bit more violent than I prefer. I always enjoy the escape that going to the theater provides when traveling. There's nothing else like it, you can forget completely about were you are and stop thinking!
The day started cloudy and it looked like it would rain, but the sky has become dazzlingly clear and we got a nice view of the Osorno and Calbuco volcanoes from the bedroom window of our new room in the neighbors house before bed.
Saturday, January 23rd 2016
This morning the lady of our house gave us toast with wonderful homemade raspberry jam, free of rocks and made from raspberries she picked herself! It was so good we each had three bread rolls and consumed a whole jar of the jam!
We were told to be at the Navimag office at the port at noon. We arrived a little early just in case, but ended up sitting two hours before a bus came to transfer us further down the coast where our ship was waiting. There was a Holland America ship in port today that was using the same terminal that the Navimag office uses, so while we sat there we got to watch the parade of depressingly old, decrepit and out of shape (mostly American) people.
Once on board the ship, we waited a further 2 hours before departure. The ship is primarily for transporting cargo, but has two decks set aside for passenger service. The passenger capacity is approximately 120. It's much smaller than your average cruise ship. Once we left Puerto Montt we spent the evening sailing through a very wide passage and remained far from land, so it wasn't terribly scenic.
We requested vegan food in advance, not knowing what to expect. We knew they could do vegetarian, but we couldn't find any information online about anyone ever having asked for vegan food. The food is served cantina or cafeteria style and each day includes a side salad that you grab yourself from a big trough filled with prepared plates, fresh baked white bread rolls, a dessert (usually fruit), a main dish and coffee (the instant kind), tea or juice. When I reached the end of the line where the main dish was dispensed by the attendants I asked for vegan. They told us to sit down and a short while later one of the guys reappeared from the kitchen with two beautiful plates of vegan food! I was very impressed! For our first meal we were served couscous, half an avocado, fresh tomato sliced, sautéed Swiss chard and steamed broccoli and zucchini. It was very good and I was very pleased! The fruits for dessert included pears, nectarines and oranges. The dining room is not big enough to accommodate everyone onboard, so they serve it in two shifts, it will be 12:30 and 1:30 for lunch and 7:30 and 8:30 jfor dinner. Our meal times will be assigned based on what deck our cabin is on.
There is an employee onboard named Percy who calls himself the naturalist and I guess he also serves the roles of guest services and cruise director. He gave a presentation about our journey this evening describing the route and showing us with slides on the projector. He is boisterous and dramatic and talks in circles, so really we learned nothing that we didn't already know, and his English is really hard to understand.
Sunday, January 24th 2016
Breakfast this morning was nothing special for us. It consisted of white bread rolls, slices of processed ham and cheese, individual packages of butter and jam, yogurt, corn flakes and milk. We've been trying to lay off the white bread, in favor of more nutritious foods, and since dry GMO corn flakes didn't sound good, we just made up some of the instant oatmeal we brought with us, utilizing the hot water dispenser.
Just before noon we came out of the calm water of the fjords, passages and canals and into a stretch of open ocean. We had no idea how long it would last, but I was very glad I brought my sea sickness bands because I started to feel ill right away. It seemed the bands really helped and I was able to refrain from puking. The boat rocked up and down all day, rising up and over large swells, then slamming into the troughs below creating a big booming crash of water each time. Our upgraded cabin no longer feels very special to us, as its located at the very front of the ship where we have had the pleasure of feeling the most movement. It literally feels like our room is moving up and down 20-30 feet with each oncoming wave.
Even though I wasn't really sick, I did not feel well, and spent 6 hours between lunch and dinner sleeping. Apparently this is a normal amount of movement though, because none of the crew seems to be alarmed. It's moving so much that it's difficult to walk. And tonight at dinner only about half the passengers were present. We were lucky to be among the people that felt well enough to eat today! I continue to be happy with the vegan offerings. For lunch we were served stewed lentils with broccoli, cauliflower and sliced tomatoes and dinner was veggie spaghetti. I have taken to eating two of the side salads instead of giving in and eating any of the stupid dinner rolls! Today our salads had fava beans on them. The food was the highlight of the day, not much in the way of scenery. Besides the high seas, the weather has been pretty good, not too windy and no rain either.
Jeff talked to naturalist Percy before dinner and found out that the open ocean section will persist until about 5 AM kand that so far it's not even bad, and said that soon we would be farther from the shelter of the mainland as we cross a gulf and at that time we will begin to have lateral movements. That time is now as we are trying to go to sleep, after already having slept all day, it will be a rough night. Jeff is without his sea sickness bands, and although he feels poorly too, he is able to cope with it better than I am. I was able to get him the last sea sickness pill on the boat from the little convenience counter, which he just took and I am jealous!
Monday, January 25th 2016
The motion stopped around 4 AM as soon as we made it back into the sheltered canals. Our sleep was better than we both expected, but we are very glad that the rocking has ceased. The scenery was more interesting today, as the channels were more narrow and we were closer to land. What we can sit consists of many mountains islands. When you look out over the horizon you see the layering of mountains in the distance. It looks like what I imagine the inside passage in Alaska to look like, with the only difference being the exotic vegetation. We are seeing mostly dwarf forests due to the harsh conditions. It's hard to tell from far away but the trees are probably mostly lenga and perhaps coihue, both of which are types of Southern Beech trees. Many ferry passengers see lots of aquatic life, but so far we've seen none. We made a short stop today to pick up and drop off some passengers and cargo in the tiny town called Puerto Eden. We are told only 76 people live there and although we have seen countless salmon farms, this is the only place along route where there is a permanent population. I have no idea why the town is there.
Today lunch was a simple plate of veggies: green beans, cauliflower, corn, potatoes, broccoli and tomatoes. For dessert we got watermelon, cantaloupe and grapes. Dinner was stuffed a zucchini boat, containing mushrooms, onions, carrots and bells peppers with rice.
Tuesday, January 26th 2016
We made it to Puerto Natales before 10 AM today, but they held us hostage for about an hour before we were given the clearance to leave. We were so ready to be off that boat, we were in fact the first ones to escape. So far, I have made the ferry ride sound terrible! I wouldn't call it terrible, but I wouldn't call it fun either. Perhaps I am too accustomed to seeing similar coastal scenery in Alaska. I thought it would be more scenic, that we would see lots of glaciers and wildlife and crazy mountains. We saw a pair of whales briefly from a distance, an occasional sea bird and a few sea lions near the port, but otherwise nothing. Naturalist Percy blames it on the salmon farms for heavily polluting the otherwise pristine waters. I am still glad we went, as it really is the only way to see the fjords, but I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone else.
We weren't really sure exactly what our plan would be once getting here, so we reserved a place to stay so we wouldn't be homeless. We got there before check in time and dropped off our stuff and went out for lunch at El Living, a vegetarian café we visited last time we were in town. They have good food and probably the best options in town for vegetarians and vegans, but the portions are on the small and expensive side. We ordered 3 dishes that we shared and could definitely have eaten more. We ordered beet soup, burritos and the special of the day: mashed potatoes topped with chili.
After lunch we went back to our room to consult the Internet and our guide books and come to a decision of where we will go next. There are several different possible plans we've been considering. First was to continue South to Ushuaia and snag a last minute deal on an Antarctic cruise, but I currently want nothing more to do with boats and the open ocean right now. We will save that for a future trip. Another option was to continue south and do a trek called Cabo Froward, which goes to the southern most point on the mainland continent (not including islands), but then I read this blog post that made it sound cold, miserable, wet and really difficult. (http://www.thetravelchica.com/2012/02/cabo-froward-chile-journey-to-the-end-of-the-world/)
And the third option we had considered was to go back to Torres Del Paine National Park. This is generally the only reason most tourists come to Puerto Natales, it's the closet town to the National Park. We have now been twice and hiked all of the most popular trails there and spent many nights camping. We had thought we might go back and visit a more remote section of the park that sees few visitors. The hike goes up a river valley and terminates where the Zapata and Pingo glaciers come down from the massive southern ice field. Sounds great initially, but there were two problems. First is that one of the glaciers has retreated so far it's barely visible anymore and second, the other glacier with its spectacular lake full of icebergs and the opportunity to see the calving of more ice is no longer reachable! It seems a flood almost 10 years ago washed away an essential bridge over a glacially fed river and it was never rebuilt. Trying to ford the freezing river is dangerous and not recommended, so we decided to abandon the plan as we wouldn't be able to get close enough to the glacier or lake to really enjoy it.
We have instead decided it will be best to leave and begin working our way back North, we still have much to see in Chile. We are now wishing we could just get on a bus now, but since our accommodation was already reserved, we will wait until tomorrow. We are staying in a guesthouse called Hostal Dos Lagunas. It's a nice quiet place and the owner is very friendly and helpful.
The rest of our day was spent securing bus tickets (which was more difficult and time consuming that it should have been) and getting groceries for dinner. We decided not to go back out to eat, as Puerto Natales doesn't have many enticing options! I instead made us a stew of pumpkin, yellow and red potatoes, carrots, onion, garbanzo beans, tomato and basil and it was delicious.
