Our second cruise in the fjords of Patagonia

Today is the day. Our second 'cruise adventure' on a cargo ship/ferry begins! Our next destination will be Puerto Montt. A small town, 4 days by boat north of our starting port Puerto Natales. We have to check in and settle into our cabins the day before. Check-in time is from 9am to 6pm. So all in all, a stress-free affair you might think. However, the check-in turned out to be a bit more complicated and time-consuming than expected. The check-in was not done at the usual harbor or directly on the boat, but at the bus station. So we had to take our luggage to the bus station to get a non-existent 'boarding pass' (there was no more printer paper, embarrassing, embarrassing!) and to find out that our luggage will be stored at the agency until evening and we have to go to the bus station again in the evening to be taken to the ship by a transfer bus. Very annoying, as our hostel and the city center are right around the harbor and the ferry. But well! We passed the time until evening in a café overlooking the harbor, together with a Spanish couple who live and work in Cologne. They're pretty cool and time flew by! Evening came and we went to the bus station, hoping to leave the boat again after check-in to have a nice dinner. Well... wrong again! We were informed that after check-in, we can't leave the ship until it reaches Puerto Montt! We were a bit shocked by the news, so we quickly found a solution in a small store right next to the bus station and bought some sandwiches so that we wouldn't go to bed hungry. Up to that point, we felt a bit like in kindergarten as we were not used to being treated like that anymore. When we arrived on board, this mood completely faded away. We were kindly escorted to our cabins and were also allowed to go out until 10am the next morning. The ship set sail at 11am the following day. We still received a safety briefing and a welcome from the captain before most of us went to bed. After all, it was already 11pm at that time. We enjoyed the view of the city at night with its thousands of lights one more time and looked forward to the next few days! Finally back at sea for a longer period of time! With these thoughts in mind, we went to our cabins and had a great night's sleep!

The next morning started with a delicious cafeteria breakfast and the anticipation of setting sail. Shortly after 11am, the time had finally come! We started our journey. The trip began and soon we immersed ourselves in the untouched vast landscapes. The further we went, the further we moved away from any civilization. We don't even have cell phone reception here! Perfect to just relax! Clear your mind! Mari and I are enjoying the time to the fullest! The sea has something mystical about it and the weather contributes to it as well. The surrounding landscapes are often shrouded in fog, strong winds sweep over the water, and the clouds hang extremely low. Marius always says he loves it when the weather is rough and I also enjoy it. So we often stand on deck and enjoy the sight of this force of nature! We had already heard that the winds can blow fiercely here, but we didn't expect to experience it ourselves. According to the captain, the wind was blowing over the deck at more than 90 km/h. The winds forced people to their knees and unfortunately, two elderly men fell to the ground. They were literally knocked off their feet. The impact on the deck was so hard that one of the men scraped his knee and the other broke his hip! What a shock! And on the first day too! Even worse when you witness the accident firsthand. So, I provided first aid to the best of my knowledge and quickly, luckily, a doctor appeared. He knew what to do, so we were able to put the injured man on a stretcher and take him to the onboard medical center. At that moment, the old and most important sailor's rule came to mind again: 'One hand for the boat, one hand for the sailor!' If the gentlemen had followed this rule, nothing would have happened to them. Due to the serious injury and the not so great weather conditions, the captain decided to steer the ship back towards Puerto Natales. A helicopter rescue of the injured man was not possible in these winds. A sea rescue ship was sent to retrieve the injured man. So we met halfway! With the onset of darkness, the rescue boat arrived and the injured man was transferred to the other ship using one of our lifeboats! The rescue went smoothly and afterwards, we continued our journey to Puerto Montt with a considerable delay. The next day, we sailed through the beautiful fjords and island landscapes without any further incidents. We reached the Pacific Ocean at around 2:35 am. Finally some rocking! We slept well and looked out on the infinite expanse of the Pacific Ocean the next day. Wonderful! But it got even better! First, the sun broke through the cloudy sky, and after breakfast, we finally saw the animals that we wanted to see on our trip! Whales! We counted over ten of them! It's always beautiful to see when they spray water into the air. We are happy! Besides the whales, we also see countless bird species such as the albatross, which can reach a wingspan of 3-4 meters, or the flightless steamship duck (sounds strange... but that's what it's called :D) or cormorants. We also see sea lions, dolphins, and penguins. The third day was so perfect, we were even rewarded with sunshine and an incredible starry sky at night. A successful end to the journey. On the last day, we sailed through the fjords again and reached the destination port of Puerto Montt in the afternoon. We look at the harbor with a heavy heart because we had gotten used to the boat life and would have liked to stay on the steamboat for a few more days. Very, very sad! Nevertheless, we loved it! Especially after the long hike through Torres del Paine National Park, this place was the ultimate relaxation and recreation for us! We went to Ancud on Chiloé Island on the same day. There we spent the evening comfortably with a few beers and mentally prepared ourselves for the coming days. There's a lot to experience here after all. You will hear more about it soon, as always.

Until then

Your Marius and Max