Pining for the fjords

A sister ship passing us by

Per the suggestion of the fabulous Sara Benet, I just spent the last three days on board the Evangelistas Navimag Ferry, sailing through the chilean fjords from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt. The trip was a little pricey, about $550 US dollars, but I was in one of the fancier cabins with its own bathroom that I shared with two other people. And the price included four nights on the ship and three meals a day, so I guess it evens out to roughly the same as a long weekend away.

The first leg of the trip was pretty eerie, just dozens of tiny islands shrouded in fog. Adding to the creep factor was an old shipwreck, abandoned in the water, covered with shrieking sea birds.

Fortunately there was plenty of booze to chase away any blues. The boat had a well-stocked bar, and a secret cocktail ingredient courtesy of one of the sights along the way: the Skua Glacier.

The bartender and a couple of hardy sailors motored out to that enormous ice field and returned with enough ice to keep us in pisco sours for the rest of the trip!

This guy knew what he was about. Glacier ice is freakin' delicious.

With drinks firmly in hand, the rest of the trip was spent either watching the wildlife - minke whales gorging themselves in the Golfo de Penas, dolphins frolicking off the bow, albatrosses following the ship -  or playing cards, chatting, dancing, even singing karaoke with new friends from Switzerland, England, Chile and Germany. A simply lovely way to travel.