Sitting sipping a pisco sour and tucking into my fish dinner, looking out at this ship, I suddenly had the urge to change my itinerary (the advantage of not planning too far ahead). I was supposed to be flying out in the morning from here, Puerto Montt, to Punto Arenas in Patagonia, but I saw this Navimag cargo ship and decided instead to spend 4 days making the dramatic 1,460km journey through the canals, mountains and glaciers of southern Chile into Patagonia.
It was a risk - if the weather was bad, I wouldn't see much of the scenery and the accommodation is very basic and cramped (24 beds to a dorm), shared bathroom and no window - this is a cargo ship after all. But with good weather, the scenery is spectacular and unforgettable. I decided to risk it, cancelled my flight and on the way to the port to buy my ticket, decided to stop off at the hairdressers' to see what they could do with my lengthening grey roots.
I'm sitting at the hairdressers', colour in hair, having even been persuaded to have my 1st ever manicure as I actually have nails now, not needing to clip them to do massage....everyone's watching TV as the new president of Chile is being sworn in.....suddenly the presenter wobbles a bit and the camera shakes and we realise there's yet another earthquake in Santiago. "Oh," I think, "I'm so glad I'm not there but rather down here in the south out of the danger zone."
Next thing I hear sirens in the street and loud voices announcing something, not sure what, but I did catch the word "tsunami". Thought they must be advertising some new dynamic product, maybe a beer worth trying. Then seeing the expression on the manicurist's face, I reaslised that, oh bugger, there was yet another disaster about to happen.
"We have to evacuate the building, now!" shouted José the manager. Without blinking, the manicurist speedily finished putting the topcoat on my nails then got up and rushed off. The girl who'd put the colour in my hair came over and signalled for me to sit at the basin so she could wash out the colour. John McEcenroe´s words came to mind, "YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!... the colour hasn't been in long enough" I spluttered in Spanglish, "The tsunami won´t come that quickly - can't we leave it in just a few more minutes?"
I've got to be honest that in that moment, getting my hair right was more important than fleeing a hypothetical wave. But the media had succeeded in instilling instant panic in everyone - outside people were rushing around holding mobile phones to their ears, cars were beeping their horns as everyone was trying to get out of the city centre.
So my hair was quickly rinsed (no conditioner!) and with it dripping wet, trying to keep my freshly painted nails from getting smudged, I was bustled out of the salon and into a car with 3 of the hairdressers who insisted I go with them as they drove to pick up a couple of their kids and make for higher ground. "Estas asustada?" (are you scared?) they asked me as I sat squashed in the back of the car. I replied that I wasn't because I intuitively felt that the whole situation was being blown out of proportion and that even if there were a tsunami, only the low-lying coastal area would be affected. Never in the history of Puerto Montt, not even during the massive 1960's earthquake and subsequent tsunami that flattened the coastal areas of Chiloé where I had been yesterday, had the city ever experienced a tsunami. "Good timing, Fi!"
And as I thought, the tsunami never came....
But then the situation changed....and I became really afraid. Two of the hairdressers and the kids got out of the car and Andrea, the girl who had being doing my colour, got in the driver's seat and immediately my worst nightmare came to life as I realised I was a passenger in car with a driver that couldn't drive....my most dreaded fear.
The car kept jerking forwards and stalling while Andrea was trying to talk to who-knows-who on the phone. "OMG", I thought, "I'd rather be standing on the beach facing a tsunami than sitting in the passenger seat next to you, dear Andrea, as lovely and sexy and sweet as you are....please god get me out of here!"
She told me that she'd only be driving a couple of months, she didn't have a license and she was actually terrified of driving and so her hairdresser friend drove them both to work every day. The car was a present from her husband - she'd just got married a couple of months ago, it was a wedding present - I wondered if he had a death wish for her - I tell you I was terrified.
And then.....everything I'd been dreading came to pass......we were in the R-hand lane of a 2-lane road and she suddenly decided to turn left, veered over into the left-hand lane without indicating and behind came the sound of screeching tyres, blaring horns, swearing voices and a near heart-attack. "I really need to get out of this car" I said to myself. She tried to make some excuse, I attempted to make her understand that she needs to indicate and change lanes slowly, checking the other lane before moving over, but realised she just needs to take driving lessons.
To cut a long story short, the good news is that I have managed to miss being involved in a tsunami and a car accident and as far as I know, my ship is sailing tomorrow at 4pm. The wind is fierce, the seas are tempestuous and it look like a rough passage ahead. But I've bought my sea-sickness pills and an extra pillow.....as of now, there are no more tsunamis forecast....I'm still not sure if it was such a good idea to change my ticket.....but que serà, serà.
No internet for 4 days.....due to arrive in Puerto Natales on Monday....wind, earth and sea willing....say a little prayer for me!
Staying with my friend, Tony, in this beautiful tree-lined street in Palermo. We went out for a steak dinner and ordered large pieces of delicious beef for about £3.50! The whole meal, 2 steak and chips with 2 salads and 2 extra large bottles of ice-cold Stella came to less than £17. I won't be taking up vegetarianism anytime soon. Tony commented "By 'eck (he's from Barnsley)you eat well." "Just call me cerdita." 
This town is windy, expensive and unattractive but it's the base for some of Argentina's finest trekking (going to do just a bit more). Walked through a pine forest with lots of these pretty woodpeckers flying around.
I've been travelling now for 3 months, 1 in Colombia, 1 in Bolivia, 1 in Chile, and now I was crossing the border by bus to spend 2 months in Argentina. I'd heard about the recent conflict between Britain and Argentina but thought it best not to bring up the subject.
The last 45 mins of the trail were steep and rocky but the views were worth it, finally to get up close to the magnificent pink granite towers of the Torres del Paine. They're best seen at sunrise but I wasn't so keen that I was going to get up at 4am and hike in the dark. I sat here for some time just soaking up the scenery and watching the sun go down on the other side of the towers. What a day!
I missed the trail down to my hostel and instead ended up walking all the way along this valley and up to the final destination, Las Torres, completing the trek a day early. I calculated I'd walked about 80k in 3 days - as my eloquent sister put it: by now my legs felt "like nuclear missile rocket launchers and my calves like calabashes!"
You just need strong legs and lungs to hike the trails, but only experienced climbers with permits can attempt to scale the mountains. The park ranger told me that a Japanese guy had gone missing in this valley 20 days ago and was presumed dead although they hadn't found a body. He was hiking alone and must've strayed from the trail and fallen.
The weather here is unpredictable and can change dramatically in a matter of minutes. The only means of rescue are on horseback or by boat - high winds prevent the use of helicopters.
Thankfully the wind died down and my 1st day hiking in this world-famous park was glorious. I had chosen the 'W' trail because it can be completed without camping equipment by staying in refugios. This path follows the edge of Lago Grey en route to Glacier Grey where I would stop for my picnic lunch...there were beautiful views all the way.
I'd met Italian Monica on the Navimag and we paired up to hike the park together. We celebrated with a pisco sour....the eve of our big adventure and the fact that we weren't outside in the howling wind in a tent.
not the campsite next to it. I watched in despair as young backpackers attempted to erect their tents in 70k/hr winds which didn't let up the whole night. One tent came loose in the middle of the night and took off like a kite, ending up in the lake leaving the couple inside completely exposed. They had to come to the lodge and rent another tent. Money might not bring you happiness, but it sure gives you options when you need them. I wanted to enjoy this short time in the park and struggle to survive - most people were lugging all their gear from one campsite to the next - not my idea of fun. The trails are challenging enough without all the extra weight - I packed 4 days' necessities into my daypack, the lightest I had ever travelled in my life!
My 1st day in the park the wind was blowing over 70k/hr and it was a very bumpy journey on the catamaran across Lake Pehoe. The waves came right over the top of the boat which 
kept slamming down on the water. The vividly-coloured lakes here are formed from melted glaciers - turquoise, ultramarine and pistachio expanses, the colour created by minute powdery particles held in suspension.
Our final port of call, Puerto Natales, is a small, quiet town of brightly painted corrugated tin houses situated on the calm waters of Canal Señoret fjord, an arm of the Ultima Esperanza (Last Hope) Sound. It was named in 1557 by the sailor Juan Ladrilleros who was looking for the Strait of Magellan and this was his last hope of finding it. 'Natalis' comes from the Latin term natalis meaning 'birth'. In 1830 a new British expedition on the frigate HMS Beagle sailed through these fjords and some of the places here are named after the expeditioners : Robert FitzRoy, William Skyring and James Kirke. The city was settled in 1911 by British, Germans, Croatians and Chileans from Chiloé, all attracted by the growing sheep industry. Nowadays, people here rely mainly on tourism because it's the base for exploring the magnificent Torres del Paine national park...the reason I've come.
The fishermen are allowed to kill 60 sealions a month to sell the skins and oil and each adult receives US$500 a month from the government. But the place seemed so impoverished and every house was a dilapidated shack...so what do they spend their money on? Inside each ramshackle house was a huge plasma flat-screen TV and outside a equally massive satellite dish.
We pulled into this remote village called Puerto Edén on Isla Wellington with a stable population of 150. There are no roads here and this fishing village is more than 8 hours away by boat from the nearest town. Zodiacs sped out to the ship to pick up those of us who wanted to go ashore for a couple of hours to have a look around.
I knew the temperature was dropping when the ship sailed past this glacier apparently called 'Iceberg'.
Sailed gently through canals and fjords with one 15-hour rough spell out at sea.
Boarded the Evangelistas Navimag's functional but comfortable 123m long freight and passenger roll-on-roll-off ferry to make the long haul south to Patagonia. It was a bright, clear, sunny afternoon as we sailed out of Puerto Montt harbour waving at other passengers on passing ships, glad I'd made the decision to head south by boat rather than plane.
Sitting sipping a pisco sour and tucking into my fish dinner, looking out at this ship, I suddenly had the urge to change my itinerary (the advantage of not planning too far ahead). I was supposed to be flying out in the morning from here, Puerto Montt, to Punto Arenas in Patagonia, but I saw this Navimag cargo ship and decided instead to spend 4 days making the dramatic 1,460km journey through the canals, mountains and glaciers of southern Chile into Patagonia.
Walked round the fish market and before eating yet another delicious seafood dinner, enjoyed this typical Chilean cocktail which easily competes with a margarita or a mojita - the Pisco Sour - it is so yummy. Pisco is made from grapes and is the most famous Chilean spirit, best drunk as a Pisco Sour with lime juice, sugar, Angastora bitters and egg white.
Chiloé has an endless list of unique island flavours concocted by soaking different herbs, grasses, flowers, fruits or berries in alcohol. Nothing is off-limits from sticks to chicken eggs. This Licor de Oro (gold liqueur) is the most famous, made by soaking alcohol, milk, sugar, cloves, lemons, saffron, bitter almonds, vanilla pods and cinnamon, then painstakingly filtering out the liquid, drop by drop to remove the cloudiness caused by the milk. The result is supposed to confuse and excite the palate with its chimera of ingredients. It tastes like liquid Christmas with a sweet little Mediterranean tinge. It's unlike anything I've ever tasted before - I meant to take a picture showing the gold-coloured liquid but the bottle mysteriously emptied before I got a chance.
The island abounds with picturesque fishing villages and lovely coastal walks. It's a haven for bird-watching, horseriding, hiking and boat trips. However, I'm not staying long as more spectacular scenery awaits me - tomorrow I fly to every trekker's ultimate destination, Patagonia!
