Navimag, Puerto Montt

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!