Navimag - Day 2

Day 2 on the boat. Today was a bit interesting because we had to change our course in order to beat a storm coming at us from the South. This required us to head into the Gulfo de Penas and the Pacific Ocean earlier than scheduled.

I feel like I’ve missed out on the sights to see on this boat trip, mainly because we’ve hit most of the high points somewhere between 5 and 7am. After only a day and a half in Torres del Paine, I still required a good bit of recovery time and haven’t woken up in time to get dressed and out to the deck. We arrived at Puerto Eden around 11pm last night, and passed through the English Channels and by Cotopaxi between 5:30 and 6:30 this morning. I heard the announcement, but since the loudspeaker is only in the hallways, not in the cabins, it barely woke me up. I started moving, but again, I was too late. I waited for breakfast at 8 while charting out a possible trip to Chiloe, then watched “The March of the Penguins” after breakfast.

We hit the “high seas” around 11am, and despite taking a motion sickness pill, the rocking was almost unbearable. I had it in my mind that the ship was big enough to reduce a good bit of the rocking, but I was sorely mistaken. After the movie, I headed back to my cabin to lay down for a bit with my iPod. I got up again for lunch at 12:30, but preferred not to remain in the dining/lounging area, which is covered in windows. I got in bed, yet again, to battle the waves and fell asleep for another FIVE hours. We’ll see how I sleep tonight….eek.

One selling point about this boat excursion is the camaraderie that apparently develops among its passengers, but I haven’t really felt that as much here, perhaps because of the low season and smaller amount of passengers. I am also the only person traveling alone, and one of maybe three people not part of a couple. I have generally been ok in terms of keeping myself busy and meeting other people, but this trip has been the loneliest part of my time here in South America. I think it’s a combination of having a warm room all to myself, the confinements of the boat, and the almost nonexistent single population. At least on the mainland, I can be out and doing something. Eva and Alex have been great, but I’ve also felt the need to give them more space and not cling to them, as the only people I know on this ship. They have been really great though, and I am anxious to keep up with their blog while they complete their trip around the world.