The Navimag and the Lake District

After a few days in Torres del Paine National Park we embarked on a four night, three day ferry trip from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt on the Navimag ferry which winds its way through the Chilean fijords. This voyage is supposed to be one of the most beautiful ferry journeys and often the highlight of peoples trips. However, the Lonely Planet markets it as 'not a cruise' and with a shared dorm of 20 booked and advice on how much wine (plenty) we should take on board with us, it was with a little reservation that we boarded the Evangelistas on the Thursday evening. The Navimag ferry is essentially a cargo vessel that has been converted to accommodate the eager backpacker who is willing to pay. The utilitarian nature of the boat was apparent from the minute we set foot onto the vehicle loading bay where the lorries full of cows, sheep and horses sang out beneath our dorm. The journey itself was beautiful despite the drizzly weather but I found that having recently had the beautiful fijords of Whalesound all to ourselves and experiencing them by kayak had perhaps spoiled me a little. Cabin fever definitely took over by the third day and although we'd met some great people, the lack of space and confined dorms finally got to me. I was very happy, then, to arrive on Monday morning in Puerto Montt and step on to dry land.

From Puerto Montt (a large and not very pretty town) we'd decided to head straight to Puerto Varas, a smaller, prettier, alpinesque town set on the huge Lago Llanquihue and at the foot of Volcan Osorno. We stayed there for a couple of nights with a some friends we'd met on the ferry (Lou & Anna) and I got to go horse riding again. It didn't disappoint and we had a wonderful day riding (South American style) through dense forest and salmon rich rivers. Thanks girls for a fab day. On Wednesday we got a bus to Bariloche, Argentina - the chocolate capital of the country...very up my street! Again set on a large lake, Bariloche is a largish town with a reputation for great food, lively nightlife and good hiking. We didn't have long but enjoyed some walking, great steak, chocolate tasting, several hostels (don't ask) and a trip to a couple of the local hospitals (wait for our slot on Emergency 999!).

We are now in Pucon, Chile after a long and very hot bus ride yesterday (Saturday). The weather is beautiful, we're staying in a great hostel with a magnificent view of Volcan Villarrica and have had a relaxing day with a lie in and a leisurely stroll around town. There's lots on offer here in Pucon: rafting, canyoning, kayaking, volcano climbing etc But tomorrow we've booked ourselves in for a day of fishing (don't laugh), both fly and spinning? We've never tried it before and thought that this might be a good opportunity.

Tomorrow night we get an overnight bus to Santiago followed by a flight on Wednesday to Easter Island. I can't wait: Moai, sun, sea, sand, more horse riding and staying in one place (a pretty cabin with sea views) for four nights!