Day 209: Shipboarding

Puerto Montt – Puerto Natales, Chile

Today would be the first time I’d be on a cruise ship. Though, Navimag‘s Evangelitas isn’t really a proper cruise ship like the ones in the States. I believe it was a Japanese cargo ship that was purchased and revamped about a decade ago. It now brings passengers going down the Patagonian channels, seas and fjords to and fro Puerto Montt and Puerto Natales. The trip would take 4 days and 3 nights. It’s apparently the better way to commute between the two sites since land routes are tough and there’s currently an oil strike going on in South of Chile, rendering it impossible to overland it.

Even though we weren’t supposed to board the ship until 2pm, passengers were asked to arrive at the port to check in by 11am. I did so and enjoyed my free internet time at the waiting area. Finally, I boarded Evangelitas at 3pm. Then the ship was just docked there for another 5 hours before eventually taking leave.

I paid for the cheapest sleeping quarter on the ship. I was expecting to be placed in the engine room packed like sardines. But no, I got a bunk bed out of 42 that were spread around the hallways of the ships. It was surprisingly nice. The bed had its own lamp and power outlet. It also came with curtains for privacy. The individual locker was big enough to easily fit both my big backpack and daypack.

For $360, all three meals were also provided. For dinner, we had a nice salmon dish with soup, salad and fruits