Human Cargo

At 9:30pm, we boarded the Navimag ship through a large cargo hold and we realized this was far from Carnival Cruiselines. One other couple, Nick and Anne, had also signed up for the 4 day journey from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt; the other passengers were all truck drivers. As we sailed through small Chilean islands and icy channels, we spent most of the time in our small, two bunk bed cabin or in the comedor (mess hall) where we ate our meals and watched violent movies with fellow passengers. One evening was spent constrained to our beds as the ship fought against the rough seas of the Pacific and all equilibrium was lost. The few that attempted to eat dinner that night struggled to keep their soup in the bowl and their chair in front of their plate. It was entertaining to say the least. Luckily for us, the first mate had sea sickness pills and we were able to sleep through the night. After surviving the 12 hour squall, we enjoyed the next two nights, playing Scrabble and cards with Nick and Anne, and sporadically venturing on deck to see the islands dressed in fog and inhale the aroma of the salty sea.