I'm on a Boat .....

NAVIMAG Boat from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natalas (aka, the jump off point for Patagonia's Torres Del Paine W Trek)

Scenery
We got very, very lucky with the weather on our little boat trip. Apparently, most of the time it is too foggy to see much of the scenery that the ship passes from Puerto Montt to Puero Natalas. Crystal clear blue and white ice greeted us for the short stop in front of Glacier Pio XI. I had only seen one other glacier before, in Iceland, whose name is consonant after constant and 'n' after 'n' in name. That one, however, was covered in black ash from a volcano that had erupted the year prior. It was nearly impossible to tell the difference between the glacier and the surrounding land. This one, on the other hand, rocked shades of blue that I did not think existed in nature. The rest of the scenery included channels surrounded by rock and trees and rain forest and waterfalls. Four days of impressive scenery, I suppose even that can get old after a while. Photos:

The Cargo Ship

Upper Deck Chess

Glacier Pio XI

Waterfall inside Glacier Cave

Passing Out
As far as seasickness, on the whole, I was alright, save for the woman that clearly had no concept of how much control she had over her own legs on the evening of Day 2, the rockiest portion due to the boat sailing in open sea. I have never fainted before, but I mean, she had to have known it was coming on, right? I was stable walking about the rocky ship but still held on to every posts bolted to the floor, just in case. She was walking around willy nilly, attempting to grab a tray for dinner service then smashed into me, afterward falling face first into the floor. While torn between just staring at lack-of-awareness and helping lack-of-awareness, two able men ran to her rescue and sent her off to the infirmary.

Rough day on open seas

Fashion
Not expecting to see many fashionistas or fashion victims on a boat for four days, I did get to observe a few things that strengthened my point of view on stereotypes. One, there is a subset of French that really help the stereotype that French are effortlessly fashionable. A family of 6, particularly Grams, who was helping take care of the perfectly groomed daughters under the age of 10, was the epitome of style. She strolled around in a creme long sleeve with a white rounded collar and matching pants meant for sleeping, but I wouldn't question her if she were to waltz down the street in the outfit. Cropped blonde hair, swept to the side, a style mimicked by the youngest one. The older two donned little pearl studs and lounge clothes in colors of dove grey and light pink.

Secondly, only Caucasian, bohemian members of the former Commonwealth wear saggy, hippie pants with stupidly varied colors in an MC Hammer cut. Seriously, locals of Chile and Bolivia and Argentina do NOT wear the crap that they sell to tourists. Chileans do not wear multi-neon colored "authentic" shoes or "traditional" sweaters nor do they wear leather anklets, bracelets, or clunky rock jewelry. Locals have a more dignified sense of style, not intending to look like a homeless pile of rainbow color and mismatched design.

Three, Russians look like Russians wherever they are, no matter the circumstances. Now, this boat goes down to Patagonia, where surely there are 1% hotels and day treks available for those who choose that route, but more so I see it geared toward hikers and more dedicated souls interested in nature. Knee high leather boots with heels, silk blouses, leather jackets, cotton sweaters, and itty bitty Puma sneakers is what I see being donned by the 20 or so Russians (or members of other former USSR countries, I did not bother to ask specifics) sitting around five tables pushed together that could be situated at a bar in Brighton beach. The difference is that surrounding the rum and whiskey on the table are 14 dSLR cameras, which clearly means they are all professional photographers.

Destination: Puerto Natalas

Four, this has less to do with fashion than just an observed stereotype: Asians (and probably most Germans) are over-organized. I bet that I, who has nay read a wikipedia article regarding the Torres del Paine W Trek in Patagonia, will have a similar experience to the chick who has been toting around a folder of 30-odd pages of printouts and has earmarked and read through every page of the Lonely Planet's: Chile & Patagonia, 12th edition. I may bite my tongue later, but..... I doubt it.

Post Note: Saw said chick on the trek. She looked miserable.