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

World Record Attempt for New Years Eve

Valparaiso is like a bigger, dirtier LES/Chelsea. In this incredibly bohemian and colorful city, I extended my stay from 2 days to 7 days. Until three weeks earlier, I had no idea that this city even existed. Until 1 week before, I had no idea that it was the 2nd biggest New Year's Eve celebration in the world, second only to New York City. Like hell I was going to miss this one, so pushing back several arrangements (flights, boats, places to sleep, you name it), New Year was going to be celebrated in Valpo.

Standby: Fake Post

Eating at a restaurant called Dresden in Puerto Montt while I wait to board the cargo ship (Navimag). I almost feel like I'm in Germany, as the wooden dining room is completely filled with smoke (and wifi!), except that no one around me is eating yet it is nearly 1PM. Stereotypes exist for a reason: lunch does not get eaten until 3PM. If you thought Spain ran a bit behind schedule, you don't know what's in store until you hit LatAm.

Four days on this boat, no Internet. I'll have several back to back posts on NYE in Valpo, Puerto Montt, and my first ever New Year resolution. I normally hate the idea of a resolution starting at midnight Jan 1, because... seriously, who are you kidding? You're likely loaded up with champagne. Way to start the new year, spending the first day bumming around and being completely useless. This year, while walking around during the first day if the year, I did decide to make a change.

Iv