Home » Chile » Chile (South) - South America

1994

Chile (South) - South America

Bec
2004-09-20 17:30:44

Displayed times (last time: )

cruise through the fjords down to Puerto Natales. The Navimag Shipping Line's port of call was in the Angelmo fishing port next to Puerto Montt where these unique shacks shelter a shop at the ground level and living quarters above.

Puerto Eden
The Puerto Eden is a large ferry boat primarily for trucks moving supplies to Patagonia. It can also carry 50 cars and accomodate 167 passengers.

I shared a cabin with a French girl, Sylvie Garnier and a Norwegian couple, Harald Ebeling and Britta Srevert sitting on the lower bunks on the left below. It was much more comfortable than the third class dormitories that held 40 people in the three tiered bunks you can see on the right.

There are few places as isolated as the small fishing village of Puerto Eden, about 800 km south of Puerto Montt and 400 km north of Puerto Natales. The ferry of the same name is the only way in or out of this place where the last descendants of an old Patagonia tribe, the Alcalufes, still survive.

Puerto Natales
There is not much to see in Puerto Natales itself but it is the doorway to the Parque Nacional Torres del Paine which is one of the most beautiful places I have seen in the world so far.

Patagonia
The three hour bus trip from Puerto Natales to Punta Arenas passed quickly as I met an accountant who was a valuable source of information on the economy of this region. Among other things, he explained that the grasslands of Patagonia were so poor that they could support only every low animal densities but that the "estancias" were of such enormous size (several thousand square kilometres), that the landed gentry did do well indeed. One of his clients was making a quarter of a million dollars a year after expenses!

If you look carefully at this picture you might be able to distinguish three Nandus, of the ostrich family, scampering away.

Fuerte Bulnes
Bernardo O'Higgins claimed Patagonia as soon as Chile became independent but nothing concrete was done about it until 1843 when president Manuel Bulnes sent the schooner Ancud to physically stake Chile's claim.

Fort Bulnes was established on the north shore of the Straits of Magellan on a rise controlling its western outlet and five years later, the town of Punta Arenas was founded 60 km north, closer to the half-way mark through the straits.

Chile initially claimed all of Patagonia but ended up by sharing it as well as the island of Tierra del Fuego, with Argentina.

Copyright Bernard Cloutier

All rights reserved.

Please visit my website