February 26, 2018
Puerto Natales: Onto the ferry
We have spent most of the last few days at the campground occupying our time with work, various chores and socialising with other cyclists and travelers who were stating there. One morning was spent bird watching long the shoreline and I managed to buy a replacement shirt for one of two that I have. After being worn mostly every second day for just over a year it had worn out, somewhat prematurely I had thought. We had paid for an extra half day at the campground so we could use the facilities while we waited to board the ferry this evening. The weather wasn't that great so it was the right thing to do.
Yesterday I cleaned the bicycle chains after which I checked their length - worn and in need of replacement. Lesson learnt - check length before needlessly cleaning. This morning I found a bicycle shop and bought replacement chains which I had some difficulty fitting because they had a strange quick link system that befuddled both myself and Adam, a cycle tourist from Scotland. So I simply used the standard links and my chain tool to join the chains.
After lunch we wandered across to the bus station, which is only a few hundred meters away, to check in for the ferry ride. We were issued with our boarding passes and instructed to be at the ferry for boarding at a quarter to nine in the evening. Unfortunately, while cycling down to the ferry, I found that I seem to have a tight link on the join on the chain on my bike which I will need to fix once we get to Puerto Montt. Another lesson learnt - don't buy cheap chains.
Boarding the ferry was easy enough. I was expecting far more spartan conditions than what we have got. Our cabin is roomy enough and the bunk beds comfortable if not a bit narrow (thank goodness we are both small people). The safety and information briefing was done by Percy, the on board naturalist who also seems to double as the passenger liaison officer. He reminds me both physically and behaviorally of my late cousin David of whom I was very fond so I liked him immediately. He has also kindly lent me a very good field guide to the birds of Patagonia for the duration of the cruise, another reason for which to like him. The lectures he delivered during the course of the cruise unfortunately delivered too little content over too long a period and we ended up skipping a few.
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Today's ride: 25 km (16 miles)
Total: 1,814 km (1,126 miles)
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