My last day in Puerto Natales simply involved laundry, eating, and sleeping. I was not feeling particularly well and was extremely fatigued, so I rested at the Erratic Rock while she did the laundry.

The highlight of the day may have been when she asked me to get her an orange and a few other things to eat on the ferry, just in case the time between meals was too long.

At the supermarket I was disappointed to find that the only oranges came in a 3 kg bag. Luckily, there was a sale, so I returned with 5 kg of fruit and four boxes of cookies. At 15:00 I walked to the port and picked up my tickets, probably as the first person in line, then wandered back to the Erratic Rock for more rest.

By 20:00 I had decided it was time to start walking to the port with all my things. Also staying at the Erratic Rock were two Australian women, perhaps in their mid-20s, with huge backpacks and about nine shopping bags of food. Their supplies also included “one litre of wine for each of us, for each night.” They asked how I was getting to the port. “Walking. How are you getting there?” I replied. “Taxi!”

I arrived at the port within 30 minutes, walking at a slow pace, and prepared for the short welcome presentation. When it ended, I met up with some fellow travellers and started walking to the ferry. Only then did the two women from earlier arrive, frantically unloading their bags from the taxi.

The Navimag is a ferry that operates weekly between Puerto Natales and Puerto Montt, taking four days each way. Several types of accommodation are available, from the simple aisle bed I had for $380 to an AAA cabin for almost $1,000 per person. All food and “activities” are included. I opted to take the ferry as a break: no internet, nowhere to be, and not much to do. For many people it is also an economic decision, as a bus to Puerto Montt costs at least $200 and travels through Argentina first. The ferry offers spectacular views of islands and glaciers.

However, the Navimag is primarily a cargo boat, with passenger accommodation added in recent years. While comfortable, it is in no way similar to a cruise ship.

After finding my bed, I was slightly apprehensive about not paying a little more for a cabin. The boat was quiet enough, but a few passengers were loud. One cabin of travellers stayed up until 3:00 a.m. yelling to one another, which I could hear even through earplugs.

The highlight of the first night was waking at about 1:00 a.m. to an odd noise: cows. During the night the ship had taken on three or four trailers of cattle, and they kept mooing. I put this in my “didn’t expect that” bucket and fell back asleep.

Bright and early at 7:45, the captain came over the speaker, waking me and reminding everyone about breakfast: 8:00 for even-numbered cabins and 9:00 for odd-numbered ones. Since I was in cabin 102, I went to breakfast just before 8:00.

At breakfast I sat next to the “English couple” and had what would become the routine meal: cereal with yoghurt and some kind of “main” on the side.

During breakfast I checked my phone and noticed we had moved less than 5 km from Puerto Natales. Although I knew the boat was not going to depart until 4:00 a.m., the short distance still surprised me. Nonetheless, the boat picked up speed and we began cruising towards Puerto Montt.

The first attraction of the trip was passing through a fairly narrow channel, about 40-60 metres wide. Since the boat was roughly 20 metres wide, cliffs appeared close on both sides. I had imagined something more like a scene from a cartoon, perhaps DuckTales, with huge cliffs looming over the boat. It was still impressive. Another highlight was seeing dolphins playing in front of the boat. Getting a good shot was difficult because the front railing was lined with people carrying expensive DSLR cameras and hoping to capture the next National Geographic moment.

I went inside and began talking with people or otherwise passing the time. I spent much of the day in bed, waking only for lunch and dinner.

On the second day I awoke for breakfast, had my yogurt and cereal, and then went to the deck to watch the glaciers pass by. I suspect that these glaciers would normally be difficult to see if one was not on a boat, and the captain even indicated that they make this route specifically for the tourists.

It was on this day that I took out my cards and tried to play, although I soon realised that the deck was slightly… different. Clubs were coins, and every other suit was something else. To make matters worse, there were no queens, eights, or nines. I went to the bar, borrowed a second deck of “normal” cards, and played gin rummy. I won, 1,000 to 360.

I had lunch, and after lunch taught the two tour guides from London (Roxanne and Jason) how to play hearts. After only a few games I moved upstairs for more sightseeing.

After dinner I learned another card game, one that relies on fewer tactics and more luck, then went to bed. Some people stayed up drinking, but I decided not to because the boat would be heading into the open sea. Since my last experience on open water had been so unpleasant, I sat in bed hoping not to get sick.

By the third day, all the days had started to blend together. We saw the “English Channel,” which was really just the boat making a sharp right turn beside an island, as well as a vessel shipwrecked in the 1960s. At dinner, the crew announced that we would be entering the open ocean again, perhaps to make up time, and that the winds were quite strong. At that point, I decided to take a seasickness tablet in preparation for the evening.

Just after dinner, most people congregated in the bar. I played more cards while waiting for bingo. After we bought cards for a few dollars, the crew explained the rules, and I instantly knew this would not be a normal game. If you called bingo incorrectly, you had to dance by yourself. If you called it correctly, you still had to dance, but could choose a partner. As the game progressed, it was entertaining to see the winners and losers, particularly an enthusiastic group of Argentinian men. After everybody at my table lost every round, whether intentionally I do not know, the crew collected the cards and changed the rules for one final game. If they called your number, you had to turn in your card. The last person still holding one had to dance.

I can’t say whether Bingo Disco was a success; perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if we hadn’t been on open water. After turning in the cards, I washed up and went to bed.

The boat was scheduled to arrive at about 8:00 a.m. but did not arrive until 10:30. Some of my fellow travellers were heading straight to Argentina, so they slipped off early and ran to the bus station. I had to stay aboard for another hour, but eventually walked past the cows, took one last photo of my lodging for the previous four days, and boarded a bus out of the port.