The Sea - El Mar

Puerto Eden at dawn.

As the Navimag ferry made its way through the maze of passages that comprise the fjords and canals of Southern Chile, the inhospitable and dry terrain slowly morphed into the diverse and temperate rain forest of Northern Patagonia. A regular stop of the north bound Navimag is a very small and remote fishing village called Puerto Eden.

It is the stronghold where the last remaining group of Alacaluf indigenous people reside. With a backdrop of green foliage topped by the granite spires of the Andes, no neighbors for miles in any direction, and the only transportation by boat or sea plane, Puerto Eden is a unique community of 180 people that reminded us very much of the Alaska bush where we taught in the 1980’s.

Puerto Eden fishing boats await the tide.

Because there was no alternative, the ferry then headed out to the open ocean for a four hour sojourn on the Gulf of Pena before we could return to the calm confines of the canals and fjords. Heading North toward Puerto Montt, the last major crossing of open ocean was the Gulf of Corcovado which separates the mainland from the unique island of Chiloe. We will explore Chiloe in our next installment of the blog.