Por fin!

On Monday the students readied the van twice to attempt the trip to Puerto Natales and twice were denied. Morale was low and there was plenty of misdirected blame to go around. By evening they were back at the hostel in Punta Arenas, ready to go at any moment.
As the Navimag ferry approached the Puerto Natales harbor, cars and people descended on the port. They had threatened a blockade and riot police were also out in full force. I decided to accompany some folks from the hostel who were trying to get on the boat. As we walked down at 10:30, the deep blue of the darkening summer evening sky made for a dramatic backdrop against the hundreds of black flags. For all the bluster, though, it was a pretty tame mob. Families turned out, and groups of teenagers on summer vacation. They waved flags and made up chants against the president and laughed and aped for gringo would-be photojournalists. The whole thing felt more like a school pep rally than civil unrest. This is what´s derailing my course?, I thought.
Police ushered our friends through to the ferry office, but they were not allowed on board until 3:30 the next morning. Meanwhile, passengers on the boat who´d traveled three days from Puerto Montt were being briefed on the situation for the first time, and given the choice between staying on the boat for a three day round-trip ¨cruise", or getting off in a town still very much under siege. Protesters got on board to speak to the foreigners in Spanish and English."Our fight is against the government. it is peaceful. You have nothing to fear. You can walk around freely. But, who knows when you can leave town."Some stayed on board, some chanced it.
Those who got off chose wisely. By Tuesday morning, whiffs of an end were in the air. Still, I had to lugs hundreds of pounds of trip food across town on foot because the taxis refused to pick me up. The students were in the van and on their way so I was finally optimistic enough to start buying perishable food. By midday it was clearly over, after a few more vehicle parades through town and a lot of honking and flag-waving.
The students arrived in a terrible mood, but started to perk up when they looked at maps and checked out our fantastic itinerary. We scrambled all day to buy and pack food and check gear and now were ready to head out. Even with the lost days, we´re looking at a 19 day unsupported kayak expedition through the fjords of Patagonia. Hasta luego!