Punta Arenas

the winter (summer here – june) was unseasonably cold and snowy (even more than usual, apparently) back in 86’, and I remember all the housewives sitting around drinking tea and remarking “wow.. it’s all so beautiful… it looks just like a Christmas card..”
Even at that age, the irony of a South-of-the-hemisphere person’s incongruous idea of what a December 25th holiday should ‘look like’, given the reality of our Christmas falling 4 days after the Summer Solstice, struck me as amusing.

You have to kiss the foot of the statue in the plaza for good luck!

I flew here from Puerto Montt then headed down into Torres del Paine via Puerto Natales.

I don’t remember much about the city, but the plane flight was breathtakingly beautiful!

I went to Punta Arenas on my ship. It is a nice little town, but not so much there. It is a gateway for cruises down the Chilean Fjords and I know people who have got on 4 day cruises at the last minute for a good price. There was a huge Croatian population here. Some nice homey restaurants (run by locals) with home cooked food. Check them out, they are cheap and fill you up. There is a decent supermarket in the town. It is small but sells essentials.

On my visits to Punta Arenas, I went to both the Penguin Caves and Magdalena Island.
Penguin Caves was a better excursion for me. I did the excursion thru the ship (free). However, from the port you can get a cab to the caves for around $100 US. If you go into the town, you can get one for around $60. There, back and waiting for you at the caves. The admission is nominal to the caves, but the walk from the entrance to the caves is around 1 mile. Please when you get to the caves RESPECT THE PENGUINS. Do not get really close to them, do not go sticking your nose in burrows and talk softly.And if they are trying to get across the path give them lots of space! They will not cross if they think the path is blocked in ANY WAY. These birds are sort of used to people but they are still terrified.

Magdalena Island was an experience. 2 1/4 hour ferry ride out and back. It was so damn rough the day I went. You really need to pick your moment. It was kicking up a gale the day I went so when I got to the island (where there is a colony of 60 000 Magellanic Penguins), I had to keep my eyes closed because of the dust! The rules for these penguins are the same. Please keep your distance.

Not a big city, not a rich city, but it gives access to the wonders of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego.

Expect poor weather (snow in October!) and learn some Spanish before you go.

While most people probably visit Punta Arenas on the way to Patagonia or Antartica, it’s not such a bad place on its on, although I can’t say there’s a lot going on. Think Northern Exposure meets Southern Hemisphere. . . The airport was nice.