Punta Arenas, Chile

Brrrr….it’s chilly in Chile! 😊 And that’s the main reason I haven’t much to share today. We arrived in port around 9 a.m. this morning. We were in no hurry to get off the ship because we had not purchased an excursion here (thank goodness, because pretty much every one of them was outdoors). Thankfully Ronnie is starting to turn the corner, but neither of us needed to be out in the cold and wind. And so far we are on a very similar itinerary as before, so we had seen a little of the city when we visited 3 years ago. Given all of that, we decided to wait until after lunch and then venture off the ship on foot and just meander around the port a bit.

 

view of Punta Arenas from our balcony this morning

You'll notice that the sky had changed from earlier this morning. The minute we stepped out, the wind almost took us away! Neither of us thought to pack a warm cap for our head either. We walked maybe a half mile to a building that all passengers must pass through. Before we even reached it, I voted to head back to the ship after we looked around a bit.

 

Vista docked in Punta Arenas

city is dense and houses run up the mountainside

Thankfully it was warm inside. Local women were selling their crafts (mainly needlework, pottery and jewelry) so I browsed a bit and then was ready to head back to the ship. In hindsight, I probably should have bought a cap!

 

locals display handiwork

International Certificate "I crossed the Magellan Strait"

headed back to ship

 

tugs in a row

So not very exciting, but it was enough to confirm that neither of us felt like exploring on foot. This afternoon Ronnie rested and I worked on this weeks BSF lesson (lots of reading this week!) Afterwards we enjoyed afternoon tea in the lounge. 

 

always friendly and helpful

 

Panache String Quartet plays second fiddle to tea and scones

 

scones, clotted & whipped creams & jam

I probably should have said a little about Punta Arenas before I posted my photos. Punta Arenas overlooks the Strait of Magellan. It used to be considered one of the world’s historic trade routes, enjoying its first boom during the California Gold Rush. However, it’s importance diminished with the opening of the Panama Canal. Later the city became even more prosperous due to its wool trade. It still reflects a mix of 2 cultures - English sheep ranchers and Portuguese sailors.

The locals say if you rub the toe of Ferdinand Magellan’s statue in Munoz Gamero Square, that means you will one day return to the city. They also say that if you haven’t tried a King Crab plate, you haven’t been to Punta Arenas. Well, I’ve been here twice and I haven’t rubbed Ferdinand’s toe or eaten a King Crab plate. I’m sorry, I’m sure their legs taste delicious dipped in melted butter, but seeing them alive trying to climb out of tanks still give me the creeps! 

Not many exciting photos today.

The End of the World?

Yes, we've actually been there today! We docked sometime during the wee hours of the morning in Ushuaia, Argentina – the southern most city in the world, thus its name “the end of the world.” I stepped out on our balcony shortly after sunrise to see a cargo ship unloading its containers directly across from us and other ships lining both sides of the dock. And there they were - the beautiful Patagonia mountains in the distance.

 

good morning, Ushuaia

First a little about Ushuaia. It’s the capital of the Tierra del Fuego province in Southern Patagonia, Argentina and it sits on the Beagle Channel. It is considered the main gateway to Antarctica and the Tierra del Fuego National Park. 

It’s been a beautiful, sunny day and it felt great to be off the ship after the extra days at sea since we had to re-route and miss our stop in the Falkland Islands. 

Talk about a busy port city! There are at least 3 other cruise ships (huge ones) besides ours in addition to tankers, exploration ships headed to Antarctica and 'who knows what' all the others are. It’s easy to see why nature lovers want to come here. There’s the Tierra Del Fuego National Park to explore along with trekking, canoeing, heli-fishing, horseback riding, 4x4 off roading and more – truly an outdoorsman’s paradise! Ushuaia’s economy is based on lumber, sheep farming, fishing, fur trapping and of course tourism.

 

stepping off Vista, looking toward the town

Ronnie still isn’t feeling well, but he wanted to get off and get his hair cut, plus pick up a few items we needed. We found our way to a grocery store and picked up a few things from our list, then walked several hilly blocks to reach the touristy part of the city. With passengers from multiple cruise ships in town, the streets were busy before the shops even opened. I'll post a few photos that I snapped as we walked around the town.

 

get your churros here

Port Ushuaia

sailboats against Patagonia mountain backdrop

 

 

 

mural depicts prisoners held in Presidio penitentiary, early 20th century

 

hand carved souvenirs

We managed to find a pharmacy and also a barber inside a small shopping center. After that we walked back to the ship. Ships on both sides of the dock were going about their necessary tasks and loading up with supplies in preparation for their upcoming journeys.

 

We sailed at 4 p.m. and have been making our way through the Chilean fjords for the last 4 1/2 hours. It is almost 10 pm as I write this and still light outside. At times some of the passages seem quite narrow and the mountains very close to our ship! 

 

earlier this evening we were where the arrow is (middle of picture)

The scenery off our deck is amazing, and I have to jump up and snap a few photos every little bit, although they cannot possibly do it justice. We're seeing snow capped mountain ranges and occasional glaciers with water rushing down. The ship will work its way through the fjords as we travel through the night to reach Punta Arenas.

 

sailing through Chilean fjords - view from our balcony

sun on snow capped peaks

 

passing by a glacier and waterfall