The weather in Punta Arenas is so unpredictable! It changes about every 20 minutes! One minute the sun is shining and it is lovely out, then the skies turn gray and it begins to rain, followed by a small hail storm, then it is back to sunny skies! The best way to prepare for the weather is to layer! Chile is a long narrow country that runs the length of South America and boarders Argentina, and Punta Arenas is located on the infamous Straits of Magellan. The Straits of Magellan are where the Atlantic Ocean merges with the Pacific Ocean and add in Cape Horn, there are a lot of weather systems down here!
For our first day in Punta Arenas, we had a private tour out to Seno Otway or Otway Sound to see more penguins! This is the nearest preserve that is accessible by unpaved road. I have seen many penguins lately but when else am I going to see them. So Jane, Barry, Karen, Pauline, Mike, Mom and I as well as some other people drove to Otway. On the way out I crocheted my scarf and Jane and Karen worked on theirs!
The scenery changed dramatically from the Andes mountains we just saw in Argentina. The landscape of Chile was flat and covered with plains.
Gauchos (cowboys/shepherds) live out on these desolate lands herding sheep. On our drive out there were two gauchos and a giant herd of sheep coming down the road. The gauchos had their dogs herd the sheep off of the road so that we can pass!
The sheep covered the road!
During our drive out we say plenty of fauna - Rheas (ostrich-like birds), a Llama like animal and Condors!
When we arrived at Otway Sound, it was very windy but that was to be expected! Luckily it only sprinkled for a few minutes and the sun came out! There was a pebble path and boardwalk out to see the thousands of Magellanic penguins.
The path took about 45 minutes and winded around through the penguin burrows and ended at the ocean to a viewing platform to see the penguins at the beach. As we walked on the platform, the penguins would walk right in front of you!
More Penguins! They were everywhere!
We strolled along the platform and had a great time seeing the penguins. When we reached the beach, the wind was very strong and luckily they had a shelter built to block the wind!
After viewing the penguins, we had hot chocolate!
We then went back to the city of Punta Arenas and the first impression of the city was that it was poorer than Ushuaia. The population of the city is around 140,000 but after the Panama Canal was built the city declined because the sailors no longer had to use this very long and dangerous route. Today Punta Arenas attracts fishing vessels from the South Atlantic, as well as Antarctic research vessels and cruise ships.
Around the main square of the town, beautifully decorated houses and grand buildings boarded the area. These were the tycoons of Patagonia. One of the tycoons of the area was Sarah Braun, who along with her Spanish husband were very successful and they built beautiful homes and a cemetery. So we went to the Sarah Braun cemetery. It was another great cemetery with very intricate and unique sites.
Next, we had a stop to view the city from a hill top above and the view was magnificent! There was a totem pole that showed the locations to cities all around the world!
Jeff, Barry, Jane, Karen, Mom and I decided to leave the group and walk around the city. We started at the Plaza de Armas, the main square, and walked up the street. We found the Wool House where we each decided to buy wool to knit more scarves. I bought a really pretty green, blue and beige wool and a pair of knitting needles and my mom bought a wool knitted hat! We then walked around the market in the center of the square. Local vendors sold their hand knitted hats, scarves and gloves. Others sold local rocks and knick knacks that they have made. Each vendor had their own stall that was like a little wooden gypsy wagon that could be opened and closed. The woman were nestled inside the wagon knitting!
All of a sudden, it started to downpour and we ran for a cafe. It was a great find! My mom and I had the most amazing hot chocolate and our group shared a warm brownie and lemon pie! Afterwards we walked back to the pier where we had to take a tender back to the ship. The water was rough and our tender bounced up and down in the waves. We just happened to glance outside the window and saw a school of dolphins swimming beside us! They were jumping up and having fun swimming in the wake of the tender!
Our group had all good intentions to return back to the port tonight and go to a restaurant Karen had heard about, but it seemed like too much effort so Karen and Captain Mercer joined us for dinner at the dining room and we ended up having a terrific time talking about our day and our cruise experiences!
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