Punta Arenas and Penguins

Our hotel had a charming breakfast. All hotels pretty much include a continental breakfast, but Chalet Capital had 2 sweet ladies in the kitchen next to the dining room and had baked a yummy crumb cake. Also they had plenty of fresh fruit and were super attentive.

After resting a bit, we ventured out to see more of the town. It appears that Punta Arenas does not have a "touristy" area which proved a little more difficult in finding Amanda postcards and for me a magnet (I like to have magnets of where I have visited).

We wandered to the cemetery which was melancholy and less touristy than the Recoleta cemetery in Buenos Aires. Nicknamed the Alice in Wonderland cemetery due to the giant cypress bell shaped trees that lined the walkways, there was definitely a unique vibe. (Actually the trees around the entire city were interesting and incredibly well manicured. It's as if Edward Scissorhands had been here). We saw tombs of notable local families, civic workers, policemen and societies for different cultures (French, Portuguese, Croatia). We visited the tomb of the last Selk'nam Indian where there were notes of thanks as supposedly it is good luck to rub the knee and people respond when their prayers come true.

We then walked by the Santuario Auxiliadora Church where we saw perhaps the largest manger scene indoors. It was well-decorated with Christmas lights. Very appropriate considering the Epiphany is just around the corner.

We made our way to Cafe Tapiz where we ate our lunch of delicious sandwiches. I chose to stay and have another coffee and read while Amanda ran errands at the post office.

The weather down here is like what everyone says. Unpredictable. Rainy one minute, super windy, and then sunny. It just seems to cycle throughout the day, so you really have to prepare for the unexpected in Patagonia.

Amanda and I met back at the hotel and on my way back I stopped at the Cathedral. The church earlier was definitely more impressive even though the facade was uglier. Talk about managing expectations. Sights in Punta Arenas are easy to spot as there are blue plaques everywhere and explain the historical significance. Our walks felt like we were following the Freedom trail in Boston as we kept a lookout for the next blue plaque.

We successfully hailed a taxi that brought us to the port where we boarded a ferry to Isla Magdalena known for a famous penguin colony to see the Magellan Penguins. The boat ride took about 2 hours each way and left at 5 pm. Another ride in the straits of Magellan on our way to visit approximately 160,000 penguins. The adults are black, the juveniles gray, and the infants a furry gray. It was quite incredible how close they got as they waddled, walked with purpose, or basked in the sun. After an hour on the island and walk to the lighthouse, we returned to the ferry. The sun set as we returned to Punta Arenas around 10 pm. I was glad to return as I have never been sea sick my entire life, but the straits definitely made me feel queasy (imagine what it was like years ago...) The return trip was also particularly rocky and felt very long (at least to me), but Amanda and I made lots of progress in our books.

We caught a group cab at the port and headed to Damiana Elena, considered one of the best restaurants in Punta Arenas. We had large cannoli pastas, one with chicken and spinach (the house specialty) and the other king crab and hearts of palm. I had originally ordered the popular lasagna, but alas they had run out. We also had an organic red carmenere wine by Miguel Torres, flan, and creme brulee. Delicious. Our waiter, Thomas was also excited to practice English and meet New Yorkers. He said we were nice and looked forward to visiting New York some day.

Tomorrow we will be picked up by our all-inclusive tour operator, Ecocamp, to stay in Torres del Paine for 4 days, 3 nights. The park is partially reopened after the fire and supposedly our camping area is not affected. We are suppose to stay in domes, hike during the day, and enjoy the beauties of the "prized jewel of Chile." Cannot wait as we had planned our trip around Ecocamp's availability.

The drive will first be to Puerto Natales (the nearest city) of about 4-5 hours and then 2-3 hours to Ecocamp. Will try to send an update, but believe that I may have no Blackberry service in the national park and we are only allowed to charge camera batteries in the environmentally conscientious camp. So my next update may be Monday!
Have a great weekend!