Punta Arenas, Chile

                        It’s been a busy few days down here in Chile and Argentina. Lots of Photo Ops at crazy hours because that’s when the Ship sailed by them! This severely impacted my “work” time as these times were early in the morning. Toss is a string of Excursions, and you may be able to see why I’m so far behind!

                                    Anyway, I need to go back to Christmas Eve and our visit to Punta Arenas, Chile. I’m going to have to admit to you that this particular day was a little disappointing and it all started about a month ago when our Tours by Locals guide either realized that they should have made themselves “unavailable” for that day because even though they gave us a month’s notice (and TBL did work overtime trying to find a replacement) no one made themselves available to us. We ended up booking with Viator, another private tour organizer. The difference is that we got an employee of a Tour Operator rather than a Guide Owner which is what TBL Guides are, they own their business and use TBL as a broker and coordinator of sorts, which accounts for the superb service that we always get.

                                    Nicholas was our Guide for the day and at all of his 26 years of age, did a fine job of escorting us around his city and environs. Nicholas was very proud of the efforts made by the local government to rehabilitate older sections of industrial areas and convert them into usable spaces for public enjoyment.

                        Punta Arenas is not that old a city. Most of the early settlers were here in the mid-1800’s and as usual the first thing that it was used for was a penal colony. It seems that quite a few of the further-reaches outposts were genesisized by this need/method. In time everybody made nice and just kicked the can further down the coast to the next, “Hey! Let’s keep ‘em here! Nobody wants to be here!” spot on the map until the previous scenario repeated itself several times until they ran out of continent!

                        Punta Arenas soon became a coal stop for the steam powered ships of its time. Coal was discovered just north of here and quickly it became one of the largest industries, practically taking over the waterfront, sharing it of course with the fishing fleet of the day. Nowadays the Waterfront is filled with esplanades, monuments, and gathering places for everyone in the city. According to Nicholas, coming down here with your family is one of the favorite things for the peeps to do.

                        We then ventured further into the City, stopping at the Place de Armas, which every city has one of. This is the central plaza and is always dedicated to the Military hence the name, Place de Armas. The central statue/monument is a representation of Magellan and since Punta Arenas sits directly on the Strait of Magellan seems aptly named. The trees here are both gorgeous and on the older side, some of which are several hundred years old, even though they are not possessing a diameter of greatness. (I can’t believe that I just wrote that like I am translating speaking different language!) Suffer through it you must! 😊

                        Apparently one of Punta Arenas most popular tourisimo atractiones is the local cemetery. I must admit that it is quite unlike anything that we have ever seen and is rather remarkable in its design and mission. The photos will explain better than I can….. all I can add is that the result of this planning was surprisingly successful because as we walked through the paths surrounded by these trees of privacy, one felt rather isolated and I dare say serene, all at the same time. It was unique to say the least.

                        Our last spot required a ride quite a way out of town along the coast road which was a nice respite from the city. Our destination was the first fort in the area, and it was easy to see why this location was initially chosen as the view of the Strait was unequalled by anywhere else in the region. The fort was erected in 1844 and was rehabilitated one hundred years later in 1944. That in itself, at 80 years old, made everything look as if it was from back when it was first constructed.

                        Our four hours flew by, and we eventually ended up back at our ship. A Feliz Navidad to Nicholas and his driver were warmly returned to us and even though the day was not what we initially thought that we were going to have, we learned that just about any experience given by a local person who is proud of their home can end up being a very satisfying day. Nicholas received a very nice review from us as he certainly deserved it.