Our guide says that the Straits of Magellan are "home to a million wonders." Sailing through and along the Straits of Magellan, one can absolutely agree with this statement. In fact, this whole mid-to-southern area of Chile, leading down to Ushuaia, Argentina, is like being on another planet altogether. The glaciers, inlets, bays, the wildlife in the water and in the air and on the land are not what most of us see at home. The weather is cool and crisp, the Andes border us on the east, the ocean on the west. We were lucky to experience some clear weather and as a result, got to witness the snow capped Andes mountains on more than one day. That's relatively rare.
The city of Punta Arenas was born and raised up from, of all things, the California Gold Rush. The Tierra del Fuego gold rush followed on the footsteps of the California one, and the city began to grow, to accomodate this new activity, in the late 1880's. Wool production started here as well. When the Panama Canal opened in the beginning of the 20th century, however, the maritime traffic declined drastically and the city began to falter. Today, though, the city is thriving again, and attracts commercial fishing vessels, cruise ships and travelers to and from Antarctica. There is also an Antarctic research center here.
This was my fourth visit to Punta Arenas. I've been there and done that here. So today, I decided to join an excursion that took us to the top of one of the nearby "mountains", where they ski in the winter, and do a mountain hike. We took the ski lift chairs up the mountain, and hiked down. The weather was sunny and warm, with just a gentle breeze. It was a nice hike. Later, we were dropped in town at the central plaza, where I met up with my friend Kathi. We visited a couple of yarn stores and stopped for a bite to eat, before returning to the ship.
My dear friend Jack. We often chat for a few minutes each morning when I pass by the library on my way back from breakfast. He is 94 and still works the NY Times crossword every day, except Saturdays. "Diabolical", he says!! I totally agree.
Views from the hike, below.
The top of the ski lift.
We had a fun Chef and Sommelier dinner tonight - this theme was James Bond. Throughout dinner, we had to try to figure out who was James Bond. Turned out, it was Philip, our Dining Room manager. Of course, he absolutely looks the part. Very suave and debonair.
A very pretty (and late) sunset.
Stay tuned for more Pig Tales!!
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