Punta Arenas, Chile

Looking across Punta Arenas and the Strait of Magellan
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After spending an additional day in Puerto Natales to rest, and square up things with the owner of my rental equipment, I hopped on a bus to Punta Arenas. As it turns out, both Andrea and Andro were on the same bus – on their way to the airport to catch a flight back to Santiago. They had some time to kill when we arrived in town so we walked around a bit and hit a local joint for lunch, close to Plaza Gamero. Recommended to Andrea and Andro by a friend, the place was a small café decked with paraphernalia from a Chilean futbol team and contained a long counter where people would sit on short stools. The specialty here – small biscuit like sandwiches containing grinded chorizo and banana licuados. Although very tasty, the ambiance of the place is what makes the visit special.

Centro Punta Arenas
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Over coffee, I finally said my goodbyes to my new friends, promising to meet up with them in Santiago. As it was now Tuesday I had the rest of the afternoon to find my hotel and finalize my plans to take a boat from Punta Arenas to Puerto Williams the next day. Unfortunately the boat changed its schedule to only take cargo – mostly fuel, which demanded only crew and no passengers. I was none to happy about this as my email exchanges over the previous two weeks reflected otherwise. I was so looking forward to the trip, and now I would have to go by bus as I couldn’t wait another week to get to Ushuaia.

Failed plans as I continue to head south

Plaza Muoz Gamero
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Overall Punta Arenas is nice but it’s setting along the Strait of Magellan is not as beautiful as Puerto Natales (or Ushuaia as I soon would find out). As you walk around town one thing you will see that is unusual is a lot of taxis with multiple destination signs. These vehicles, running mostly on natural gas, have replaced the bus system and provided busy streets. Another thing that stands out is stray dogs. In Punta Arenas, a town of about 125,000 people, it is said to host over 20,000 dogs. One thing you do see a lot of in South America are dogs barking and chasing cars along the road. However, my most memorable experience would be here… walking back to the hostel (from dinner) and finding 6-8 dogs lined up in front of a taxi at a traffic light. As the taxi tried to move forward, all the dogs continued to bark and hold their ground. Eventually the driver managed to get out of there, but the ordeal lasted for several minutes. Shaking my head, I chuckled a bit and continued along my way.

Plaza Muoz Gamero and the Ona statue
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I enjoyed my stay here, but Punta Arenas is just a bustling port, and no more than that.