Punta Arenas

We are on the road again.  It is a long drive from Ushuaia to Punta Arenas and so we set off early morning, leaving Ushuaia at 6.30 and making our  acquaintance with Peggy who will be our mode of transport all the way to Santiago. 

Peggy is a comfortable truck and as it is only at half capacity, we have plenty of room to spread out.

On the way we have a border crossing, which threatens to take up more time than warranted, but after hassling with the Argentineans on our way out and being asked to fill out forms in quadruplicate copies, we are thankfully allowed into Chile with out too much fuss.

I catch up on my writing and admire the beautiful scenery as we say goodbye to Tierra del Fuego.  The landscape changes from steep mountains at the edge of the road to flat, green expanses that stretch for miles.  It is a pretty uneventful run with a few strategic stops for photos along the way.

The day includes a ferry ride as we cross the Magellan Straits and watch the dolphins that seem to be laid on for the tourists. We finally arrive at Punta Arenas, the southern most city in Chile,and a local centre for sheep farming and fishing. 

We spend two nights here, visiting a local museum and spending time at the Seno Otway Penguin Colony where we commune with a Magellenic penguin colony.  Watching these beautiful animals frolicking in the water, feeding their chicks and going back and forth from their burrows to the ocean never tires even those of us who have just returned from cruising Antarctica.

 

 

 

 

 

Food in this part of South America is mainly steak, empanadas, pasta and pizza but we find a sushi restaurant to add a bit of variety to our diet.  After dinner a few of us end up at the sky bar, marvelling at the view, while getting to know each other over drinks.  We eventually head back to our hotel for a few hours of sleep before our early morning departure to Torres del Paine. 

Let your heart guide you.  It whispers, so listen carefully.  ~Littlefoot's mother, Land Before Time