Embracing the Straits of Magellan, Punta Arenas is a shanty town that gleams with multicolored roofs of corrugated tin and lots of character. Once a prosperous trading port, it was reduced to a naval base after the Panama Canal opened in 1924.
All roads in this town lead to a central Plaza de Armas marked by an imposing statue of Magellan. This is where tourists, lovers, kids learning to juggle, and denizens taking a nap can all be found in an afternoon. Little girls with long hair, dressed in bright woolies, are by far the cutest sightings of the day. The weather fluctuates from bright and warm to cold and windy every few minutes.
Not looking foreign enough can be a disadvantage when you´re greeted with a torrent of Spanish everywhere you go. Our well practiced donde esta el baño? is not taking us too far in these parts. The good news is that we seem to, or at least think, we understand more than we speak. A patchwork of our ever-growing vocabulary has gotten us as far as booking our tickets, ordering meals, and asking for directions.
We had a new itinerary to plan today. A silver lining began to emerge after the grey news last night. The park opened today. Although hiking the ´´W¨´ or the circuit is still impossible, we may still be able to trek parts of the trail. But we´re going to let all the commotion calm down and head to Tierra del Fuego instead. So we´re off to Ushuaia tomorrow morning on a direct 10 hour bus - the last leg of our pilgrimage al fin del mundo.
We spent the rest of our afternoon visiting museums of historical and maritime interest. Great glimpses into the lives of Indian settlements, oil refineries, Antartic explorations, and missionary activities in the region.
More when we get to Argentina.
Chao
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