Our Antarctic adventure starts at the very bottom of South America in the Chilean town of Punta Arenas. It’s a fairly plain, working-type place without much to recommend it except for its excellent air connections and relative nearness to the gorgeous Torres Del Paine National Park. It’s thus fairly well-stocked with outdoor adventure shops for those needing last-minute expedition gear, and slightly desperate-looking tourist shops for those needing last-minute souvenirs. We had ample opportunity to explore these amenities and more as we planned a full layover day in P.A. so we could recover from jet lag and make sure all our luggage had arrived safely before starting our “tour”.
We wandered down to the local cemetery which is considered one of the most beautiful in South America, with carefully (and colorfully) planned plots and crypts and assiduously manicured gardens. We strolled the little alleys till the rain and cold drove us away in search of coffee!
Sheila loves cappuccino!
It was chilly and drizzly for most of the day but we soldiered through our sightseeing, hiding under trees or storefronts as needed. Luckily the lovely blooming laburnum trees tempered the gloom as we waited out turn to have our picture taken at the Magellan monument.
We then had more of a look around town…..
….stopped to talk to some locals
Checked out the seafront….
Then wandered back to our hotel and called it a day.
(Sorry, WordPress screwed up my formatting here at the end!)
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