Tuesday, January 12, 2016

New Years - 2016 - Day 13


At least the days are starting to get warmer.  Today is Punta Arenas, Chile and the weather was supposed to reach a high of 54 degrees.  It might have been that high at sometime but with the wind, the actual temperature was a lot less.  Still – it was better than yesterday.

This is the city where the famous Captain Shackleford had his excursions to Antarctica.  The city was among the first Spanish settlements along the Strait of Magellan coast, dating back to the late 16th century.  The Strait of Magellan is the passageway that was found to go from the two oceans without going around Cape Horn.  We will be in the Strait of Magellan starting tonight as we head to our next port of call after two sea days.  Right now, we are in Patagonia which is an area of Chile like we live in the Midwest. 

We had to take a tender into the port as they have no facilities to have large cruise ships such as our dock close to town.  The waves were very rough and it was an experience getting on and off the tender.

We met out guide and driver at the pier for a 3 hour tour of the city.  It was interesting learning about the city and its history as first a military penal colony to a farm community and now a mining and tourist town that has only 150,000 people in it.

We toured a museum about the city and its history and also tour a cemetery, which was supposed to be one of the most beautiful in the world, and it certainly was.

In looking at maps of the bottom of the world, we are closer to Australia that we are to Bloomington -   Now that is amazing!!

At the end of the tour, our guide found a shopping area with Kahula and Barb wasn’t going to get any until she found out that the price was only $12 a bottle, a lot less than in the US, so we got two bottles. 

After the guide dropped us off at the pier, we walked about 4 blocks to a restaurant called La Luna (the moon) that she recommended and it was one of the best ever.  Barb had baked King Crab and Ed had Tenderloin and they both were amazing dishes because of the sauces and how they were prepared.

We also found a new drink made up of a Chilean liquor, calafati berries, sugar and lemon.  It was called a Calafati Sour drink and wow was it good.  I might not have calafati spelled correctly, but the drink was really very good.

We then walked up to the City Center and the main park where they were all kinds of booths set up to sell souvenirs.  We bought our casino supervisor, Carla a present and also a present for the waiters 17 month son as they have been so good to us.  Ed also bought a sweater and Barb bought a ring as well as some souvenirs.

Then we walked a few block to the ship going into numerous shops along the way until we made it to port where we took the shuttle boat back to the ship.  The waves were really rough and the bow of the tender probably rose 15 feet up and down!!

After we sorted out everything we bought, it was time for a nap after a fun day in town.

The entertainment tonight was a singer/guitar player and he was pretty good.

Then it was time for dinner – it seemed like we just ate, but we went anyway and then we went to the casino where Barb won just a little and Ed had his largest loss!  Just wasn’t the night – but hopefully tomorrow when we will have the first of two sea days.

Night
 
Our ship from town

At the top of the town - notice our ship on the right

Rest in peace

Lunch

Barb with our tour guide buying "stuff"
 

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