Before flying out to Punta Arenas we stopped by Puerto Montt. It was a flying stop over to walk down the water front, log a few geocaches and try to find a cafe for some coffee and cake. We were successfully for all but the coffee and cake as due to horrendous traffic we simply ran out of time before we had to catch our flight to Punta Arenas.
After a long delay we managed to get to Punta Arenas, and we noticed the sharp drop in temperature. Luckily we were prepared for it! What we were less prepared for was the wind! Really really strong wind, the kind you have to lean into or you will be blown away! We really felt it again the following day when we went to Isla Magdalena to see the magellanic penguins.
To get to the island, we had to get up at silly o’clock and then had to wait a long time before the weather calmed down enough to get on the boat to head over the island. Even in the “calmer” conditions it was still very choppy. But it was worth it when we got to the island and saw the Magellanic Penguins. Maxine was over the moon to be so up close with the cuties!There were plenty of Kelp Gulls on the island as well. Both birds living happily on the windswept island together. It was interesting to see the penguins making burrows in the grown for their nests, which makes sense after experiencing the near gale force winds on the island. At this time of year, all the babies are becoming adolesents, and molting their baby feathers.
After the 1.5km route around the island, which included an old lighthouse, we headed back to the mainland. However this boat journey was not as “calm” as before. The wind picked up even further and the waves increased in size quite considerably! Mish “pushed” us to the back end of the boat as he knew that that would be the best place. He was right as there were a lot of sea-sick passengers in the forward half of the boat. As a family we renamed the boat the vomit comet…
Apart from very heaving boat, Robyn spotted two dolphins swimming along side us just as we were headed off. That was a lovely surprise for the girls!
In the late afternoon walked around Punta Arenas when we had a bit of spare time. It’s a quiet little town with some nice tree lined boulevards and with a statue in honour of Ferdinand Magellan. After walking through town and then along the water front (they seem to really like there sculptures here) we stopped by a cafe for some hot drinks and chocolate filled churros. Yum! A great way to end reaching our most southern point of this world adventure, Punta Arenas is considered the most southern large city in the world.
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