Punta Arenas

February 3, 2020 to February 8, 2020

Monday the 3rd of February

We are probably going to be spending some time in Punta Arenas, largely because we have time to spare. There are a few things we would like to see while we are here and we have a bit of work to do so it won't be time wasted.

Today there was a bit of urgent work to be done, and it was satisfying to get that under our belts, but has mostly been spent resting at the Hostal Joshiken.

I'm not too sure how they can call it a hostel when use of the kitchen is prohibited. The breakfasts at the hostel, included in the price, are the standard boring fare of toast with cheese and jam. Not much to get excited about there either. We are moving to another hostel down the road tomorrow so with the use of the kitchen we will be able to enjoy bacon and eggs sometime soon.

To provide a bit of variety in our diet, we sought out a Chinese restaurant for supper. It wasn't particularly exciting but at least it was a change from pasta and red sauce, the standard meal of cycle tourists, and was better than the pan and salami that we had for supper last night.

After that we had a stroll through the downtown area. The evidence of the civil unrest is impossible to miss with the banks and shops barricaded and with slogan daubed over every available surface. There were four deaths as a result of the protests in the Santiago area this past week but everything seems pretty calm down here.

Tuesday the 4th of February

We have to move to another hostel today, Hostal de Viajos. They have kindly allowed us to check in early. So after breakfast we checked out and cycled a few hundred meters down the road.

The chefa's car was obstructing our exit from the hostal so she had to move it before we could leave.

Our room wasn't ready when we got to the Hostal de Viajos so we left our bicycles and panniers there and took a stroll through town and down to the waterfront. There is a cruise ship in the bay with the passengers being ferried to land with a tender. It's the MSC Magnifica that is busy with a 90 day world cruise. The city is swarming with older folk clutching cameras and cellphones and snapping away at I'm not sure what. Of course we got roped in to take pictures of some of them with their luxury floating hotel in the background.

This time next year Leigh and I will also be on a cruise ship but a voyage of a different kind. Every few years Birdlife South Africa charters a ship from MSC to do a pelagic birding trip off South Africa, this time to the Prince Edward Islands between South Africa and Antarctica. This will be our third cruise of this nature and we are looking forward to spending time with some of the world's most knowledgeable ornithologists in the company of a couple of thousand other birders.

Five species on the Punta Arenas beach - Imperial Shag, Rock Shag, Neotropical Cormorant, Dolphin Gull and Kelp Gull.

Wednesday the 5th of February

Today we planned to cycle the short distance to the Humedal Tres Puentes, a wetland just north of the city to do some birding.

In the end that didn't happen. By the time I had finished the work I had planned for the morning and Leigh had finished the book she was reading it was after lunch and both of us just felt like taking it easy.

In fact, our two days here at Hostal de Viajos has been very relaxing. Our room is enormous by Chilean standards and the kitchen is well equipped and hardly used by the other guests. There are only four other rooms in the hostel so we have felt that we have had the place to ourselves.

Tomorrow we move to Hostal Aventura Austral a few hundred meters away where Theresa, the girlfriend of Mauricio (the owner of our current hostel), works.

Thursday the 6th of February

Another lazy start to the say and then we moved up the road to our new hostel. After Theresa allowed us to park the bicycles and dump our panniers while the room was being cleaned and we set off to take a stroll down to the waterfront again to see if we could pick up any interesting birds.

Unfortunately the birds on offer were the standard ones but there was another cruise ship in, the Balmoral, and the foreshore was teeming with those passengers who had opted not to take excursions. We easily blended in with them by wandering around with binoculars and cameras slung over our necks.

Crested Duck. Pretty nondescript apart from its hangover eyes. The small grey crest is often flattened against the back of the neck.

Two young Imperial Shags waiting for their parents to bring them some grub.

Imperial Shag flying in. Is this the food truck ?

It is the 500th anniversary of Magellan's rounding of Cape Horn and the beachfront has a new monument to that event.

There is also an impressive statue depicting Magellan in the square in the center of the city.

Friday the 7th of February

Hostal Aventura Austral has had great reports about the breakfast that it serves and in its price range it is pretty good. Not just the usual pan and marmaleda but also scrambled egg and ham. We were pretty full by the time we got on our bicycles and cycled out of the city to the Humedal Tres Puentas (Wetland of Three Bridges). The wetland is near to the ferry port from which we will cross to Tierra del Fuego on Sunday.

Birding was good but not dramatic . We spent a lot of time trying, unsuccessfully, to turn female Upland Geese into the similar looking and rather rare Ruddy-headed Goose but we did pick up a few new species in Lesser Yellowlegs, Plumbeous Rail and Baird's Sandpiper. Ultimately, being outside on a bright sunny day was probably just as enjoyable as the birding.

A Red-gartered Coot doing what a parent does.

Chiloe Wigeon, the true trash bird of Humedal Tres Puentas.

Coscoroba Swan. The smallest of all the swans but more goose-like than swan.

Long distance shot of a Baird's Sandpiper.

Saturday the 8th of February

It is our last day in Punta Arenas, discounting the time between checking out of our hostel and boarding the ferry, so we spent a few hours wandering around and taking in a few sights.

Our first stop was the small and neat cathedral built at the end of the nineteenth century.

Then we hurried through the Museo Regional de Magallanes. Apart from some natural and social history, it is mostly a monument to one of the powerful and wealthy families in the areas recent history, the Braun-Menéndez family of Russian and Spanish origin. Some have accused them of genocide. They almost certainly got wealthy on the backs of other folk but they have left some impressive buildings in Punta Arenas.

I struggle to resist the attraction impressive dining rooms.

Although the sweaty bit in the basement is often more impressive.

The Antarctic Institute. One of a number of fine old buildings in the center of the old part of town.

A last look at the beachfront to test the water temperature. Despite a number of folk swimming I would find it a bit cold and certainly too dirty to take a dip.

Punta Arenas' rather tacky beachfront although a bright sun and a clear blue sky go a long way to make it more attractive.

Today's ride: 27 km (17 miles)
Total: 1,379 km (856 miles)

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Bill ShaneyfeltGreat bird shots today!
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4 years ago

Jean-Marc StrydomThanks Bill. Pleased that you like them. I will post a few more as we go along.
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4 years ago