February 9, 2020
Porvenir
We were back on our bicycles again today, albeit in a very minor way. So after another great breakfast we packed the bikes and cycled up to the nearby mirador above the city to have a look at the views. A cruise ship was in port and so there were a lot of tourists, most arriving by bus or taxi but some huffing and puffing their way up the hill.
We have really enjoyed our break in Punta Arenas but did far less than we could have. Of the things we missed out that I regret most was a visit to the Austral Brewery, the makers of an excellent range of five beers in varying styles. Much of the beer drunk in Chile is Escudo and Chrystal, two "industrial" beers that lack any merit. However, Austral and their main competitor Kunstman are world class brewers. We only discovered yesterday that brewery tours were available and by then they were closed for the weekend. So after leaving the mirador we headed towards the brewery so that we could at least have a look at it from the outside.
On the way we came upon a wetland next to the Coca-Cola bottling plant. A quick look through the birds on the water produced a species we had looked for in vain at Tres Puntes two days before - Patagonian Silvery Grebe.
Then we set out northwards along Avenida Espana towards the ferry port and the Nao Victoria Museum which lies about three kilometers further north. We stopped off at the excellent Unimarc on the northern side of town to pick up a few groceries at which point we realised we had forgotten to pack the groceries we had in the fridge back at the hostel. Importantly, these included a bottle of Austral Breweries' tasty Calafate Ale so we cycled back into town to pick those up before heading back to the Unimarc again.
By the time we got to the Nao Victoria Museum it was after two o'clock so, once again, we had to rush through our visit because boarding of the ferry was scheduled for three o'clock. The musuem has replicas of Ferdinand Magellan's Nao Victoria and Darwin's Beagle plus some useful information boards. All in all worth the 5000CLP fee.
We spent most of the two hour ferry ride at the stern enjoying the birds following the boat. They were mostly the ubiquitous Kelp Gulls but there were also a number of Chilean Skuas, Southern Giant Petrels and and handful of Black-browed Albatrosses. To cap it off we were treated to a display of Peale's Dolphins leaping from the water as we entered the sound in which Porvenir lies.
We have taken a cabana in Porvenir for the next two nights. The plan is to start the trek to Ushuaia on Tuesday. We will have a lot of time so there is no rush.
Today's ride: 29 km (18 miles)
Total: 1,408 km (874 miles)
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