Grand South America & Antarctica Voyage, Punta Arenas, Chile...

I was up and out on deck before sunrise for our sail into Punta Arenas; the coldest day yet with a wicked windchill which was definitely below freezing. It took a while for the ship to tie up due to the winds. We met our guide Gerardo at the Green Clock just outside the cruise terminal and started our adventure. Punta Arenas with a population of 120,000 inhabitants is the capital city of the Region known as Magallanes after the Strait along with being the southernmost city in the in Chile. Gerardo drove us around Plaza de Armas in the center of the city with the statue of Ferdinand Magellan in the middle. Our first stop was at Mirador Cross Hill, a lookout for a panoramic view of the city, the Straits of Magellan and Terre del Fuego Island. Leaving the city, we came upon the Lord Lonsdale shipwreck…  Of course, I had to stop for a photo! Today, we did something different and drove 45 minutes out of the city to Fuerte Bulnes. It was founded in 1843 on a rocky hill, to protect the Strait of Magellan as part of the colonization process in southern Chile. The original plan was to establish a town there but due to the harsh weather conditions, the settlement was moved to Punta Arenas. We toured the fort and visited the church, chaplain’s quarters, jail, powder magazine, post office, and stables. The setting for the fort is spectacular…overlooking the Strait of Magellan with the Andes in the background and the islands of Darwin, Dawson and Tarn in the foreground. We followed the Wind Forest Trail from the O’Higgins Lighthouse through a sideways grown Magellan Beach Forest. Along the trail, we came to a star shaped monument marking the exact center of Chile from the border of Peru to the South Pole. The trail ended at a large lookout platform overlooking the Strait of Magellan. We returned to Punta Arenas stopping at the waterfront promenade to see the Moumento Tripulantes Goleta ANCUD and the beautiful wall murals. Our last stop was the Municipal Cemetery also known as the Sara Braun Cemetery. Sara Braun donated the land for the cemetery to the city of Punta Arenas. The cemetery is one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world. You are struck by the perfectly aligned avenues of cypress trees and the vast mausoleums displaying a part of the history of Punta Arenas. The day ended with our vehicle battery dying at the cemetery…Gerardo called us an Uber to get back to the ship. The weather was great and really enjoyed all the great things to do in Punta Arenas.  Gerardo gave us a great tour!!!!