Punta Arenas, Chile

            Monday, 24 Feb 2020 – The ship was scheduled to dock at Punta Arenas at 7:00 AM.  Punta Arenas, or Sandy Point in English, is sometimes regarded as the southernmost city on earth and has a population of 154,000.  Located on the Brunswick Peninsula north of the Strait of Magellan, Punta Arenas was originally established by the Chilean government in 1848 as a tiny penal colony to assert sovereignty over the Strait.  Punta Arenas enjoyed its first great boom during the California Gold Rush, when it served as a haven for great clipper ships.  Later, waves of European immigrants arrived, mainly from Croatia and Russia, attracted by the Chilean gold rush and sheep farming boom from the 1880s.  The geopolitical importance of Punta Arenas has remained high in the 20th and 21st centuries because of its logistic importance in accessing the Antarctic Peninsula.

After breakfast, Sally went to the library to find more books, while Jesse went out on deck to take photos of the Punta Arenas.  It was cold and windy, but the temperature of the pool was very warm.  From the ship, the city looks both modern and prosperous.  We had visited this port in 2011, when we went on an excursion to view penguins.

When we went for lunch in the Terrace Café at 1:30 AM, many passengers were already returning from ashore.  They were still dressed in their jackets and winter hats after venturing out into the cold weather.  Although the café was a little crowded, we found a table for two by the window, just as two others had finished their lunch.  Julie and Canute arrived right at closing time; we stopped and conversed with them until Canute finished his lunch.  Julie had eaten lunch earlier, while Canute was still on his shore excursion, “Highlights of Punta Arenas.”  He enjoyed the excursion and was glad that Julie had insisted that he dress warmly.  They also reported that they had a great time at Damien’s reception.  Before returning to our stateroom, Julie and Canute gave us a tour of their stateroom suite, which appeared to be twice the size of ours (but, of course, a lot more costly)!

Port Entrance

Once back in our stateroom, Jesse bundled up and left the ship, taking a shuttle to the end of the pier.  After visiting a souvenir shop located just outside the port gate, he had one of the ship’s crew take a photo of him before heading back to the ship.  The total trip took him less than 30 minutes.

Later, we went to the Horizons for dancing.  Afterward, we introduced ourselves to one of the other dance couples, Dave & Abby from Ashville, NC, previously from Atlanta.  They boarded the ship in Santiago and will be cruising to Buenos Aires.  Born and raised in Peoria, IL, Dave was quite familiar with the Quad Cities.

At dinner in the Terrace Café, we talked briefly with Canute and Julie.  Canute was surprised that Jesse hadn’t ventured out past the port gate!  At 9:30 PM, Jesse went to the Insignia Lounge and watched a little of the show, “Horizon Motown & More: Part 2.” The singing trio was very impressive!