Wednesday, November 2, 2016 - Not only were we lucky enough to be packing for South America that had been nearly a year in the making, but we also watched the Cubs win the World Series! The only thing standing in our way of a month-long adventure was a crowded airport full of people decked out in their World Series memorabilia, a few (seemingly) short flights and a quick overnighter at the Santiago Airport Holiday Inn. Even the captain of the plane was into the Chicago holiday cheer, giving a quick "This is your captain speaking, GO CUBS!" over the speaker.
We’ve arrived! Three flights and 24 hours later we finally arrive way down south in Punta Arenas, Chile! As we pull up to our hotel in the central city square, I am unpleasantly surprised by how cold and windy it is! Time to bundle up, but first…coffee. And food.
We have less than 24 hours to explore so we throw on some gloves and hit the streets. We notice a statue across from the hotel and see people posing for pictures and kissing the toe. Never missing an opportunity for a photo op while on holiday, Paul frames the shot and we blindly pucker up. Turns out the towering bronze statue in the Plaza Del Armas was of Ferdinand Magellan and kissing the toe brings safe travels and will prevent sea sickness while going through Drake’s Passage. It worked! Safe travels, check. I guess the seasickness prevention was only limited to that specific part, not the greater Patagonian area. More on that later…
A cold, rainy and windy day in Punta Arenas
The energy this particular day as we wander through the street is incredible! Adorable street dogs roaming around (this would turn out to be a common theme throughout our travels) and full parade bustling through the streets as if to welcome us.
The high school band wasn’t the only group churning out musical realness. We’re treated to the Patagonian version of a young Dre and Snoop. I toss a few bucks but unfortunately for Paul and I, we don’t know more than five words in Spanish (Way to go Wulffs!). If anyone knows Spanish and is reading this, please let me know what insults they were serving up ;)
Thank goodness for the internets. We find a quaint little restaurant for dinner, La Marmita, only a 10 minute walk from our hotel. Armed with my own personal bodyguard (Paul is SIGNIFICANTLY taller than most people we met during the duration of our trip) and Google Translator, we enter confident that we can navigate the language barrier. The hostess tries to explain to us that we can sit down but the kitchen doesn’t open for 30 more minutes and luckily a nice bilingual Australian couple read our facial expressions for S.O.S. and clues us in as to what she’s trying to tell us. Aussies – you guys are everywhere and saving the world one conversation at a time! A fabulous meal and nice glass of Chilean wine are were the perfect way to end our day in Punta Arenas. Next stop, EcoCamp!
