Hello from Punta Arenas Chile 

After the two day trip to Puerto Chacabuco and the San Rafael Glacier I dashed back to Coyhaique to arrange a flight the next morning down to Punta Arenas. The Carretera Austral road ends at Villa O'Higgins and exploring that segment would mean backtracking in order to reach the southern tip of South America. The cheap $100 flights to Punta Arenas are rarely full so I had no trouble getting on a plane the next morning without a reservation. 

30 January - 2 February 2006 Punta Arenas Chile 

The one hour flight from Coyhaique gave passengers impressive views of the snow capped Andes. Arriving in Punta Arenas around 13:00, a waiting bus whizzed into the city center dropping us near the beautifully landscaped Plaza de Armas. The road entering the city from the airport is a wide divided parkway with many sculptures erected in the green park-like median. It reminds me of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Non-representational modern art is something I appreciate and several of the sculptures definitely resembled nothing found in nature. In Muslim Saudi Arabia one finds only non-representational abstract art in compliance with the religious dictates of the Qu'ran.  

A long search around the six by six town grid and I accepted the reality there are no bargain hotels in this small, but modern remote city at this time of year. Gusty winds were so brisk they made remaining erect with a bulky backpack difficult. After checking a half dozen fully booked promising houses I finally settled on the last available room in the Hotel Finis Terrae, a $95 junior suite. January and February are the high tourist season months in southern South America. The hotel favors old 1960's folk for background music. I have twice now alluded to all my early hobo excursions and the music I associate with them. Starting at about 11 years of age I developed a passion for music, first country western and later folk. I played the guitar and sang. Only on reaching late middle age and respectability did I hang up my guitar and limit the singing to shower stalls.  

The big story here in this  part of South America is the hole in the ozone layer with dangerously high ultraviolet radiation reaching exposed skin on the ground in these latitudes. One of my photos shows a government warning sign with the red flag flying, designating very high danger. Perhaps we should encourage those who doubt the reality of the phenomenon to come down here to sun bath on the beaches. Every few minutes I see people coughing; on the streets, in the cyber cafes and in the hotel dining rooms. Some might be showing the effects of too much smoking, though many people around here clearly have colds or the flu. Fortunately the deadly bird flu hasn't arrived in this part of the  world yet and I remain healthy as ever.  

There are no beggars at all in this city! Given their presence in every other city I've visited, I found that extraordinary. Of course loitering on a cold windy street asking for handouts might be a less attractive money making option than washing dishes in the back of some dingy, but warm cafe. Hanging out on the street is still popular with teenagers, even when the weather is miserable. To attract the attention of girls, many daredevil bicycle riders race around the sidewalks dodging pedestrians with one near miss after another.  

Punta Arenas is an odd place. For one thing, people look like North Americans except for the overly serious expressions on their faces; very few indigenous people in the mix. Take a hundred people at random, transport them to Santa Barbara and you could hardly tell the difference. Even the way people dress is similar. This is a port town with a colorful history, but the usual nautical trappings are strangely absent from prominent display anywhere in the city. The Plaza de Armas is nicely landscaped, but does not seem like the focus of city life as in other South American communities. However, one day I witnessed a ballet performance at the base of the central monument dedicated to Tierra del Fuego. It surprised me to see such professional work in a park so far from any real center of culture. I always assumed the Land of Fire referred to the existence of volcanoes in the area. The actual story is more prosaic: early mariners first knew the land by the many fires they could see along the shores as they sailed by and thus the origin of the name. Long walks everyday gave me a good overview of the city. One of the highlights surprisingly turned out to be the city cemetery. It is remarkable for its size, all the elaborate Mausoleums and the strangely sculptured trees extensively used in the landscaping.   

My photos of Punta Arenas Chile are here. 

Peace,
Fred Bellomy