Punta Arenas, Chile
Punta Arenas is Patagonia's largest city (population about 130,000). It is the Magallanes & Antarctica Chilena regional capital and the traditional port of entry to the area. Its diverse economy depends on fishing, agriculture (sheep & cattle), shipping, petroleum, duty-free retail, and tourism. Punta Arenas has a "subpolar oceanic climate".
We had time today to explore Punta Arenas a little bit. We consulted Trip Advisor for some highlights and there really weren't many in town. I think we saw most of them yesterday - the Mirador Cerro de la Cruz and the Plaza Munoz Gamero.
Today was mostly cloudy with some rain in the morning (as if our laundry wasn't wet enough already from the overnight rain!) and then quite windy in the afternoon. We walked down to the waterfront and then a few km in either direction on a walking/cycling path. A few thoughts - nice to walk along the open water; they had lots of playgrounds and exercise parks which were all empty and in various states of disrepair; this city has been hit hard with violent protests - graffiti and broken windows everywhere. Another random thought that has to do with all of Patagonia, not just Punta Arenas - I'm not sure that I've seen a full-sized rectangular flag yet. There are lots of flags of both Chile and Magallanes flying but they're all square or smaller. The wind is so constantly strong around here that much of the material has been ripped off. It would just be too expensive to keep replacing them. Some properties are well-kept but many others are pretty dilapidated. I suppose it must be difficult to keep things up in this harsh climate but it also looks like maybe the city is in hard economic times.
We hit one more highlight on the way back - the municipal cemetery. It is similar to the one we saw in Buenos Aires but on a bit of a smaller scale. In fact, both are on the CNN list of the world's 10 most beautiful cemeteries. It is home to the extravagant crypts of some of the early settlers of the area who were from far and wide - England, Scotland, Wales, Croatia, Germany, Scandinavia, etc., and is landscaped with rows of manicured cypress trees.
Back to the hostel, retrieve laundry (which thankfully dried in the wind), shower, and out for dinner. Off to see the penguins tomorrow.
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